NFS vs SMB vs CIFS: File storage protocols defined

▤ Summary

It was originally developed by Sun Microsystems in 1984 and is now at version 4, with parallel file access functionality (pNFS, used in scale-out NAS). NFS could run on the internet, in theory, but it lacks the ability to handle complex routing instructions and it is not encrypted by default. IBM developed SMB originally in 1983 as a way of providing shared access to files and printers across a network. SMB clients mount to files and directories via computer hostname or IP address (NFS uses the Unix command line). It is mostly used with NetBIOS-based transports – which can get cumbersome on bigger, busier networks – and was focused on small LAN file, print and application access to storage.

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