CIFS stands for Common Internet File System, and is a way to store data in files on a server. CIFS is short for the more formal name of the protocol which is “Common Internet File System.” What does that mean? Basically, it’s a file system that runs over TCP/IP networks. The idea behind this type of architecture was to make it easy for users from different platforms (Windows, Unix) to share files with each other. It’s also more reliable than other methods of transferring files.
As you can see, CIFS is a protocol that allows for file sharing over TCP/IP networks. Documents are stored as individual files on servers, and the protocol has gained popularity ever since its inception in 1986 when it was first released by IBM with their LAN server product called “Network Attached Storage” (NAS). It quickly became the preferred method to share data between different platforms (Windows, Unix) because it provides easy access to shared folders from multiple operating systems.
Furthermore, any type of interruption or failure doesn’t interrupt file transfers – this makes CIFS much better than older protocols like NFS which would not transfer properly if there were network problems.
As time went on, so did the sophistication and security of CIFS. Microsoft released a new version called “Common Internet File System” (CIFS) which has improved features like better encryption support with SMB signings, or more flexible authentication schemes that use NT domain user logons instead of system-local passwords for authentication.
Files are accessed remotely from a computer’s point of view, but they’re not stored on the remote system. The Common Internet File System provides access to files in different formats and is used by all major operating systems such as MacOS X or Windows 7.
Files can be read and written using CIFS commands which provide standard file management functions for any computing device that supports this protocol with no reliance on software modifications at either end (filesystem-specific drivers).
