Mounting CIFS and NFS Shares

Common Internet File System (CIFS) is a file-sharing protocol that provides an open and cross-platform mechanism for requesting network server files and services.

• CIFS is based on the enhanced version of Microsoft’s Server Message Block (SMB) protocol for Internet and intranet file sharing.

CIFS is typically used in workstation and server OSs and was a native file-sharing protocol in Windows 2000.

• CIFS is also used in embedded and appliance systems.

• Recent storage products, like Storage Area Network (SAN) and Network Access Server (NAS), are based on CIFS.

Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system protocol originally developed by Sun Microsystems in 1984.

• This file system allows a user on a client computer to access files over a computer network much like local storage is accessed.

• NFS, like many other protocols, builds on the Open Network Computing Remote Procedure Call (ONC RPC) system.

• The NFS is an open standard defined in Request for Comments (RFC), allowing anyone to implement the protocol.