
The SMB versions: SMB1, SMB2, and SMB3
- Authentication. Like many other protocols, authentication is vital to SMB security. ... User-level authentication-...
- Secured Data Transfer. In addition to authentication, ensuring data integrity and encryption in transit are important...
- Performance. SMB performance has improved significantly since SMB v1 and CIFS. In...
- SMB 1.0 (1984). SMB 1.0 was created by IBM for file sharing in DOS. ...
- CIFS (1996). CIFS is a Microsoft-developed SMB dialect that debuted in Windows 95. ...
- SMB 2.0 (2006). ...
- SMB 2.1 (2010). ...
- SMB 3.0 (2012). ...
- SMB 3.02 (2014). ...
- SMB 3.1.
What are the different versions of SMB?
- CIFS – Windows NT 4.0
- SMB 1.0 – Windows 2000
- SMB 2.0 – Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1 (supported in Samba 3.6)
- SMB 2.1 – Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 (Samba 4.0)
- SMB 3.0 – Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 (Samba 4.2)
- SMB 3.02 – Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 (not supported in Samba)
How do I enable SMB protocol in Windows 10?
- Press the Win + R keys to open Run and type optionalfeatures.exe into the Run box.
- Find SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support in the list and check the box next to it.
- Alternatively, you can expand it and enable only client or server, depending on what you want.
- Click on the "Restart button" if prompted.
What does SMB stand for?
What does the acronym SMB mean? According to Tech Terms and Small Business, the abbreviation SMB can either stand for server message block or small businesses and medium-sized business. A server message block is a network protocol that is used by Windows-based computers, an operating system that has been developed by Microsoft and IBM.
How to enable SMBv1 Windows10?
Enable SMB1 on Windows 10. Press Windows Key + R to bring up the run dialog and type: optionalfeatures. Expand “SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support” and then check the box next to “ SMB 1.0/CIFS Client “. Click OK. The installation will now proceed and you should be able to access shares using the SMB 1 Protocol again.

How many versions of SMB are there?
3 majorOf the 3 major SMB versions, SMB3 — particularly SMB 3.1. 1 — offers the most security. For example, SMB3's secure dialect negotiation limits susceptibility to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and SMB 3.1.
Which SMB version should I use?
The version of SMB used between two computers will be the highest dialect supported by both. This means if a Windows 8 machine is talking to a Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 machine, it will use SMB 3.0. If a Windows 10 machine is talking to Windows Server 2008 R2, then the highest common level is SMB 2.1.
What is the latest SMB version?
SMB 3.1.1SMB 3.1. 1 — the latest version of Windows SMB — was released along with Server 2016 and Windows 10. SMB 3.1. 1 includes security enhancements such as: enforcing secure connections with newer (SMB2 and later) clients and stronger encryption protocols.
What version of SMB does Windows use?
AnswerProtocol VersionFirst Client VersionFirst Server VersionSMB 2.0Windows VistaWindows Server 2008SMB 2.1Windows 7Windows Server 2008R2SMB 3.0Windows 8Windows Server 2012SMB 3.1Windows 10Windows Server 20161 more row•Apr 20, 2022
What is SMB2 and smb3?
SMB 3.0. SMB 3.0 (previously named SMB 2.2) was introduced with Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. It brought several significant changes that are intended to add functionality and improve SMB2 performance, notably in virtualized data centers: the SMB Direct Protocol (SMB over remote direct memory access [RDMA])
What is the difference between SMB1 and SMB2?
The latest version of this protocol is SMB2 which succeeds SMB 1. SMB 2 contains more fixes to vulnerabilities that SMB 1 was prone to. SMB 1 was vulnerable being a gateway to various modern ransomware and hence has been disabled by default by Microsoft in Windows 11/10.
Is SMB3 faster than SMB2?
SMB2 was faster than SMB3. SMB2 gave me about 128-145 MB/sec. SMB3 gave me about 110-125 MB/sec.
What is SMB v3?
SMB 3.0 (Server Message Block 3.0) is a protocol that provides a way for a computer's client applications to read and write to files and to request services from server programs in a computer network.
Is SMB2 faster than smb1?
Furthermore, generally SMBv1 traffic is slower than SMBv2 traffic because SMBv2 uses pipelining technology to do multiple tasks at the same time.
How do I find the SMB version?
SMBv1 on SMB ServerDetect: PowerShell Copy. Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select EnableSMB1Protocol.Disable: PowerShell Copy. Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol $false.Enable: PowerShell Copy. Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol $true.
What is SMB v2?
Short for Server Message Block 2, SMB2 is a file transfer protocol commonly used by network-attached storage (NAS) devices and file servers for sharing files and data.
What is the difference between SMB and Samba?
SAMBA was originally SMB Server – but the name had to be changed due to SMB Server being an actual product. SMB was the predecessor to CIFS. SMB (Server Message Block) and CIFS (Common Internet File System) are protocols. Samba implements CIFS network protocol.
Is SMB2 secure?
The Windows SMB2 security hole remains open and with malware out now that can take advantage of it, it's more dangerous than ever, but there's still no patch for it. If you want to share files and printers over your network, chances are you use SMB (Server Message Block) either on Windows or Samba.
Does Windows 10 use SMB3?
SMB3 supported by all versions/editions of Windows 10.
How do I find the SMB version?
SMBv1 on SMB ServerDetect: PowerShell Copy. Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select EnableSMB1Protocol.Disable: PowerShell Copy. Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol $false.Enable: PowerShell Copy. Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol $true.
How do I enable SMB2?
To enable SMB2 on Windows 10, you need to press the Windows Key + S, start typing and click on Turn Windows features on or off. You can also search the same phrase in Start, Settings. Scroll down to SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and check that top box.
What SMB is used for Windows 7?
For example, if a client computer running Windows 7 connects to a file server running Windows Server 2012, SMB 2.1 will be used.
How to enable SMB 1.0 in Windows Server 2012 R2?
To enable SMB 1.0 support in Windows Server 2012 R2, open the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesLanmanServerand change the value of DependOnService from SamSS Srv2 to SamSS Srv.
Is SMB 3.0 supported in Windows Server 2012?
A new version of SMB 3 protocol was presented in Windows Server 2012 R2 (technically, it is SMB 3.02 , since SMB 3.0 appeared in Windows Server 2012), the driver of the outdated SMB 1.0 is now disabled and its components are not loaded. Since SMB 1.0 is not supported, the outdated OS versions (Windows XP, Server 2003, etc.) and compatible clients (Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion, Snow Leopard, Mavericks, earlier Linux versions) won’t be able to access files located on the file server running Windows 2012 R2.
Does Windows 2012 R2 support SMB 1.0?
If you open Server properties in Windows 2012 R2, you’ll see that there is no driver that supports SMB 1.0 and it is excluded from dependencies.
Is SMB 1.0 inactive?
If you install this role, the Computer Browser appears in the system, but SMB 1.0 driver is inactive.
How does SMB2 work?
SMB2 reduces the 'chattiness' of the SMB 1.0 protocol by reducing the number of commands and subcommands from over a hundred to just nineteen. It has mechanisms for pipelining, that is, sending additional requests before the response to a previous request arrives, thereby improving performance over high- latency links. It adds the ability to compound multiple actions into a single request, which significantly reduces the number of round-trips the client needs to make to the server, improving performance as a result . SMB1 also has a compounding mechanism—known as AndX—to compound multiple actions, but Microsoft clients rarely use AndX. It also introduces the notion of "durable file handles": these allow a connection to an SMB server to survive brief network outages, as are typical in a wireless network, without having to incur the overhead of re-negotiating a new session.
What is SMB share?
One section of the SMB protocol specifically deals with access to filesystems, such that clients may make requests to a file server; but some other sections of the SMB protocol specialize in inter-process communication (IPC). The Inter-Process Communication (IPC) share, or ipc$, is a network share on computers running Microsoft Windows.
What is SMB 3.0.2?
SMB 3.0.2 (known as 3.02 at the time) was introduced with Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2; in those and later releases, the earlier SMB version 1 can be optionally disabled to increase security.
What is SMB2?
SMB2 includes support for symbolic links. Other improvements include caching of file properties, improved message signing with HMAC SHA-256 hashing algorithm and better scalability by increasing the number of users, shares and open files per server among others. The SMB1 protocol uses 16-bit data sizes, which amongst other things, limits the maximum block size to 64K. SMB2 uses 32- or 64-bit wide storage fields, and 128 bits in the case of file-handles, thereby removing previous constraints on block sizes, which improves performance with large file transfers over fast networks.
How many bits does SMB2 use?
SMB2 uses 32- or 64-bit wide storage fields, and 128 bits in the case of file-handles, thereby removing previous constraints on block sizes, which improves performance with large file transfers over fast networks.
What port does SMB use?
Since Windows 2000, SMB runs, by default, with a thin layer, similar to the Session Message packet of NBT's Session Service, on top of TCP, using TCP port 445 rather than TCP port 139—a feature known as "direct host SMB". Windows Server 2003, and older NAS devices use SMB1/CIFS natively.
What is SMB in Windows?
Most usage of SMB involves computers running Microsoft Windows, where it was known as "Microsoft Windows Network" before the introduction of Active Directory. Corresponding Windows services are LAN Manager Server for the server component, and LAN Manager Workstation for the client component.
How to disable SMBv1?
To disable SMBv1 on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10: In Control Panel, select Programs and Features. Under Control Panel Home, select Turn Windows features on or off to open the Windows Features box. In the Windows Features box, scroll down the list, clear the check box for SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and select OK.
How to remove SMBv1?
To remove SMBv1 from Windows Server: On the Server Manager Dashboard of the server where you want to remove SMBv1, under Configure this local server, select Add roles and features. On the Before you begin page, select Start the Remove Roles and Features Wizard, and then on the following page, select Next.
Why is SMBv3 enabled?
When you enable or disable SMBv2 in Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012, SMBv3 is also enabled or disabled. This behavior occurs because these protocols share the same stack.
When was SMBv2 introduced?
The SMBv2 protocol was introduced in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, while the SMBv3 protocol was introduced in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. For more information about SMBv2 and SMBv3 capabilities, see the following articles: Server Message Block overview. What's New in SMB.
What is multichannel network?
Multichannel - aggregation of network bandwidth and fault tolerance if multiple paths are available between client and server
What is encryption in security?
Encryption - Provides end-to-end encryption and protects from eavesdropping on untrustworthy networks
How to edit a preference in Group Policy?
Open the Group Policy Management Console. Right-click the Group Policy object (GPO) that should contain the new preference item, and then click Edit.
What is Server Message Block?
SMB is a client-server interaction protocol where clients request a file, and the server provides it to the client. It is now a Windows-based network that gives users to create, modify and delete the shared files, folders, printers within the network. SMB is an application layered protocol that uses TCP Port 445 to communicate. It also provides a herborized intercommunication mechanism to transfer to share the files between the client and the server. With the upgrades of its versions, the services are much more enhanced and effective to use by the users or clients.
What is SMB in IT?
SMB provides an authenticated intercommunication process mechanism to share the files or resources (files, folders, printers) within the server. SMB provides the clients to edit files, delete them, share the files, browse the network, print services, etc., over the network.
What is SMB1 version?
SMB1. SMB1 is very similar to the CIFS protocol that shares the files over a network to access them among the clients in an effective way. SMB was initially introduced to run on top of NetBIOS and TCP/IP interface.
Why is SMB2 better than SMB1.0?
SMB2 has reduced the “chattiness” of SMB1.0 Version file system protocol by reducing the number of commands and subcommands that are used to communicate the system to just nineteen commands. This Version also has a pipeline mechanism that sends an additional service request before the response to a previous request is arrived. This mechanism has improved the performance level, which was lagging in the previous SMB 1.0 version. SMB1.0 was using a 16-bit data size, whereas SMB2.0 is using a higher level of 32 or 64-bit wide storage data fields. This helps store larger file data and communicate the large files over the network in less time.
What are the features of SMB?
As the versions of SMB have increased, the performance level is also increasing. Below are the few important features of SMB: 1 SMB provides an authenticated intercommunication process mechanism to share the files or resources (files, folders, printers) within the server. 2 SMB provides the clients to edit files, delete them, share the files, browse the network, print services, etc., over the network. 3 SMB version 2 has decreased the usage of a number of commands and subcommands used to transfer the file over the network. 4 SMB2 supports symbolic links as an enhancement version to SMB version 1.
What version of SMB2 is supported?
The version SMB2 is supported for Windows Vista 2006, and SMB3 supports Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. Commands and subcommands are used to transfer a file over the network for which the clients request. In CIFS, the number of commands used was more than a hundred to just transfer a file. But in SMB, it has been reduced to almost nineteen ...
What is SMB authentication?
SMB Authentication Protocol. SMB contains two levels of security checks. They are the user checks and share checks. Share is generally referred to as a file or folder that is requested by the client, directory or a printer service that is to be accessed by the clients over the server.

Overview
History
Barry Feigenbaum originally designed SMB at IBM in early 1983 with the aim of turning DOS INT 21h local file access into a networked file system. Microsoft made considerable modifications to the most commonly used version and implemented the SMB protocol in the LAN Manager operating system it had started developing for OS/2 with 3Com around 1990, and continued to add features to the protocol in Windows for Workgroups (c. 1992) and in later versions of Windows. LAN Manage…
Features
Server Message Block (SMB) enables file sharing, printer sharing, network browsing, and inter-process communication (through named pipes) over a computer network. SMB serves as the basis for Microsoft's Distributed File System implementation.
SMB relies on the TCP and IP protocols for transport. This combination potentially allows file sharing over complex, interconnected networks, including the public Internet. The SMB server co…
Specifications
The specifications for the SMB are proprietary and were initially closed, thereby forcing other vendors and projects to reverse-engineer the protocol to interoperate with it. The SMB 1.0 protocol was eventually published some time after it was reverse engineered, whereas the SMB 2.0 protocol was made available from Microsoft's Open Specifications Developer Center from the outset.
Third-party implementations
In 1991, Andrew Tridgell started the development of Samba, a free-software re-implementation (using reverse engineering) of the SMB/CIFS networking protocol for Unix-like systems, initially to implement an SMB server to allow PC clients running the DEC Pathworks client to access files on SunOS machines. Because of the importance of the SMB protocol in interacting with the widespread Microsoft Windows platform, Samba became a popular free software implementation …
Security
Over the years, there have been many security vulnerabilities in Microsoft's implementation of the protocol or components on which it directly relies. Other vendors' security vulnerabilities lie primarily in a lack of support for newer authentication protocols like NTLMv2 and Kerberos in favor of protocols like NTLMv1, LanMan, or plaintext passwords. Real-time attack tracking shows that SMB is one of the primary attack vectors for intrusion attempts, for example the 2014 Sony Pictu…
See also
• List of products that support SMB
• Administrative share
• Shared file access
• AppleTalk
• Network File System (protocol)
Further reading
• "[MS-CIFS]: Common Internet File System (CIFS) Protocol". Open Specifications. Microsoft. 30 October 2020.
• "[MS-SMB]: Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol". Open Specifications. Microsoft. 25 June 2021.
• "[MS-SMB2]: Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol Versions 2 and 3". Open Specifications. Microsoft. 14 December 2021.