SMB

File sharing using the SMB 3 protocol in Windows Server

Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

  • SMB version 3.0 was introduced with Windows Server 2012 and has been incrementally improved in subsequent releases.
  • Using the SMB protocol, an application (or the user of an application) can access files or other resources at a remote server.
  • Windows Server includes a feature called SMB Direct, which supports the use of network adapters that have Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) capability. Network adapters that have RDMA can function at full speed with very low latency, while using very little CPU.
  • Beginning in Windows Server 2022 and Windows 11, SMB Direct now supports encryption. For more information on configuring SMB encryption, review SMB security enhancements.
  • SMB is also a fabric protocol used by software-defined data center (SDDC) solutions such as Storage Spaces Direct, Storage Replica,
  • Azure Stack HCI is a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) cluster solution that hosts virtualized Windows and Linux workloads and their storage in a hybrid environment that combines on-premises infrastructure with Azure cloud services. SEE VISEO from MICROSOFT
  • Each Azure Stack HCI cluster consists of between 2 and 16 physical, validated servers. The clustered servers share common configuration and resources by leveraging the Windows Server Failover Clustering feature.
  • Azure Stack HCI is intended as a virtualization host, so most apps and server roles must run inside of virtual machines (VMs). Exceptions include Hyper-V, Network Controller, and other components required for Software Defined Networking (SDN) or for the management and health of hosted VMs.

SMB over QUIC Applies to: Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition, Windows 11

  • SMB over QUIC introduces an alternative to the TCP network transport, providing secure, reliable connectivity to edge file servers over untrusted networks like the Internet.
  • QUIC is an IETF-standardized protocol with many benefits when compared with TCP:
  • SMB over QUIC offers an “SMB VPN” for telecommuters, mobile device users, and high security organizations. The server certificate creates a TLS 1.3-encrypted tunnel over the internet-friendly UDP port 443 instead of the legacy TCP port 445