[jcifs] SMB URL @ CIFS Conference

Christopher R. Hertel crh at ubiqx.mn.org
Wed Aug 22 13:10:35 EST 2001


Yes/no.

It's not just CIFS vs. SMB but native TCP vs NBT *and* all the supporting
protocols that go along with that.  Browsing, name resolution, and
authentication are all different with port 445 semantics (the new stuff).

So, for example, what does smb://<w2kdomain>/ mean?  By logical extension,
it would mean "give me the browse list for the Windows 2K domain".  
Getting that list, however, is now an Active Directory call (I think)
rather than a call to a local browser.  So, if we overload smb:// to mean
*both* NBT and non-NBT transports we need to demonstrate that mechanisms
exist to resolve a name (eg. smb://service/) to any of the below:

+ It's a NetBIOS name
  - it's a workgroup name
  - or it's a server name
+ or it's a partially qualified DNS name
  - so it's a server running NBT services
  - or it's a server running non-NBT services
  - or it's the name of a W2K domain and we want the browse list

See the problem?  We've added more permutations which means more testing
for the underlying protocol implementation to handle.

Chris -)-----

On Tue, Aug 21, 2001 at 07:02:42PM -0400, Allen, Michael B (RSCH) wrote:
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	James Nord [SMTP:teilo at teilo.net]
> > 
> > What can a CIFS client do that a SMB client can not (and vice versa)
> > 
> 	Nothing. This is just a terminology issue. I'm of the opinion that SMB
> 	is the technical name for the type of transport used with the CIFS
> 	protocol -- Transactions, RAP functions, Named Pipes, etc are all
> 	implemented over SMB. However, CIFS is the newer more all encompassing
> 	name for the protocol as a whole and people are starting to use the cifs://
> 	prefix. The whole thing is a little unfortunate because supporting both
> 	interchangably creates confusion and programmatic problems (e.g. create
> 	an object with smb:// and then compare it with an object created with
> 	cifs:// ?). Also, implementations will no doubt choose to attach meaning to
> 	one or the other (e.g. Chris has advocated cifs:// be used to indicate
> 	NetBIOSless transport).
> 
> 	Mike
> 
> 

-- 
Samba Team -- http://www.samba.org/     -)-----   Christopher R. Hertel
jCIFS Team -- http://jcifs.samba.org/   -)-----   ubiqx development, uninq.
ubiqx Team -- http://www.ubiqx.org/     -)-----   crh at ubiqx.mn.org




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