The Common Internet File System (CIFS (*01)) is a method for two or more computers to share data on a Network.(*02) It is derived from the Server Message Block (SMB) (*03) protocol, which follows from NetBIOS. NetBIOS (*04) was originally an extension to the API of the PC BIOS. It has been extended for more usage and multiple operating systems by Microsoft and others. Microsoft once provided a client for DOS, but this has reappeared and disappeared since then. Jacco de Leeuw provides details on Networking software for DOS, where to find it and how to install it. Unfortunately, so far, a Samba open source client for DOS has not been developed and while the MS client works, it is not very compatible with other CIFS systems. See references below for more details.
* (*01) Implementing CIFS - The Common Internet FileSystem (Christopher R. Hertel), see: http://www.ubiqx.org/cifs/ * (*02) Networking software for DOS (Jacco de Leeuw), see: http://www.jacco2.dds.nl/samba/dos.html * (*03) Just what is SMB? (Richard Sharpe), see: http://www.samba.org/cifs/docs/what-is-smb.html * (*04) NetBIOS, NetBEUI, NBF, SMB, CIFS document page (Timothy Evans), see: http://timothydevans.me.uk/n2c.html All links are still OK.
Copyright © 2007 Ulrich Hansen, Mainz (Germany), updated 2010 and 2022 by W.Spiegl. For more information see here. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License 1.2".