From: Keith Bostic <bostic@bsdi.com>
Subject: MS Press Release - Common Internet File System (CIFS)

Forwarded-by: glen mccready <glen@qnx.com>

MS Press Release - Common Internet File System (CIFS)

http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/press/1996/jun96/cifs2pr.htm

Data General, Digital, Intel, Intergraph, Network Appliance and Others Join
Microsoft in Support of Common Internet File System

SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 13, 1996 - Today Data General Corp., Digital
Equipment Corp., Intel Corp., Intergraph Corp., Network Appliance Inc. and
a growing number of other companies joined with Microsoft Corp. to announce
support for a remote collaborative file-sharing technology called the
Common Internet File System (CIFS) based on standards already used by
millionsof PCs on corporate intranets.

The Common Internet File System is an enhanced version of the native
file-sharing technology used in the Microsoft=AE MS-DOS=AE, Windows=AE and
Windows NT=AE operating systems and IBM=AE OS/2=AE, and widely available on
leading UNIX=AE systems. It enables millions of computer users to open and
share remote files directly on the Internet, expanding the Internet's
ability to support interactive computing.

CIFS technology provides reliable direct read and write access to files
stored on remote computers without first requiring users to download or
copy the files to a local machine, as done today on the Internet with
protocols such as file transfer protocol (FTP). This can improve the
performance of many types of file access. Because CIFS is based on existing
standards, users will be able to use thousands of existing applications
over the Internet as well as integrate them with browser applications
designed for the World Wide Web.

"A common remote file-sharing technology is becoming increasingly impor
tant as the Internet becomes more interactive and collaborative," said Paul
Maritz, group vice president of the platforms group at Microsoft. "Now, the
millions of PC users can use the Internet without having to install new
software or change the way they work. Microsoft is making sure that CIFS
technology is open, published and widely available for all computer users."

The proposed Common Internet File System protocol runs over TCP/IP and is
an enhanced version of the open, cross-platform protocol for distributed f
ile sharing called Server Message Block (SMB). The SMB protocol is the
standard way that millions of PC users already share files across corporate
intranets and is the native file-sharing protocol in Windows 95, Windows NT
and OS/2.

The SMB protocol is an open technology widely available on UNIX, VMS=99 and
other platforms. It has been an Open Group (formerly X/Open) standard for
PC and UNIX interoperability since 1992 (X/Open CAE Specification C209),
and it is supported in products such as AT&T=AE Advanced Server for UNIX,
Digital's PATHWORKS=99, HP=AE Advanced Server 9000, IBM Warp Connect, IBM
LAN Server, Novell=AE Enterprise Toolkit, and 3Com=AE 3+Share=AE, among
others. SMBis also the featured file and print sharing protocol of Samba, a
popular freeware network file system available for LINUX and many UNIX
platforms.

This week, Microsoft took the significant step of submitting the protocol
specification as an Internet draft, thus opening up this important
technology for Windows-based networking to the Internet community.
Microsoft is openly sharing the latest version of the protocol, which will
ship in Windows NT 4.0 and in a future release of Windows 95.

Enhancements Support Internet Computing

The proposed Common Internet File System protocol has been enhanced over
previous versions of the SMB protocol in ways that make it well suited for
use on the Internet. CIFS, for example, supports the Internet's Domain Name
Service (DNS) for address resolution. The protocol runs optimally over
slow-speed dial-up lines, helping improve performance for the vast numbers
of users today who access the Internet using a modem. In addition to remote
file sharing, CIFS has mechanisms to support remote printer sharing as
well.

Industry Leaders Join to Support CIFS Initiative

The companies announcing support for CIFS this week include Digital, Intel,
Intergraph and Network Appliance.

Digital

"Digital, as part of the Open Group, encouraged the adoption of SMB in the
1992 X/Open Portability Guide, and our products already support SMB," said
Robert Bismuth, vice president for Digital's Alliance with Microsoft. "We
fully support Microsoft's announcement of the CIFS initiative and opening
up this discussion for the Internet community as a whole."

Intel

"To fully enable end users to work collaboratively across the Web, the
Internet community should openly discuss and adopt initiatives such as
CIFS," said John McNulty, director of enterprise server programs at Intel.
"This multivendor distributed file system complements Intel's Standard High
Volume server strategy by supporting an entire industry composed of
thousands of hardware, software and service providers."

Intergraph

"One of the primary benefits of adopting Windows as our strategic platform
is access to technologies such a CIFS," said Tommy Steele, president of
Intergraph Software Solutions. "Users of our Internet-enabled applications
will immediately benefit from the ability to efficiently share information
and files across wide area networks."

Network Appliance

"Establishing CIFS as an open standard for LANs, Intranets and the Internet
will help users and organizations share information more effectively," said
Dan Warmenhoven, president and CEO of Network Appliance. "CIFS offers
features such as authentication, file locking, data sharing and file-level
security that will be increasingly important as organizations grow their
intranets. Network Appliance is working closely with Microsoft to build
high-speed native CIFS support directly into our industry-leading line of
dedicated file server appliances."

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of pro
ducts and services for business and personal use, each designed with the
mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage
of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries.

IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corp.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries,
licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.

VMS and PATHWORKS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corp.

AT&T is a registered trademark of American Telephone and Telegraph Co.

HP is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Co.

Novell is a registered trademark of Novell Inc.

3Com and 3+Share are registered trademarks of 3Com Corp.