4.3 Using CIFS to Mount an SMB Filesystem

CIFS (Common Internet File System) lets multiple clients access and update the same file while preventing conflicts with file-sharing and locking semantics. These mechanisms also permit aggressive caching and read-ahead/write-behind without loss of cache coherency. CIFS also supports fault tolerance in the case of network and server failures.

CIFS is an enhanced version of Microsoft's open, cross-platform Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, the native file-sharing protocol used by Windows 95, Windows NT, and OS/2 operating systems. It is the standard way that PC users share files across corporate intranets. CIFS is also widely available on UNIX, VMS, and other platforms.

4.3.1 Enabling Mounting with Root Access

Use the following commands to mount

smbmount //server.name/volume /your_favorite_mount_point -o username=ID_on_remote_system,uid=uid_of_local_user
smbumount mount_point

For example:

smbmount //server1.mycompany.com/vol1 ~/server1 -o username=user123,uid=1000
smbumount ~/server1

4.3.2 Enabling Mounting Without Root Access

To enable mounting without root access, use the following commands:

chmod 4755 /usr/bin/smbmnt
chmod 4755 /usr/bin/smbumount