In computer networking, Server Message Block (SMB), one version of which was also known as Common Internet File System (CIFS /sɪfs/), is a communication protocol for providing shared access...

Server Message Block (SMB) protocol was first created by IBM in the 1980s. It is one of the versions of the Common Internet File System (CIFS) to transfer the files over the network.

SMB, which stands for Server Message Block, is a protocol for sharing files, printers, serial ports, and communications abstractions such as named pipes and mail slots between computers.

The SMB protocol enables "inter-process communication," which is the protocol that allows applications and services on networked computers to talk to each other - you might say SMB is one of the...