Implementing CIFS: The Common Internet File System

Introduction: CIFS from Eight Miles High

	Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog.
	--Macbeth, Act IV, Scene i, William Shakespeare

First Impressions

First impressions are important. The handshake, the smile, here’s our brochure, would you like a cup of tea?

Microsoft’s Windows family of operating systems makes good first impressions. There’s a pleasant sound at start-up, all of the basics are represented by simple icons, and everything else is available through a neatly categorized menu.

As the relationship progresses, however, it becomes clear that there is a lot going on beneath the candy-coated surface. This is particularly true of the CIFS protocol suite. The Network ...