History of SMB

History of SMB Project

This project is aimed at preserving the history of the protocol while there is still a lot of primary material existing. Why spend time and energy on a job like this? Reasons include:

SMB is designed for maximum backwards compatibility. This has resulted in great complexity and inefficiency, but it does have advantages. In any case, SMB server implementors will need to know their history for the next generation of servers at least, or very popular clients will just stop working.
Understanding the past explains a lot of the current concepts, terminology and protocol mechanisms, many of which continue into CIFS,the latest version of SMB.
Why not?

It is just a rough begining, if anyone can add to it please mail me at Dan.Shearer@unisa.edu.au After I have got a better idea of who implemented what to which standard when I will try to reorganise it into something more helpful.

Last edited Saturday 16th November 1996

Table of known dates

Following is a rough timeline for SMB development, taken from various well-known facts and plenty of guesses. I have put queries and comments in a small typeface where I know even less than usual what the story is.

SMB Timeline

Sep, 1984
IBM PC Network Technical Reference No. 6322916
First Edition. First definition of NetBIOS
????
MSnet and PCLP presumably implemented and documented somewhere?
????
OpenNet/Microsoft Networks File Sharing Protocol. Intel PN 136329001.
(document not available? Referred to in other public docs.)
Sep 5, 1986 OpenNET/Microsoft Networks. FILE SHARING PROTOCOL EXTENSIONS.
INTEL Part Number 138447. Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation. Version 1.9. (XEXTNP.TXT)

1986 ???? First release of 3Com 3+Share?

Mar 1987
RFC1001,RFC1002 released.
PROTOCOL STANDARD FOR A NetBIOS SERVICE ON A TCP/UDP TRANSPORT: CONCEPTS AND METHODS.
NetBIOS Working Group.
Cites these companies as having provided info on their NetBIOS over IP implementations: CMC/Syros, Excelan, Sytek, Ungermann-Bass which may mean they had an interest in file transfer over this as well? Help wanted

Nov 7, 1988 Microsoft Networks/OpenNET. FILE SHARING PROTOCOL INTEL. Part Number 138446. Document Version 2.0. Microsoft Corporation, Intel Corporation. (SMB-CORE.PS) This is called the Core protocol and is the base level supported by most servers.

Nov 7, 1988 SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions Version 2.0. Document Version 3.3. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1987, 1988. (DOSEXTP.TXT, SMB-LM1X.PS)
Nov 29, 1989
SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions Version 3.0. Document Version 1.09. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1989. (XMB.TXT)

Jun 19, 1990 Microsoft Networks. SMB FILE SHARING PROTOCOL EXTENSIONS. SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions Version 3.0. Document Version 1.11. Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1987-90

Nov 30, 1990 Microsoft Networks/OpenNET. Copyright Microsoft 1987, 1988. INTEL Part Number 138446. Document Version 2.0. (COREP.TXT) This is what is called the Core Plus protocol

Oct 1991 XO/DEV/91/010 Protocols for X/Open PC Interworking: SMB tbd This is referred to at http://www.xopen.org/public/pubs/catalog/c209.htm but did it ever exist?

Oct 1992 Protocols for X/Open PC Internetworking: SMB, Version 2. X/Open CAE Specification C209 1-872630-45-6.

Feb 29, 1992 Microsoft Networks. SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions. Document Version 3.4 (SMB-LM21.DOC)

Jan 1, 1996 SMB FILE SHARING PROTOCOL, Document Version 6.0p, January 1, 1996 (smbpub.zip) Is this what is known as NT LM 0.12?

Sep, 1984	IBM PC Network Technical Reference No. 6322916 First Edition. First definition of NetBIOS
????	MSnet and PCLP presumably implemented and documented somewhere?
????	OpenNet/Microsoft Networks File Sharing Protocol. Intel PN 136329001. (document not available? Referred to in other public docs.)
Sep 5, 1986	OpenNET/Microsoft Networks. FILE SHARING PROTOCOL EXTENSIONS. INTEL Part Number 138447. Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation. Version 1.9. (XEXTNP.TXT)
1986 ????	First release of 3Com 3+Share?
Mar 1987	RFC1001,RFC1002 released. PROTOCOL STANDARD FOR A NetBIOS SERVICE ON A TCP/UDP TRANSPORT: CONCEPTS AND METHODS. NetBIOS Working Group. Cites these companies as having provided info on their NetBIOS over IP implementations: CMC/Syros, Excelan, Sytek, Ungermann-Bass which may mean they had an interest in file transfer over this as well? Help wanted
Nov 7, 1988	Microsoft Networks/OpenNET. FILE SHARING PROTOCOL INTEL. Part Number 138446. Document Version 2.0. Microsoft Corporation, Intel Corporation. (SMB-CORE.PS) This is called the Core protocol and is the base level supported by most servers.
Nov 7, 1988	SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions Version 2.0. Document Version 3.3. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1987, 1988. (DOSEXTP.TXT, SMB-LM1X.PS)
Nov 29, 1989	SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions Version 3.0. Document Version 1.09. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1989. (XMB.TXT)
Jun 19, 1990	Microsoft Networks. SMB FILE SHARING PROTOCOL EXTENSIONS. SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions Version 3.0. Document Version 1.11. Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1987-90
Nov 30, 1990	Microsoft Networks/OpenNET. Copyright Microsoft 1987, 1988. INTEL Part Number 138446. Document Version 2.0. (COREP.TXT) This is what is called the Core Plus protocol
Oct 1991	XO/DEV/91/010 Protocols for X/Open PC Interworking: SMB tbd This is referred to at http://www.xopen.org/public/pubs/catalog/c209.htm but did it ever exist?
Oct 1992	Protocols for X/Open PC Internetworking: SMB, Version 2. X/Open CAE Specification C209 1-872630-45-6.
Feb 29, 1992	Microsoft Networks. SMB File Sharing Protocol Extensions. Document Version 3.4 (SMB-LM21.DOC)
Jan 1, 1996	SMB FILE SHARING PROTOCOL, Document Version 6.0p, January 1, 1996 (smbpub.zip) Is this what is known as NT LM 0.12?