CIFS
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Networking
| Stands for | Common Internet File System |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
CIFS stands for Common Internet File System, a networking abbreviation.
Microsoft's mid-1990s name for its dialect of the SMB file-sharing protocol, promoted at the time as an open standard for sharing files across the internet. The term lingers in Linux mount commands and NAS settings.
Example: Mount the Windows share on Linux with mount -t cifs and a credentials file.
Usage notes
CIFS refers specifically to an SMB1-era dialect that is outdated and insecure; Microsoft now recommends saying SMB and using SMB3. Linux's "cifs" kernel module nonetheless supports modern SMB versions despite its name. Pronounced "siffs".
Related abbreviations
More networking abbreviations
- ARPANET – Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
- ASN – Autonomous system number
- ATM – Asynchronous Transfer Mode
- BGP – Border Gateway Protocol
- CGNAT – Carrier-grade NAT
- CIDR – Classless Inter-Domain Routing
- CNAME – Canonical name (record)
- CRC – Cyclic redundancy check
- CSMA/CD – Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection
- DDNS – Dynamic DNS
- DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
- DMZ – Demilitarized zone