If you just want to be able to map and access your network drives natively, and you don’t need Kerberos authentication, the Microsoft Management Console, or Windows Group Policy support, then CIFS is your answer. CIFS (Common Internet File System) is a network file sharing protocol that is based on the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. CIFS enables both Windows and Linux client workstations to create, copy, delete, move, save, and open files on Open Enterprise Server.
CIFS uses NetIQ eDirectory services for user authentication, and allows Windows and Linux client users to access their server data files or other shared resources in a variety of ways. For Windows users, CIFS provides access to files and resources through the Network Neighborhood or My Network, Windows Explorer, and mapped drives on Windows workstations. For Linux users, it provides access through a SMB client from Linux desktops.
