Samba is server software for computers running under Unix or another Unix-like operating systems with standard TCP/IP available. (Samba, as it stands right now, depends on Unix file structure, permissions, system calls and services. There was a talk about a port to VMS, and maybe something else, but the status is currently unknown). It provides file and printer services for clients using some variants of SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. SMB is a "native" networking protocol used by MS-DOS based (in a very broad sense, including derivatives) clients. They include those from IBM, ICL, Microsoft and even one particular Novell product. In particular clients are distributed with `Windows for Workgroups', `Windows 95', 'Windows NT' (Microsoft), 'OS/2 Warp' (IBM) and others.

Some of Samba's server cousins include DEC Pathworks, Microsoft LAN Manager/X, OS/2 Lan Manager, IBM LAN Server, Syntax Server and Windows NT Server. Some clients such as Windows 95/Workgroups or Warp Connect can also act as low volume servers with limited management facilities.

SMB is becoming very popular, mainly owing to these factors:

• Windows has dial-up access to PPP servers with an included service, and this service allows one to "browse" to public shares on the Internet.
• Samba is "free" and this is a lot less expensive than Novell! (friendlier too!)
• With Samba, Unix servers, well connected to a global network, can speak in a "native" protocol of clients. It is much simpler to maintain one more protocol on a capable server than teach new tricks to multiple clients which were never meant to do something else.
• There is an established, well tested way of doing SMB over TCP/IP described in publicly available RFC 1001 and RFC 1002 documents. This means that SMB has a head start when it comes to Internet integration.