SMB on Windows server 2019 - Microsoft Q&A (2024)

FAQs

How do I enable SMB share in Windows Server 2019? ›

Check SMB share: Verify that SMB shares are accessible by trying to access them from another computer on the network. You can do this by using the UNC path to the SMB share, for example: \servername\sharename. Check SMB performance: Test the performance of SMB by transferring files to and from the server.

SMB signing and SMB encryption are known to slow down SMB transfers. The amount of the performance loss depends greatly on the capabilities of the hardware involved. The primary factors are the count and speed of the CPU core, and how much CPU time is dedicated to other workloads.

To enable SMBv2, you want to confirm your operating system can run it. Most Windows 10 operating systems can. Open the Powershell and type in Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select EnableSMB2Protocol. You should receive a True in response, meaning you can run SMB2 on your computer.

SMB ports are generally port numbers 139 and 445.

View the list of available SMB shares. Use the smbadm show-shares -t command to display the names and text descriptions of the shares with output headers.

Under the More Windows features panel, scroll to the SMB Direct selection and ensure it is checked. You may need to restart your Windows system after performing this change for it to take effect. The SMB 1.0 CIFS File Sharing choice, shown immediately above SMB Direct, should not be enabled.

What Windows service controls SMB? ›

In Microsoft Windows, two vaguely named Windows services implement SMB. The "Server" service (ID: LanmanServer ) is in charge of serving shared resources. The "Workstation" service (ID: LanmanWorkstation ) maintains the computer name and helps access shared resources on other computers.

At Control Panel > File Services > SMB Settings, you can enable this function to browse files on your Synology NAS via Windows Explorer or mount shared folders as network drives.

The shift from port 139 to 445 marks a significant evolution in SMB communication, primarily driven by the need for more secure and efficient networking solutions. Port 445 allows SMB to operate directly over TCP/IP, bypassing the older NetBIOS layer, which is less secure and more complex.

Summary. Since Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and Windows Server, version 1709 (RS3), the Server Message Block version 1 (SMBv1) network protocol is no longer installed by default. It was superseded by SMBv2 and later protocols starting in 2007. Microsoft publicly deprecated the SMBv1 protocol in 2014.

NFS is known for its fast performance and low overhead, while SMB is known for its reliability, security and compatibility. The choice between NFS and SMB depends on the environment: NFS is advisable in a UNIX environment, while SMB is recommended in a Microsoft environment.

Enabling SMB Signing via Group Policy

Within the policy navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options. There are 4 policy items that can be modified depending on your needs. All of these policy items can either be enabled or disabled.

Select and hold (or right-click) Start and select Computer Management. In the console tree, select System Tools > Shared Folders > Shares. Select and hold (or right-click) and select New > Share. In Create A Shared Folder Wizard, select Next.

Navigate to Control Panel, System and Security and Windows Firewall. Select Advanced settings and highlight Inbound Rules in the left pane. Right click Inbound Rules and select New Rule. Add the port you need to open and click Next.