Have you ever experienced a slow response when working with or accessing a shared network file? If you're on a WAN or using a cloud-based system, it's tempting to blame the problem on a bad Internet connection or heavy network traffic. These issues may be part of the problem, but it's also probable that CIFS is to blame.
What is CIFS?
CIFS, or Common Internet File System, is a network protocol at the application layer that allows connected client computers to share, access, and edit files hosted on a remote server. To the end-user, file access and usage feels as if the file was hosted on the local computer's hard disk even though it is located on a server. However, some users experience slow CIFS performance, especially when sharing files across large geographic distances. This is due to inefficiencies encountered throughout the trip. When dealing with remote files, a series of requests between the client and server take place before the desired action is triggered and the file delivered to the client (of the revised file sent back to the server).
CIFS is an older network protocol that has been through numerous releases, and it's far from perfect. It's sometimes referred to as being "chatty," which is a great way of visualizing its inefficiencies. For example, you've likely encountered a chatty neighbor who takes ten minutes to relay about 30 seconds of information, right? CIFS is like that, making it prime for improvement.
Overcoming Slow CIFS
Fortunately, application acceleration technologies exist that allow you to overcome slow CIFS performance issues. By optimizing CIFS through application acceleration, you can eliminate redundant packets, address latency and bandwidth issues, and increase application and file sharing performance across even the most demanding wide or local area networks.
Benefits of Optimizing CIFS
Why use application acceleration to optimize slow CIFS? While it's certainly not mandatory, doing so has a number of undeniable benefits. Below are just a few:
- Faster file sharing – Eliminate the frustrations associated with slow CIFS and slow file sharing with application acceleration. Once optimized, users can experience much faster file sharing. Some application accelerators improve file transfer times by up to 100 times faster.
- A better end-user experience – Because the CIFS issues have been addressed and the application layer optimized for improved performance, end-users are happier and less frustrated.
- Productivity improvements – Since file transfers and application performance improve dramatically, workers at all levels can work more productively with less time wasted waiting for a response from the server.
- Lower bandwidth requirements – Application acceleration optimizes the entire pipeline through which data requests, packets, and file transfers travel. With massive performance boosts comes a corresponding decrease in bandwidth. When you use less bandwidth, you can expect lower bandwidth costs.
CIFS is inefficient and prone to unnecessary delays. Despite numerous refreshes, CIFS continues to be problematic for companies with large LANs and WANs. Meanwhile, application acceleration technology has been developed that allows you to overcome slow CIFS performance, bandwidth, and latency issues. Switch to an application acceleration provider and bypass slow CIFS systems completely.
The author, Maxwell Pierce, works in providing network performances for distributed enterprise and understand the complexities of dealing with slow CIFS.
