LinuxQuestions.org - difference between NFS&SAMBA

NFS, which stands for network file system, was created by Sun Microsystems in 1984. NFS server software creates the ability to authenticate and to connect to certain directories on a Unix/Linux/Microsoft machine from another machine running NFS client. The latest version of NFS (v4) is just getting around to implementing file locking. In Linux the NFS file locking on the server is not completely implemented (according to my source files in /usr/src).

Samba is software that implements SMB/CIFS. SMB means system message block. CIFS means common Internet file system. SMB was created by IBM. IBM is providing financial support to the Samba project by employing the key Samba software architect/developer. Samba also implements several Microsoft network protocols such as NetBIOS and Lan Manager. Samba can make a Linux machine fully participate in a Microsoft Lan Manager network environment. Samba can act as a file/print server as well as a PDC and BDC (primary domain contoller and backup domain controller). Samba does not implement Microsoft Active Directory protocol. A Samba machine would look like an NT4 machine in a Microsoft network.

SMB file locking on the server is very robust and fully developed and implemented in Samba.

It is possible to put NFS on a Microsoft OS machine, but I would rather put Samba on a Unix/Linux machine due to the higher level of file locking on the server that is implemented in SMB and in Samba.