SMB actually refers to a
Server Message Block. It is used to share not just
files over the
network but also
printers. SMB is not the
primary network protocol of the
Windows Operating System (
TCP/IP is), but rather it is the primary
transport mechanism of the
Windows Network Specification. SMB is mostly transferred over
NetBios or
NetBeui (although older, more arcane implementations exist]. Under Windows, it is performed as SMB over NetBios over TCP/IP.
The source of confusion above may lie in the
OSI modeling of SMB. I have seen numerous diagrams of the SMB protocol where it sits in the OSI
Application and
Presentation Layer, which sit on top of the
Session Layer.