CIFS share options: NOBROWSE vs ABE (access-based enumeration)

pedro_rocha — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:42:14 GMT

Hello all,

I would like to understand the difference when setting each one of those cifs share options: -nobrowse and -access-based-enumeration. Documentation lacks explanation on nobrowse and a KB let me a bit confused.

Please provide scenarios where one option is more suitable than the other.

Can someone help me?

Regards,

Pedro Rocha

Re: CIFS share options: NOBROWSE vs ABE (access-based enumeration)

GidonMarcus — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:55:45 GMT

Hi,

Are you referring to 7-mode system?

https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMP1196890/html/man1/na_cifs_shares.1.html

nobrowse

Disables enumeration of this share by browsing tools such as Server Manager or Active Directory Users and Computers

accessbasedenum

Enables the ability to hide the folders and files underneath this share when the user has no permissions to read them.

nobrowse means the share itself not discoverable by windows API's.

accessbasedenum means users can't see folders they don't have access to.

topic CIFS share options: NOBROWSE vs ABE (access-based enumeration) in Network and Storage Protocols

CIFS share options: NOBROWSE vs ABE (access-based enumeration)

Re: CIFS share options: NOBROWSE vs ABE (access-based enumeration)