Network and Storage Protocols

cifs.smb2 - enable for Windows 2008 R2?

m_lubinski
14,423 Views

Hello,

I have a customer that is running only Windows 2008 R2 VMs on vSphere 4.1, and is connecting to CIFS share on Netapp FAS 3040. I see that in oiptions this option: cifs.smb2.enable is set to off (so disabled). This customer requires best performance, so I would like to ask if i can enable this option to increase performance from CIFS? Is there anything else I could do to improve/optimize CIFS performance for this customer?

Thanks in advance for your tips...

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

xavierpitz
14,421 Views

https://now.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/ontap/rel801/html/ontap/cmdref/man1/na_options.1.htm

cifs.smb2.enable
This option enables SMB 2.0 support on the Filer. When this option is enabled, the Filer uses SMB 2.0 with a Windows client, if the client supports SMB 2.0. When this option is disabled, the Filer will not accept any new SMB 2.0 sessions; existing sessions are not terminated.

Default: off

Effective: Immediately

Persistence: Remains in effect across system reboots

& from http://www.petri.co.il/how-to-disable-smb-2-on-windows-vista-or-server-2008.htm :

"If both the client and server support SMB 2.0, then SMB 2.0 is selected  during the initial negotiation. However, if they don't both support it,  SMB 1.0 will be used to in order to preserve backwards compatibility."

View solution in original post

11 REPLIES 11

mheimberg
14,380 Views

not sure if enabling smb2 will have a performance impact (either + or -), but IMHO for windows 2008 and 7 enabling it will either way be a good thing.

Mark

m_lubinski
14,380 Views

ok, and then clients compatible with smb2 (w7,2008r2 etc) will automatically use smb2? (even when both smb and smb2 are enabled)?

does Windows need any change inside to work with SMB2 or does it just work by default when SMB2 will be enabled?

xavierpitz
14,422 Views

https://now.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/ontap/rel801/html/ontap/cmdref/man1/na_options.1.htm

cifs.smb2.enable
This option enables SMB 2.0 support on the Filer. When this option is enabled, the Filer uses SMB 2.0 with a Windows client, if the client supports SMB 2.0. When this option is disabled, the Filer will not accept any new SMB 2.0 sessions; existing sessions are not terminated.

Default: off

Effective: Immediately

Persistence: Remains in effect across system reboots

& from http://www.petri.co.il/how-to-disable-smb-2-on-windows-vista-or-server-2008.htm :

"If both the client and server support SMB 2.0, then SMB 2.0 is selected  during the initial negotiation. However, if they don't both support it,  SMB 1.0 will be used to in order to preserve backwards compatibility."

xavierpitz
14,381 Views

m.lubinski a écrit:

[...] Is there anything else I could do to improve/optimize CIFS performance for this customer?

Thanks in advance for your tips...

You may also consider configuring multi mode vif(s) on the controller side with IP+port hashing as load balancing algorithm...

lovik_netapp
14,381 Views

Have you tried looking into cifs window size on filer, as default window

size is very small and increasing it would give increase performance.

m_lubinski
14,381 Views

what option is that? I don't see it in options field for CIFS

lovik_netapp
14,381 Views

Don't remember now but try with "options cifs" and you should get an option

where you will find default window size set as ~32k .

Will tell you the exact option once I have access to my system.

-Sent from my handheld

m_lubinski
14,380 Views

i know there is default windows size for NFS, but don't see it for CIFS... pls check on your setup, and let me know...

lovik_netapp
14,380 Views

Use below option.

"options cifs.tcp_window_size 64240"

You can also try with enabling oplocks, I have tried to add some information

on it below.

BTW have you tried looking at volume settings to increase performance, like

minra, at time update or settings on client side.

cifs.oplocks.enable:

Oplocks (opportunistic locks) enable a CIFS client in certain file-sharing

scenarios to perform client-side caching of read-ahead, write-behind, and

lock information. A client can then read from or write to a file without

regularly reminding the server that it needs access to the file in question.

This improves performance by reducing network traffic. CIFS oplocks on the

filer are on. By default: You might turn CIFS oplocks off under the

following circumstances otherwise, you can leave CIFS oplocks on.

1. You are using a database application whose documentation recommends that

oplocks be turned off.

2. The CIFS clients are on an unreliable network.

3. You are handling critical data and you cannot afford even the slightest

data loss.

-Sent from my handheld

mheimberg
7,173 Views

I would not encourage to tamper with minra. In the new Ontap versions read-ahead algorithms are much better now, so there is no need for this option anymore.

And no_atime_update is mainly used in SAN environments, where there is definitely no need to update accessing timestamps of blocks forming a LUN.

But of course one could try...

Mark

siddarajugc
6,565 Views

Hi lubin,

 

In our storage SMB2 support is disabled, if we enabled SMB2 it will effect the production environment?

 

please give your valuable suggestions, thanks in advance.

 

regards

siddaraju

Public