[[storage_cifs]]
CIFS Backend
-----------
ifdef::wiki[]
:pve-toplevel:
:title: Storage: CIFS
endif::wiki[]

Storage pool type: `cifs`

The CIFS backend extends the directory backend, so that no manual
setup of a CIFS mount is needed. Such a storage can be added directly
through the {pve} API or the WebUI, with all our backend advantages,
like server heartbeat check or comfortable selection of exported
shares.

Configuration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The backend supports all common storage properties, except the shared
flag, which is always set. Additionally, the following CIFS special
properties are available:

server::

Server IP or DNS name. Required.

TIP: To avoid DNS lookup delays, it is usually preferable to use an IP
address instead of a DNS name - unless you have a very reliable DNS
server, or list the server in the local `/etc/hosts` file.

share::

CIFS share to use (get available ones with `pvesm scan cifs <address>` or the
WebUI). Required.

username::

The username for the CIFS storage. Optional, defaults to `guest'.

password::

The user password. Optional.
It will be saved in a file only readable by root
(`/etc/pve/priv/storage/<STORAGE-ID>.pw`).

domain::

Sets the user domain (workgroup) for this storage. Optional.

smbversion::

SMB protocol Version. Optional, default is `3`.
SMB1 is not supported due to security issues.

path::

The local mount point. Optional, defaults to `/mnt/pve/<STORAGE_ID>/`.

content-dirs::

Overrides for the default directory layout. Optional.

.Configuration Example (`/etc/pve/storage.cfg`)
----
cifs: backup
	path /mnt/pve/backup
	server 10.0.0.11
	share VMData
	content backup
	username anna
	smbversion 3

----

Storage Features
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CIFS does not support snapshots on a storage level. But you may use
`qcow2` backing files if you still want to have snapshots and cloning
features available.

.Storage features for backend `cifs`
[width="100%",cols="m,m,3*d",options="header"]
|==============================================================================
|Content types                             |Image formats   |Shared |Snapshots |Clones
|images rootdir vztmpl iso backup snippets |raw qcow2 vmdk  |yes    |qcow2     |qcow2
|==============================================================================

Examples
~~~~~~~~

You can get a list of exported CIFS shares with:

----
# pvesm scan cifs <server> [--username <username>] [--password]
----

Then you could add this share as a storage to the whole {pve} cluster
with:

----
# pvesm add cifs <storagename> --server <server> --share <share> [--username <username>] [--password]
----

ifdef::wiki[]

See Also
~~~~~~~~

* link:/wiki/Storage[Storage]

endif::wiki[]
