Samba is an open-source software suite that runs on the Unix/Linux based platforms but it is able to communicate with the Windows clients like a native application. So Samba is able to provide the service by employing the Common Internet File System (CIFS). At the heart of the CIFS is the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.  Samba does this by performing the four key things – The File & print services The Authentication and Authorization The Name resolution The Service announcement (browsing) Samba can be run on many different platforms including Linux, Unix, OpenVMS and the operating systems other than the Windows and allows users to interact with a Windows client or server natively. It can basically be described as Standard Windows interoperability suite of the programs for Linux and Unix.