There are several file-transferring and interprocess communication enhancements that make the SMB 2.0 and SMB 2.1 protocols a more suitable choice to use in certain scenarios instead of the original SMB 1.0 protocol.
According to the SMB 2.0 protocol specification, such scenarios might include those that have the following requirements:
- More scalability with regard to simultaneously open files, number of shares, and user sessions
- Quality of service guarantees with regard to number of requests that can be outstanding against the server
- Stronger data integrity protection through the use of the HMAC-SHA256 hash algorithm
- Better throughput across networks with nonhomogeneous characteristics
- Better handling of intermittent losses of network connectivity through the use of durable handles
In addition to the enhancements present in SMB 2.0, SMB 2.1 provides these additional enhancements:
- Enhanced locking using lease oplocks
- Support for BranchCache, a feature that provides WAN bandwidth optimization and improved file access performance using client-side caching at branch offices
For more information, see the SMB 2.0 and SMB 2.1 protocol specifications.