A SNIA event
September 15-17, 2025

SMB3 Interoperability Lab

SMB3 Plugfest

The SNIA SMB3 Interoperability (IO) Lab will take place Monday, September 15 through Thursday, September 18, 2025, co-located with the SNIA Developer Conference (SDC) in Santa Clara, CA.  The purpose of the IO Lab is for vendors to bring their implementations of SMB3 to test, identify, and fix bugs in a collaborative setting with the goal of providing a forum in which companies can develop interoperable products. SNIA provides and supports networks and infrastructure for the IO Lab, creating a collaborative framework for testing.  The participants of the IO Lab work together to define the testing process, assuring that objectives are accomplished. There are several new features that have recently been added to the SMB3 protocol:

  • SMB NTLM disable option
  • SMB over QUIC all server editions
  • SMB over QUIC client access control
  • SMB signing required
  • SMB auth rate limiter
  • SMB alternative ports
  • SMB Mailslots disabled
  • SMB guest auth off in Pro
  • SMB global encrypt from client
  • SMB server dialect control

The IO Lab is an opportunity to learn about these new features and test your implementation with Microsoft Windows protocol test suites.  During the IO Lab you have the opportunity to directly engage with Windows Protocol Support, Test Suite Development, and members of the Windows development team as well as network with other professionals from all over the world.

In addition the SNIA SMB3 IO Lab offers access to:

  • The latest Windows client and server software from Microsoft, including test suites that help verify interoperability on various features of SMB3 protocols
  • Technical support from SMB3 engineers to look at traces and help with diagnosing problems
  • IO Lab participants are covered by a non-disclosure agreement and access is restricted to registrants only
  • As in previous years, we will open the Interoperability Lab to all SDC attendees for a reception on Monday evening, as an open house for an insider’s view

How Your Company Can Participate

Please check back for information on the 2025 SMB3 IO Lab