This book discusses the theory and applications of the server message block (SMB) 3 protocol used for distributed remote file access. It covers the protocol from its genesis to the present structure and the future enhancements, and includes detailed mathematical models of system performance and real-world applications of SMB-based storage systems. The book examines in detail the protocol and the design principles that have driven its evolution to the present 3.1.1 version, and its applications in the environments such Azure and beyond. Further, the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for understanding the behavior of storage systems with a view to adapting them to modern storage systems such as NVMe(non-volatile memory express) based and software-defined scale out storage systems are explored in detail.