Most of the preview builds of Windows 11 have been focused on adding features, which is what users expect from new updates and patches. The next update, or one of the next ones, will remove something, and it is the possibility of using SMB1, a data transfer protocol; on Windows 11.
Users installing the latest Windows 11 Home Insider builds will find that support for version 1.0 of the SMB file sharing protocol is now disabled by flaw. This can give errors during file sharing for older network storage equipment, which can be a big problem for many users.
Microsoft wants to abandon SMB1 now
A post from Microsoft program manager Ned Pyle details the reasoning behind the change and how it will affect users. Microsoft had already disabled SMB1 by default in other editions of Windows. The SMB1 server service was removed from all versions of Windows starting in 2017. Its client service was disabled in Windows 10 Pro editions starting in 2018. Pyle said the client in Windows Home editions came last. place, as they understand that it will be a problem for users who are still running very old computers. They are the least likely group to understand why their new Windows 11 laptop can't connect to their old network hard drive.
It's been a while since SMB1 was superseded by newer, more secure versions of the protocol. SMB2 was introduced in 2007, and version 3.1.1 was added to Windows 10 in 2016. The original is still occasionally used by older servers and equipment. Users and system administrators who need it can continue to manually install the SMB1 role, and if you're using SMB1 on a PC that you're upgrading to Windows 11, the upgrade won't disable the feature.
But the next phase of the transition will go one step further. DLLs and drivers required for SMB1 support will be completely removed from the operating system. Microsoft has promised that it will provide an unsupported out-of-band installation package for organizations or users who still need SMB1 to connect to older PCs in their work or business ecosystem. So, Microsoft will stop making SMB1 serial in Windows 11, but understands that a considerable portion of users still have outdated technology and they need that compatibility.
Source: ArsTechnica
