Merge pull request #312514 from khdownie/kendownie030226-4

SMB CA cleanup

Author: prmerger-automator[bot]

articles/storage/files/files-smb-protocol.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: Learn about file shares hosted in Azure Files using the Server Mess
 author: khdownie
 ms.service: azure-file-storage
 ms.topic: concept-article
-ms.date: 01/15/2026
+ms.date: 03/02/2026
 ms.author: kendownie
 ms.custom: devx-track-azurepowershell
 # Customer intent: As an IT admin, I want to implement SMB file shares in Azure Files, so that I can provide scalable and secure file storage solutions for my organization's applications and end-user needs.
@@ -58,9 +58,11 @@ Azure Files offers multiple settings that affect the behavior, performance, and
 
 ### SMB Continuous Availability
 
-Azure Files supports SMB Continuous Availability (CA) to help applications remain available during transient infrastructure events. Continuous availability is a capability of the SMB protocol that allows open file handles to survive brief interruptions, such as server failovers or short network disruptions. All Azure Files SMB shares are continuously available by default. This setting can't be disabled.
+Azure Files supports SMB Continuous Availability (CA) to help applications remain available during transient infrastructure events. Continuous availability is a capability of the SMB protocol that allows open file handles to survive brief interruptions, such as server failovers or short network disruptions. All SMB Azure file shares are continuously available by default. This setting can't be disabled.
 
-**What continuous availability provides:**
+#### What continuous availability provides
+
+Continuous availability provides the following benefits:
 
 - Persistent file handles that survive transient failures
 - Transparent recovery of I/O operations after failover
@@ -69,26 +71,26 @@ Azure Files supports SMB Continuous Availability (CA) to help applications remai
 
 If a brief connectivity interruption occurs, SMB clients automatically retry operations and reestablish access to open files without requiring the application to reopen them. This behavior is particularly important for workloads that maintain long-running file sessions.
 
-**How continuous availability works**
+#### How continuous availability works
 
-Continuous availability relies on persistent SMB handles. During a transient interruption (typically lasting up to several minutes):
+Continuous availability relies on persistent SMB handles. During a transient interruption, which typically lasts up to several minutes, the following statements apply:
 
 - Open file handles remain valid.
 - The SMB client retries pending I/O operations.
 - Azure Files transparently resumes operations once connectivity is restored.
 
 Because Azure Files prioritizes correctness and durability, the client waits and retries instead of immediately failing the operation.
 
-**Timeout behavior during connectivity loss**
+#### Timeout behavior during connectivity loss
 
-Due to the retry behavior required for continuous availability, SMB operations might take longer to time out during network interruptions.
+Due to the retry behavior that continuous availability requires, SMB operations might take longer to time out during network interruptions.
 
-For example:
+For example, you might experience the following:
 
-- Windows SMB clients may retry operations for several minutes before returning an error.
+- Windows SMB clients might retry operations for several minutes before returning an error.
 - Applications might appear to pause temporarily while the connection is reestablished.
 
-This behavior is by design and helps preserve handle integrity and prevent data corruption. Workloads that frequently disconnect (such as roaming laptops or unstable network connections) might observe longer wait times before failures are returned.
+This behavior is by design because it helps preserve handle integrity and prevent data corruption. Workloads that frequently disconnect, such as roaming laptops or unstable network connections, might observe longer wait times before failures are returned.
 
 ### SMB Multichannel
 

articles/storage/files/storage-files-netapp-comparison.md

@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ Most workloads that require cloud file storage work well on either Azure Files o
 | Category | Azure Files | Azure NetApp Files |
 |---------|-------------------------|---------|
 | Description | [Azure Files](https://azure.microsoft.com/services/storage/files/) is a fully managed, highly available, enterprise-grade service that is optimized for random access workloads with in-place data updates.<br><br> Azure Files is built on the same Azure storage platform as other services like Azure Blobs. | [Azure NetApp Files](https://azure.microsoft.com/services/netapp/) is a fully managed, highly available, enterprise-grade NAS service that can handle the most demanding, high-performance, low-latency workloads requiring advanced data management capabilities. It enables the migration of workloads deemed "un-migratable."<br>  Azure NetApp Files is built on NetApp's bare metal with ONTAP storage OS running inside the Azure datacenter for a consistent Azure experience and on-premises like performance. |
-| Protocols | <ul><li>SSD (premium)<ul><li>SMB 2.1, 3.0, 3.1.1</li><li>NFSv4.1</li><li>REST</li></ul></li><li>HDD (standard)<ul><li>SMB 2.1, 3.0, 3.1.1</li><li>REST</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [available file share protocols](./storage-files-planning.md#available-protocols). | All tiers<br><ul><li>SMB 2.1, 3.x (including SMB Continuous Availability optionally)</li><li>NFSv3, NFSv4.1</li><li>Dual protocol access (NFSv3/SMB and NFSv4.1/SMB)</li><li>[Object REST API access (S3-compatible API)](../../azure-netapp-files/object-rest-api-introduction.md)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see how to create [NFS](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-create-volumes.md), [SMB](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md), or [dual-protocol](../../azure-netapp-files/create-volumes-dual-protocol.md) volumes. |
+| Protocols | <ul><li>SSD (premium)<ul><li>SMB 2.1, 3.0, 3.1.1 (including SMB Continuous Availability)</li><li>NFSv4.1</li><li>REST</li></ul></li><li>HDD (standard)<ul><li>SMB 2.1, 3.0, 3.1.1 (including SMB Continuous Availability)</li><li>REST</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [available file share protocols](./storage-files-planning.md#available-protocols). | All tiers<br><ul><li>SMB 2.1, 3.x (including SMB Continuous Availability optionally)</li><li>NFSv3, NFSv4.1</li><li>Dual protocol access (NFSv3/SMB and NFSv4.1/SMB)</li><li>[Object REST API access (S3-compatible API)](../../azure-netapp-files/object-rest-api-introduction.md)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see how to create [NFS](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-create-volumes.md), [SMB](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md), or [dual-protocol](../../azure-netapp-files/create-volumes-dual-protocol.md) volumes. |
 | Region Availability | <ul><li>SSD<ul><li>30+ Regions</li></ul></li><li>HDD<ul><li>All regions</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Products available by region](https://azure.microsoft.com/global-infrastructure/services/?products=storage). | <ul><li>Flexible, Standard, Premium, and Ultra service levels<ul><li>40+ Regions</li></ul></li><li>Elastic storage<ul><li>[13 regions](../../azure-netapp-files/elastic-zone-redundant-concept.md#supported-regions)</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Products available by region](https://azure.microsoft.com/global-infrastructure/services/?products=storage). |
 | Redundancy | <ul><li>SSD<ul><li>LRS</li><li>ZRS</li></ul></li><li>HDD<ul><li>LRS</li><li>ZRS</li><li>GRS</li><li>GZRS</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [redundancy](./storage-files-planning.md#redundancy). | <ul><li>All tiers<ul><li>Built-in local HA</li><li>[Cross-region replication](../../azure-netapp-files/replication.md)</li><li>[Cross-zone replication](../../azure-netapp-files/replication.md)</li><li>[Availability zones for high availability](../../azure-netapp-files/use-availability-zones.md)</li><li>[Cross-zone-region replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-zone-region-replication.md)</li><li>[Elastic zone-redundant service level](../../azure-netapp-files/elastic-zone-redundant-concept.md)</li></ul></li></ul> |
 | Service-Level Agreement (SLA)<br><br> Note that SLAs for Azure Files and Azure NetApp Files are calculated differently. | [SLA for Azure Files](https://azure.microsoft.com/support/legal/sla/storage/) | [SLA for Azure NetApp Files](https://azure.microsoft.com/support/legal/sla/netapp) |  
 | Identity-Based Authentication and Authorization | <ul><li>SMB<ul><li>Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)</li><li>Microsoft Entra Domain Services</li><li>Microsoft Entra Kerberos</li></ul></li><li>NFS<ul><li>Not supported (network level authentication only).</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [FAQ](./storage-files-faq.md#security-authentication-and-access-control). | <ul><li>SMB<ul><li>Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)</li><li>Microsoft Entra Domain Services</li></ul></li><li>NFS/SMB dual protocol<ul><li>ADDS/LDAP integration</li><li>[ADD/LDAP over TLS](../../azure-netapp-files/configure-ldap-over-tls.md)</li></ul></li><li>NFSv3/NFSv4.1<ul><li>[ADDS/LDAP integration with NFS extended groups](../../azure-netapp-files/configure-ldap-extended-groups.md)</li><li>[FreeIPA, OpenLDAP, and Red Hat Directory Server](../../azure-netapp-files/configure-directory-server.md)</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Azure NetApp Files NFS FAQ](../../azure-netapp-files/faq-nfs.md) and [Azure NetApp Files SMB FAQ](../../azure-netapp-files/faq-smb.md). |
 | Encryption | <ul><li>All protocols<ul><li>Encryption at rest (AES-256) with customer or Microsoft-managed keys</li></ul></li><li>SMB<ul><li>Kerberos encryption using AES-256 (recommended) or RC4-HMAC</li><li>Encryption in transit</li></ul></li><li>NFSv4.1<ul><li>Encryption in transit</li></ul></li><li>REST<ul><li>Encryption in transit</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Security and networking](files-nfs-protocol.md#security-and-networking). | <ul><li>All protocols<ul><li>Encryption at rest (AES-256) with Microsoft-managed keys</li><li>[Encryption at rest (AES-256) with customer-managed keys](../../azure-netapp-files/configure-customer-managed-keys.md)</li></ul></li><li>SMB<ul><li>Encryption in transit using AES-CCM (SMB 3.0) and AES-GCM (SMB 3.1.1)</li></ul></li><li>NFSv4.1<ul><li>Encryption in transit using Kerberos with AES-256</li></ul></li></ul><br> To learn more, see [security FAQ](../../azure-netapp-files/faq-security.md). |
 | Access Options | <ul><li>Internet</li><li>Secure VNet access</li><li>VPN Gateway</li><li>ExpressRoute</li><li>Azure File Sync</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [network considerations](./storage-files-networking-overview.md). | <ul><li>Secure VNet access</li><li>VPN Gateway</li><li>ExpressRoute</li><li>[Virtual WAN](../../azure-netapp-files/configure-virtual-wan.md)</li><li>[Global File Cache](https://bluexp.netapp.com/global-file-cache/onboarding)</li><li>[HPC Cache](../../hpc-cache/hpc-cache-overview.md)</li><li>[Standard Network Features](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-network-topologies.md#configurable-network-features)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [network considerations](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-network-topologies.md). |
-| Data Protection  | <ul><li>Incremental snapshots</li><li>File/directory user self-restore</li><li>Restore to new location</li><li>In-place revert</li><li>Share-level soft delete</li><li>Azure Backup integration</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Azure Files enhances data protection capabilities](https://azure.microsoft.com/blog/azure-files-enhances-data-protection-capabilities/). | <ul><li>[Azure NetApp Files backup](../../azure-netapp-files/backup-introduction.md)</li><li>Snapshots (255/volume)</li><li>File/directory user self-restore</li><li>Restore to new volume</li><li>In-place revert</li><li>[Cross-region replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-region-replication-introduction.md)</li><li>[Cross-zone replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-zone-replication-introduction.md)</li><li>[Cross-zone-region replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-zone-region-replication.md)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [How Azure NetApp Files snapshots work](../../azure-netapp-files/snapshots-introduction.md). |
+| Data Protection  | <ul><li>Incremental snapshots</li><li>File/directory user self-restore</li><li>Restore to new location</li><li>In-place revert</li><li>Share-level soft delete</li><li>Azure Backup integration (SMB file shares only)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Azure Files enhances data protection capabilities](https://azure.microsoft.com/blog/azure-files-enhances-data-protection-capabilities/). | <ul><li>[Azure NetApp Files backup](../../azure-netapp-files/backup-introduction.md)</li><li>Snapshots (255/volume)</li><li>File/directory user self-restore</li><li>Restore to new volume</li><li>In-place revert</li><li>[Cross-region replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-region-replication-introduction.md)</li><li>[Cross-zone replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-zone-replication-introduction.md)</li><li>[Cross-zone-region replication](../../azure-netapp-files/cross-zone-region-replication.md)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [How Azure NetApp Files snapshots work](../../azure-netapp-files/snapshots-introduction.md). |
 | Migration Tools  | <ul><li>Azure Data Box</li><li>Azure File Sync</li><li>Azure Storage Mover</li><li>Storage Migration Service</li><li>AzCopy</li><li>Robocopy</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [Migrate to Azure file shares](./storage-files-migration-overview.md). | <ul><li>[Global File Cache](https://bluexp.netapp.com/global-file-cache/onboarding)</li><li>[CloudSync](https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/occm38/concept_cloud_sync.html), [XCP](https://xcp.netapp.com/)</li><li>Storage Migration Service</li><li>AzCopy</li><li>Robocopy</li><li>Application-based (for example, HSR, Data Guard, AOAG)</li><li>[Migration Assistant](../../azure-netapp-files/migrate-data.md)</li></ul> |
 | Media tiers | <ul><li>SSD (premium)</li><li>HDD (standard)</li></ul><br> To learn more, see [media tiers](./storage-files-planning.md#storage-tiers). | <ul><li>SSD<ul><li>Ultra</li><li>Premium</li><li>Standard</li><li>Flexible</li></ul></li><li>HDD<ul><li>[Cool Access](../../azure-netapp-files/cool-access-introduction.md) (tiering from SSD to Azure Blob Storage)</li></ul></li></ul><br> All tiers except Elastic zone-redundant storage provide sub-ms minimum latency unless you are using cool access.<br><br> To learn more, see [Service Levels](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-service-levels.md), [Performance Considerations](../../azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-performance-considerations.md), and [Performance considerations for Azure NetApp Files storage with cool access](../../azure-netapp-files/performance-considerations-cool-access.md). |
 | Pricing | [Azure Files Pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/storage/files/) | [Azure NetApp Files Pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/netapp/) |