---
title: "SMB Multi-Channel"
slug: "smb-multi-channel"
tags: ["5.5"]
updated: 2026-10-27T23:00:54Z
published: 2026-10-27T23:00:54Z
canonical: "docs.vastdata.com/smb-multi-channel"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vastdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SMB Multi-Channel

VAST Cluster supports SMB3 Multi-Channel, which provides increased network performance for high-throughput streaming workflows. Using SMB3 Multi-Channel, Windows clients can set up multiple network connections to a single VIP.

A single channel SMB connection uses a single TCP connection with a bandwidth of around 2 GB/s. Multi-channel operation increases the performance to around 8 GB/s.

The feature is enabled by default and doesn't require any configuration on the cluster.

Follow the instructions below to use this feature on a Windows client.

## Client System Requirements

- Windows
- One or more network interface cards that support Receive Side Scaling (RSS).
- Minimum throughput of 100 MB on all components of the connection between the client and the cluster, including all NICs, cables, switch ports and so on.

## How to Configure the Client for a Multipath Connection

1. Configure SMB client settings on the Windows host to use multiple connections:

  1. Run the Windows Powershell application in administrator mode.
  2. Display the current configuration by running `get-SmbClientConfiguration`. For example:

![getsmbclient.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/89b91113-5dc6-49db-86ec-57b16dc8ce56/Images/Documentation/img-504462e2d1d6703fe7d99e2a39a10f6b(11).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-08T09%3A06%3A11Z&se=2026-11-08T10%3A06%3A11Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=cpJD9oJ7oaVekobTUVP9rEhDxdZV5D1bGyaJIrovlLE%3D)
  3. Run `set-SmbClientConfiguration` to change the following parameters as needed so that they are set as follows:

    - `EnableMultiChannel`. Must be `True`.
    - `ConnectionCountPerRssNetworkInterface`. Set to 8 or more. No performance benefit was found by setting the value higher than 8.
    - `EnableSecuritySignature`. Must be `False`.

For example:

![set_smb_client.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/89b91113-5dc6-49db-86ec-57b16dc8ce56/Images/Documentation/img-bee61905bb8bf1abf5520664e35cd843(11).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-08T09%3A06%3A11Z&se=2026-11-08T10%3A06%3A11Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=cpJD9oJ7oaVekobTUVP9rEhDxdZV5D1bGyaJIrovlLE%3D)
2. If you have an existing SMB connection to the cluster for the same application that you want to run over multichannel, remove the connection.
3. Create a new SMB connection to the desired view on the VAST Cluster.