UNC path

http://www.emailsignature.eu/phpBB2/how-to-get-a-unc-path-name-t341.html

 

In a network, the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) is a way to identify a shared file in a computer without having to specify (or know) the storage device it is on. In Windowsoperating systems, Novell NetWare, and possibly other operating systems, the UNC can be used instead of the local naming system (such as the DOS naming system in Windows).

 

In Windows operating systems, the UNC name format is:

\\servername\sharename\path\filename


The share name is sometimes said to logically identify the volume or storage device that the file is on, but the idea is to free the user from having to know this. The path is zero or more 
folder or subfolder names (in other words, the file name may exist directly under the sharename). For example:

 \\corp1\lawdept\forms\patentap.html

might specify on a server in the corporate main office a shared file (patentap.html) kept with other legal forms that members of a corporation's legal department might download and read or print and use.
 Printers and other devices can also be addressed using UNC.

UNC stands for "Uniform Naming Convention". eMailSignature supports UNC, as opposed to network-mapped drives. 

The format of a UNC path is: 

Code:

\\<servername>\<sharename>\<directory>

where: <servername> The Network name 
<sharename> The name of the share 
<directory> Any additional directories below the shared directory. 

Examples with an without space in share name: 

Code:

\\srv\data\fileshare\settings.mdb

or 

Code:

\\srv\data\"file share"\settings.mdb

If you need to determine the UNC path to a drive or directory, which contains your settings database, here is a simple way to get the path: 

Execute the command "net use" on the computer you wish to translate the mapped drive letters for. 
The output from this command will contain the drive letters and their equivalent UNC filenames: 

Code:

C:\>net use  New connections will not be remembered.  Status        Local        Remote        Network  ------------------------------------------------------------------------  OK            F:           \\srv\data    Microsoft Windows-network  The command completed successfully.