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Step-by-Step Networking Procedure:
Universal Naming Convention ( UNC )

Lets have a quick look on who files are named when using a network.

First, I prefer to see in the Titlebar the full path of a directory.
This is configured in the menu : "View" / "Folder Options" on the tab: "View":


In this example, I browse via "My Computer" on the desktop to my E-drive, where I have
a shared directory called "MyDomain" (shared under the same name) and I look to the directory
"j_helmig", for which the full path-name is : "E:\MyDomain\j_helmig":


Using now the "Network Neighborhood" on the desktop, I browse now to the same directory,
by first selecting the system on the network (" C500 "), the shared resource (" mydomain") and
then the directory, the fill path is now: \\C500\mydomain\j_helmig :


This path is expressed as UNC-name: Universal Naming Convention:
\\<server-name>\<share-name>\<directory/filename>
where:
- "server-name" is the
computer-name as defined in the network setup,
- "share-name" is the
name of the shared resource, as defined during giving the share-permision,
- followed by directory-name and filename inside the shared resource.

Usually, there is no need to bother about the UNC-name, since most Windows-programs
support already the "Network Neighborhood" in their File-Open-dialogs:


But some older Windows-software (mostly if it was converted from Windows 3.1) or DOS
programs do NOT offer in the File-Open-Dialog the possibility to browse the network,
in such cases it is required to
map a network drive.