Access to shared files through UNC

You can use a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) address anywhere that you would normally enter a file path, such as for application directory entries, configuration items, and distributed alarms. If you use UNC names, you do not need to create mapped drives.

A UNC address is in the form of \\Node\Share\Path, where:

• Node is the name of the computer that contains the file share.

• Share is the logical name assigned to the shared folder on that computer.

• Path is the normal path to that file with respect to the share.

  Note: If you are using SuiteLink, the node name is limited to 15 characters.

Before you can access a file through UNC, you must create a file share on the computer you want to access. For more information, see your Windows documentation.

For example, assume that you have a computer with the network name of "EngineRm" that you have shared the root drive "C:\" with the share name of "Root". To set up a UNC path to the "C:\IT\Apps\Boiler" application you must use the following UNC:

\\EngineRm\Root\IT\Apps\Boiler

If the "Boiler" directory itself was shared as "Boiler," the UNC could be shortened to:

\\EnginerRm\Boiler

No path is required if the share is a path specified in the PATH environment variable.

Note: If you need to write to a file referred to by a UNC address, the share must be a read/write share, even on a local node. If you create a share that is password-protected, you will not be able to access the share with a UNC unless you first set up a network drive mapping. You can set up a drive mapping from the remote node by using Windows Explorer.