UNC path

Universal/Uniform Naming Convention. A UNC path describes the location of a volume, directory, or file.

The format for a UNC path is \\server\volume\directory\file and is not case-sensitive. For example:

\\Shared1_svr\Shared1\WGroups\Network\Orders.xls

Rather than describe the location of a file or directory by drive letter, the Network Group will typically communicate a UNC path to describe the actual location of a file or directory. Windows drive letter mappings are arbitrary, whereas a UNC path is specific and applies to all operating systems.

Note: The UNC method started with the UNIX operating system. UNIX uses the forward-slash character as a path separator. Many network services (ex. FTP) have their origins in the UNIX operating system, so they use forward-slashes instead of the backslashes that DOS/Windows uses. It is important to recognize this distinction when using these services.