5.2 Directory Path

A directory or file is located by its path, which states where the directory or file is logically located in a volume. A path includes the volume, directory, and any subdirectories leading to the file. The following figure shows how to specify a full path. Listing the server is optional. It is usually excluded when specifying a path relative to the server where you are logged in. The slash after the colon is required in some interfaces and optional in others. Refer to the interface’s documentation to determine if a colon and slash combination (:\) is required to separate a volume and directory.

Figure 5-2 Directory Path Conventions

If your network uses multiple server or client operating systems or multiple file systems, keep in mind the conventions of the different file systems, such as delimiters, path length, and case sensitivity. For example, the NSS and Traditional file systems on NetWare use backslashes as delimiters and are case insensitive, while file systems native to Linux and UNIX use forward slashes and are case sensitive. As another example, NetWare allows 255 characters in a directory path (counting the drive letter and delimiters), but DOS allows only 127 characters. For more information, check the application’s documentation.