Directory Path Conventions
A directory is a place within a volume where you can store files or other directories. A Directory within a directory is called a subdirectory. Directories can contain any number of files and subdirectories.
This section contains the following topics:
A directory or file is located by its path, which states where the directory or file is on a volume. A path includes the volume, directory, and any subdirectories leading to the file. The following figure shows how to specify a path. (Listing the server is optional.)
Figure 1
Directory Path Conventions
If your network uses more than one client operating system, keep in mind the conventions of the different systems. For example, NetWare allows 255 characters in a directory path (counting the drive letter and delimiters), but DOS permits only 127 characters.
Also, some applications restrict the number of characters in the directory path. For more information, check the application's documentation.
A fake root is a subdirectory that functions as a root directory.
NOTE: Fake roots work with the NetWare DOS Requester, with NetWare shells, and clients including Windows* 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT*. Fake roots do not work for OS/2* clients. (Under OS/2, all mapped drives are roots, and search drives don't exist.)
Some applications require their executable files to be located in a root directory. However, for security, you should not assign users rights at the root or volume directory level.
NetWare allows you to map a drive to a fake root. This allows you to place applications in a subdirectory and assign rights to them there.
Thus, to use an application that must be installed at the root, load the files in a subdirectory and designate it as a fake root directory in the login script using MAP ROOT.
For example, you might have an application in a FORM directory that must reside in the root directory of drive P:, but you don't want to put the application in the root directory for security reasons. You can map a fake root to the directory and map a search drive to it at the same time by adding the following line to the login script:
MAP ROOT S16:=P:= SYS:APPL\FORM
You cannot use the DOS CD (change directory) command at the fake root to return to the original root. To change the fake root back to the original root, remap the drive.
A Directory Map object represents a particular directory in a file system. Directory Map objects can point to directories that contain frequently-used files such as applications.
If you create a Directory Map object to point to an application, users can access the application by mapping a drive to the Directory Map object.
If the application's location in the directory structure changes, you can update the object instead of having to change all users' drive mappings.