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Universal Naming Convention
The Universal Naming Convention (UNC) is a standardized way of specifying a share name on a specific computer. The share names can refer to folders or to printers. The UNC path takes the form of \\computer_name\share_name. The UNC path to a share called Accounting on a server called ACCTSERVER is \\ACCTSERVER\Accounting.


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Connections made via UNC paths take place immediately and do not require the use of a drive letter.

You can also use UNC connections to connect to network printers. For example, \\ACCTSERVER\ACCTPRINT is the UNC path to a printer named ACCTPRINT on a server named ACCTSERVER.


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Many 16-bit applications do not work with UNC paths. If you need to work with a 16-bit application that doesn’t work with UNC paths, you must map a drive letter to the shared folder or connect a port to the network printer.