Support for working with UNC paths in Unix and other operating systems use cross-platform file sharing technologies like Samba.
UNC Name Syntax
UNC names identify network resources using a specific notation. These names consist of three parts: a host device name, a share name, and an optional file path. These three elements are combined using backslashes:
The Host-Name Section
The host-name portion of a UNC name can consist of either a network name string set by an administrator and maintained by a network naming service like DNS or WINS, or by an IP address. These hostnames normally refer to either a Windows PC or a Windows-compatible printer.
The Share-Name Section
The share-name portion of a UNC pathname references a label created by an administrator or, in some cases, within the operating system. In most versions of Microsoft Windows, the built-in share name admin$ refers to the root directory of the operating system installation—usually C:\Windows but sometimes C:\WINDOWS. UNC paths do not include Windows driver letters, only a label that may reference a particular drive.
The File_Path Section
The file_path portion of a UNC name references a local subdirectory beneath the share section. This part of the path is optional. When no file_path is specified, the UNC path simply points to the top-level folder of the share. The file_path must be absolute. Relative paths are not allowed.
How to Work With UNC Paths
Consider a standard Windows PC or Windows-compatible printer named Teela. In addition to the built-in admin$ share, say you have also defined a share point called temp that is located at C:\temp. Using UNC names, this is how you would connect to folders on Teela. New UNC shares can be created through Windows Explorer. Just right-click a folder and choose one of the Share menu options to assign it a share name.
What About Other Backslashes in Windows?
Microsoft uses other backslashes throughout Windows, such as in the local file system. One example is C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads to show the path to the Downloads folder in the Administrator user account. You might also see backslashes when working with command-line commands.
Alternatives to UNC
Using Windows Explorer or the Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell, and with proper security credentials, you can map network drives and remotely access folders on a computer using its drive letter rather than a UNC path Microsoft established UNC for Windows after Unix systems had defined a different pathname convention. Unix network paths (including Unix and Linux related operating systems like macOS and Android) use forward slashes instead of backslashes.
