User's Guide for MS-DOS Clients

205

Using LAN Manager Basic

Using Shared Directories

With LAN Manager Basic, you can use a shared directory in much the same

way you use a directory or disk on your workstation. For example, you can

use the ﬁles and applications in a shared directory as though they were

stored on your workstation’s hard disk.

LAN Manager Basic gives you access to shared directories in two ways. You

can connect your workstation to a shared directory by assigning a disk

devicename to the directory. You can also specify the shared directory as

part of a path in some MS-DOS commands. These procedures are explained

in the following two sections.

In both cases, the shared directory is identiﬁed by a network path. A network

path is a server’s computername followed by a sharename. A sharename is a

name that identiﬁes a shared resource (directory or printer queue). When

you type a network path from the command line, two backslashes (\\)

precede the computername, and another backslash precedes the sharename.

For instance, \\PRODUCT\REPORTS speciﬁes a network path for the

REPORTS shared directory on the \\PRODUCT server.

Connecting to a Shared Directory

You can connect your workstation to a shared directory by assigning a

devicename to it. A devicename is a letter followed by a colon (for example,

D:). You use the devicename to gain access to the shared directory, just as

you use A: to gain access to a ﬂoppy disk drive on your workstation.

Devicenames A: through Z: are available for assigning to shared directories.

NOTE: If you assign a local drive devicename to a disk drive on the network, your

workstation recognizes the network connection rather than the local drive, unless the

network connection is paused or disconnected.

To connect to a shared directory

• Type net use

devicename: \\computername\sharename