MS-DOS 66-Character Path Name Limit Counts Server Info

ID: Q107106

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft LAN Manager, version 2.2

SUMMARY

When you create a directory on a network server from a LAN Manager MS-DOS workstation, the directory path name cannot exceed the MS-DOS limit of 66 characters. This limit must also include the characters in share point (the server name, the share name, and backslash separating them).

Windows for Workgroups clients do not have the same limitation: they can create a directory path up to 65 characters (not 66) without including the share point.

Any directory on the server with a path longer than 66 characters including share point (for LAN Manager) cannot be accessed from a LAN Manager client at the MS-DOS prompt. Windows File Manager lets you access such directories even though it does not let you create them.

With this 66 limitation, assigning a server and share shorter names allows MS-DOS to access a longer subdirectory path.

EXAMPLE

For servername SERVER and sharename LANMAN.


   net use x: \\SERVER\LANMAN
   x:
   mkdir appls
   mkdir appls\netaldus
   mkdir appls\netaldus\usenglsh
   mkdir appls\netaldus\usenglsh\addition
   mkdir appls\netaldus\usenglsh\addition\template
   mkdir appls\netaldus\usenglsh\addition\template\caldates

When you have done this, you will see that you cannot create any more subdirectories, even though the directory name has only 53 characters.


   X:\APPLS\NETALDUS\USENGLSH\ADDITION\TEMPLATE\CALDATES
   12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123 = 53

This is because the 66-character MS-DOS limit includes both the 53 character directory name and the 13 characters in the share point name.


   SERVER\LANMAN
   1234567890123 =13

Additional query words: wfw wfwg 2.20 directory long pathname 2.2

Keywords :
Version : :2.2
Platform :
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