You can mount a directory to a drive letter as an alternative to using UNC names. In mixed UNIX/XP/2000 networks, for example, you might need to mount the output directory.
For network rendering, you mount (or map) the directory on all machines in the network. This gives all rendering servers access to the shared directory.
Before beginning this setup, choose a common drive letter for all servers to mount. If you have other drives mounted, you might need to switch assignments to free the drive letter for this mount.
If a Map or Target directory is on a rendering server, mount the directory on this machine like all the others, even if the directory is on the local disk.
When using a mounted directory, be sure that the directory to be mounted is correctly shared. When assigning bitmaps, always use the path with the common drive letter.
The steps below are general. See your Windows XP or 2000 documentation for more details.
Procedures
To map a directory to a drive letter (Windows 2000 or XP):
- In Windows Explorer, choose Tools
Map Network Drive to display the Map Network Drive dialog.
- Set the Drive drop-down menu value to the common drive letter you've chosen.
- In Folder, enter the exact location of the output directory, using UNC convention.
You can also map a directory to a drive letter by choosing the machine and shared directory with the Browse button in the Map Network Drive dialog.
- Click Finish to complete the mount.
Note: If the drive maps to a server on a large corporate network, you may be required to enter your user name and password to gain access.