Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

A unique identifier used to address Internet resources on the World Wide Web or files on your local hard drive or network. The three main parts of an URL are the protocol, used to reach the target server, the host system or server on which the document resides, and the path to the document.

Example URLs:	http://www.marketscape.com/products/webcd.htm
	file:///c:\projects\demo.doc

Http: protocol (WWW resources)

protocol	host or domain name server (DNS)	path to desired document (optional)
http:	//www.marketscape.com	/products/webcd.htm

Ftp: protocol (WWW resources)

protocol	host or domain name server (DNS)	path to desired document (optional)
ftp:	//www.marketscape.com	/software/webcd.exe

File: protocol (Local Files)

protocol	host or domain name server (DNS)	path to desired document (optional)
file:	// or //LocalHost	/c:\projects\demo.mov

Note LocalHost is a host name that indicates the document resides locally. If the host portion of the URL is left blank, LocalHost is assumed.

Universal Naming Convention (UNC) file names

protocol	host or domain name server (DNS)	path to desired document (optional)
file:	/////machine-name	/c/projects/demo.mov

Additional protocols such as gopher, and https will be available in future releases of WebCD Packager.