If your CGI script is being run from IIS, then it is probably being run in a security context that doesn't give it access to any NT-level network resources (such as shared drives) and is almost certainly not going to have administrative access to a remote machine.

Put at least or die "$!" after your open (and, no "Open" isn't going to work so I guess that isn't really the code that is failing). You could even throw $^E into the error message as sometimes that adds just a hint of more information on Win32.

You are going to have to rethink your design.

I've been able to use UNC names with the open command. I just say:

open (LOG, "<//Server/path/file.log") or die "Oh my: $!";
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Granted I'm using a weird custom internally hacked perl, and more likely to matter, I'm just accessing the C drive through a defined share point.

It looks like you are connecting to the admin share of the F drive. I think that might be the cause of your problem. Try creating a normal share point and using it instead.

TGI says moo

$file = '//Server2/f$/logconn.txt';
print "it exists\n" if -e $file;
open (FH,'<$file') || die "a horrible death";
@result = <FH>;
close (FH);
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I get that same error when the file doesn't exist (using -w).

EEjack

Howdy jink,

The filename was quoted with single quote marks...
$file = '//Server2/f$/logconn.txt';
which would be fine. However if he were using double quote marks like then you would be correct. Also interesting to not that the direction of the slashes make no real difference on win32 perl.

$file = '//Server2/f$/logconn.txt';
and
$file = '\\Server2\f$l\logconn.txt';
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are equivalent.

EEjack

$file = '//Server2/f$/logconn.txt';
and
$file = '\\Server2\f$\logconn.txt';


are equivalent.

(I removed the "l" typo)
Try this:

print '//Server2/f$/logconn.txt', $/;
print '\\Server2\f$\logconn.txt', $/;
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and you'll see

//Server2/f$/logconn.txt
\Server2\f$\logconn.txt
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Use that second one as a file path and Server2 won't even be bothered.

This is why I always double \ in Perl quoted strings (except for "here documents" which is the one form of quoting in Perl that doesn't treat \ as special) and so would write the second one as: '\\\\Server2\\f$\\logconn.txt' even when using single quotes. Otherwise you get in the habit of thinking that \ isn't special in single quotes and make the mistake you just did (which can be real hard to debug when you do it).

P.S. Note that / doesn't work as a directory separator when you pass file names as command-line arguments to many Win32 commands. I believe that this is the only exception (well, other than some GUI tools don't allow them either, but most people rarely use Perl to stuff strings into a GUI [though I've done that]).

        - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")