Registering windows network path as local texmf directory in MiKTeX

Question

I would like to add a Windows UNC network path (e.g. \\server\path\to\local\texmf) as local texmf directory to my MiKTeX installation. I know how to add a path that has a local drive letter (e.g. C:\path\to\local\texmf), since this is described well here (Create a local texmf tree in MiKTeX) and in the MiKTeX docs (http://docs.miktex.org/manual/localadditions.html).

I could bind the UNC path (or part of it) to a local drive letter. However, I would like not to do so and add the UNC path directly.

Is there a way to do it? How? Thanks.

Answer 1

Windows UNC network paths can be added as MiKTeX local texmf directories using the Windows command line.

To add a UNC path, start a console (open start menu, type cmd and choose cmd.exe). If you want to add the UNC path as administrator (i.e. for all users on your machine), be sure to start the console as administrator (in the start menu, after typing cmd, right-click on cmd.exe, choose Run as administrator and approve the Windows User Account Control request).

In the console, type

initexmf --register-root \\server\path

or, when adding for all users,

initexmf --admin --register-root \\server\path

Be sure to refresh the file name database subsequently either using the GUI or typing initexmf --update-fndb or initexmf --admin --update-fndb, respectively. If you have installed any fonts, also run initexmf --mkmaps or initexmf --admin --mkmaps.

Note 1: More information on the process is given at Create a local texmf tree in MiKTeX.

Note 2: More information on initexmf is available at http://docs.miktex.org/manual/initexmf.html.