code: protected static URL constructUNCTolerantURL(String protocolPrefix, String urlString) throws IOException {
          int protocolDelimiterIndex = urlString.indexOf(':');
          String urlProtocol, urlPath;
          if (protocolDelimiterIndex < 0 || !(urlProtocol = urlString.substring(0, protocolDelimiterIndex)).equalsIgnoreCase(protocolPrefix)) {
              throw new IOException("invalid protocol prefix: the passed urlString: " + urlString + " is not of the specified protocol: " + protocolPrefix);
          }
          urlPath = urlString.substring(protocolDelimiterIndex + 1);
  
          // By using this constructor we make sure the JDK does not attempt to interpret leading characters
          // as a host name. This assures that any embedded UNC encoded string prefixes are ignored and
          // subsequent calls to getPath on this URL will always return the full path string (including the 
          // UNC host prefix).
          URL jarURL = Utils.newURL(urlProtocol, "", -1, urlPath);
          return jarURL;
      }
docs: <liberty> brought across from ClassLoaderUtils from /SERV1/ws/code/classloader/src/com/ibm/ws/classloader/</liberty>
  A method for constructing a purely path based URL from an input string that may
  optionally contain UNC compliant host names. Examples of properly formatted urlString inputs
  are as follows:
  
  Remote file system (UNC convention)
  protocolPrefix://host/path
  protocolPrefix:////host/path
  
  Local file system
  protocolPrefix:/path
  protocolPrefix:/C:/path
  
  The input urlString is validated such that it must begin with the protocolPrefix.
  
  Note: UNC paths are used by several OS platforms to map remote file systems. Using this
  method guarantees that even if the pathComponent contains a UNC based host, the host
  prefix of the path will be treated as path information and not interpreted as a host
  component part of the URL returned by this method.
  
  @param protocolPrefix The String which is used verify the presence of the urlString protocol before it is removed.
  @param urlString A string which will be processed, parsed and used to construct a Hostless URL.
  @return A URL that is constructed consisting of only path information (no implicit host information).
  @throws IOException is Thrown if the input urlString does not begin with the specified protocolPrefix.