diff --git a/tests/linux/afp_entry_id_smoke.c b/tests/linux/afp_entry_id_smoke.c
index 70e8685..896cb32 100644
--- a/tests/linux/afp_entry_id_smoke.c
+++ b/tests/linux/afp_entry_id_smoke.c
@@ -91,39 +91,37 @@ static int split_volume_path(const char *path, char *volume, size_t volume_size,
 static NWCCODE allocate_temp_dir_handle(NWCONN_HANDLE conn, const char *volume,
                                         unsigned int *dir_handle)
 {
-    char root_path[64];
-    size_t volume_len = strlen(volume);
+    int volnum = 0;
     NWDIR_HANDLE handle = 0;
+    NWVOL_NUM returned_volume = 0;
     NWCCODE err;
 
-    if (!volume_len || volume_len + 1 >= sizeof(root_path))
+    if (!volume || !*volume)
         return NWE_INVALID_PATH;
 
-    memcpy(root_path, volume, volume_len);
-    root_path[volume_len] = ':';
-    root_path[volume_len + 1] = '\0';
+    err = ncp_get_volume_number(conn, volume, &volnum);
+    if (err)
+        return err;
 
     /*
-     * Use libncp's namespace-aware helper instead of hand-building the old
-     * Allocate Temporary Directory Handle request.  This matches the way the
-     * ncpfs tools allocate short directory handles and lets libncp choose the
-     * correct request encoding for the connected server.
+     * Allocate a short handle for the volume root using the same DIRBASE form
+     * as the ncpfs tests.  The AFP request itself receives only the relative
+     * path below that handle.
      *
-     * Pass NCP_PATH_STD so libncp converts the VOL: path to NetWare's
-     * component-counted path format.  Passing the raw "SYS:" bytes makes the
-     * server interpret the request payload incorrectly and returns 0x98 before
-     * the AFP endpoint is reached.
+     * Passing "SYS:" as a NOHANDLE path reaches mars_nwe's path parser in a
+     * form it rejects before the AFP endpoint is sent.  Resolve the volume
+     * number first, then allocate the root handle as DIRBASE(vol, 0, NULL).
      */
     err = ncp_ns_alloc_short_dir_handle(conn,
                                         NW_NS_DOS,
-                                        NCP_DIRSTYLE_NOHANDLE,
+                                        NCP_DIRSTYLE_DIRBASE,
+                                        (unsigned int)volnum,
                                         0,
+                                        NULL,
                                         0,
-                                        (const unsigned char *)root_path,
-                                        NCP_PATH_STD,
                                         NCP_ALLOC_TEMPORARY,
                                         &handle,
-                                        NULL);
+                                        &returned_volume);
     if (err)
         return err;