Logging In

Most VAX systems prompt you with something like this: Welcome to VAX1 

Username:

You'll then be prompted for your password. If you enter the correct username/password combination, you'll be given something like the following: 

Welcome to VAX/VMS V1.7

Last interactive login on Saturday, 09-Feb-08 10:14

Last non-interactive login on Friday, 08-Feb-08

If you entered an incorrect username and password, you'll receive the message:

User authorization failure

Just hit <enter> and you'll be prompted for your username again. Once you're logged in, you'll be given the DCL prompt ($). This indicates that the system is ready to accept interactive commands. To log out, use the command: 

$ LOGOUT

The Digital Command Language

DCL is comprised of more than 200 commands called verbs. Each DCL verb acts on a parameter or assumed parameter, and the action of these verbs and the scope of their parameters can be modified with qualifiers. The basic command structure is:

$ LABEL: COMMAND-NAME PARAMETER(S) /QUALIFIER(S) !COMMENT

A label is an optional, user-specified string with a maximum length of 255 characters. It is most commonly used in command procedures. A DCL command verb defines the action the VAX will take when the command line is interpreted. Parameter(s) specify the object or a list of objects the DCL command verb will act upon. Multiple parameters may be specified but must be separated from one another by a space, multiple spaces, or a tab. If you enter a DCL command that requires parameters, but you don't enter them on the command line, the DCL interpreter will prompt you for them automatically. Qualifiers further define or modify the function the DCL command will perform. They consist of a keyword followed by a value or a list of values. The qualifier keyword must be preceded by a slash (/). Multiple qualifiers may be specified, but each must be preceded with a slash. Qualifiers usually aren't required. There are three kinds of qualifiers: parameter, positional, and command. A command qualifier applies to the whole command. Generally, these are placed at the end of the command. For example: 

$ DIRECTORY [BYNON],[BYNON.DECPRO]/FULL 

This displays a full listing of two directories, using the /FULL qualifier of the DIRECTORY command. A positional qualifier takes on a different meaning based on where it is located in the command. If a positional qualifier is placed after the command verb, but before the first parameter, the qualifier will affect the entire command. If the same positional qualifier is placed after a parameter, only that parameter will be affected. For example: