Technical data

Using OpenVMS System Management Utilities and Tools
2.1 Understanding OpenVMS System Management Tools
• Displaying user account attributes
2.1.2 DCL Commands
You perform many system management tasks by entering DCL (DIGITAL
Command Language) commands. For example, enter the DCL command MOUNT
to make disks and tapes available to the system. Most of the DCL commands
used by system managers require special privileges (such as OPER privilege).
The general format of a DCL command is as follows:
command-name[/qualifier[,...]] [parameter[,...]] [/qualifier[,...]]
Because a command can be continued on more than one line, the term command
string is used to define the entire command. A command string is the complete
specification of a command, including the command name, command qualifiers,
parameters, and parameter qualifiers.
For complete descriptions of each DCL command, refer to online DCL help or the
OpenVMS DCL Dictionary. If you are not familiar with DCL command syntax,
refer to the OpenVMS User’s Manual.
2.1.3 System Messages
When you enter commands in DCL or in utilities, the system returns messages
to help you understand the result of each command. System messages can
indicate the following information:
• Successful completion of a command
• Information about the effect of the command
• Warning about the effect of the command
• Failure to successfully complete the command
At times, you might need to interpret a system message, for example, to find out
how to recover from a warning or failure. The Help Message utility allows you
and system users to quickly access online descriptions of system messages from
the DCL prompt.
For more information about the Help Message utility, refer to the OpenVMS
System Messages: Companion Guide for Help Message Users. In addition, the
OpenVMS System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual provides
detailed descriptions of system messages.
2.1.4 DCL Command Procedures
You can use command procedures to efficiently perform routine tasks. A
command procedure is a file containing DCL commands and, optionally,
data used by those DCL commands. When you execute a command procedure,
the system reads the file and executes the commands it contains. This eliminates
the need for you to enter each command interactively. You can create command
procedures to automate some of the routine system management tasks specific to
your site.
A simple command procedure can contain a sequence of commands that you use
frequently. For example, you could include the following commands in a command
procedure called GO_WORK.COM:
$ SET DEFAULT [PERRY.WORK]
$ DIRECTORY
$ EXIT
Using OpenVMS System Management Utilities and Tools 2–5