Getting Started - Accessing Your Top Directory

To use directories and share files, you need to be enrolled in a file pool and be given a file space. Only a system administrator can do this. When the administrator assigns you a file space within a file pool, SFS automatically defines one directory within that file space. This directory is called your top directory because under it you can create a hierarchy of subdirectories in which to arrange your files. When first assigned to you, your top directory is always a FILECONTROL directory. You can change it to a DIRCONTROL directory, if you wish, by using the DIRATTR command.

The name of the top directory is always the same as your user ID. It cannot be changed. If, for example, your user ID is HENRY and you become enrolled in a file pool, HENRY. would be the name of your top directory. Notice the period after the top directory name. In SFS, the period indicates a directory; here the top directory belongs to the user ID HENRY. In the following examples, yourid is shown. When you enter each command, of course, your user ID will replace yourid.

Before you begin the exercises in this section, you will need to determine if you are enrolled in a file pool, and know your file pool identifier (filepoolid). If you do not know, see your system administrator now. You may be enrolled in the IBM-supplied VMSYSU file pool, or another file pool supplied by your system administrator. The file pool ID, VMSYSU, appears in the examples in this section. If this is not the file pool you are enrolled in, you will see your file pool ID in place of VMSYSU when comparing your screen to these examples. Regardless of which file pool you are enrolled in, you can use the examples in this section.

Once you are enrolled, you should determine if your top directory is accessed as A. To find out, enter the following command which will display the modes for all the directories and minidisks to which you have access.

query accessed

Note: You can alternatively use the MDISK option of the DIRLIST command to display not only your accessed minidisks, but also any minidisks that are linked. These are listed, in a full screen environment, along with the directory structure that was specified (see Listing the Structure of a Directory with DIRLIST).

When you enter the QUERY ACCESSED command, you will see a display similar to one of the following two samples. If your top directory has been accessed with a file mode of A, you will see a display similar to this:

Mode   Stat  Files  Vdev  Label/Directory
A       R/W      3  DIR   VMSYSU:yourid.
S       R/O   1321  190   MNT190
Y/S     R/O    337  19E   MNT19E

This information is organized as follows:

Mode indicates the mode letter used to access the directory.
Stat gives the status of the directory: R/W (read/write) or R/O (read/only). When you access an SFS directory without forcing the status to read-only or read/write, the status is determined by who owns it. If you:
- Are the directory owner, then the directory is accessed as read/write. For DIRCONTROL directories, however, only one user may have the directory accessed in read/write status. If someone already has the directory accessed in read/write status, and you (the directory owner) attempt to get a read/write access, you will, instead, get a read-only access.
- Are not the directory owner, then the directory is accessed as read-only.
- Attempt to access a directory for which you are not authorized, the directory is not accessed.
  Note: Most CMS commands that issue file mode letters will not allow you to write to files if the directory is accessed as read-only. However, COPYFILE and XEDIT will allow you to write to a file control directory accessed read-only, unless you use the SET RORESPECT ON command.
Files displays the number of entries in the directory. This total can include subdirectories, revoked or erased aliases, and files.
Vdev displays DIR for FILECONTROL directories, DIRC for DIRCONTROL directories. (These terms will be discussed in this section.)
Label/Directory shows the complete name of the directory. In this example, your top directory is accessed with a file mode of A. The string VMSYSU:yourid. tells you the complete name of your top directory. It shows that your user ID is assigned to the VMSYSU file pool.

If you are a SFS user, and your top directory is not accessed as A, you will see a display similar to this:

Mode   Stat  Files  Vdev  Label/Directory
A       R/W      3  191   AMC191
S       R/O   1321  190   MNT190
Y/S     R/O    337  19E   MNT19E

In this case, to complete the examples in this section, enter the following commands, substituting your file pool ID:

set filepool filepoolid:
access . a

The SET FILEPOOL command establishes the name of your default file pool. The file pool may be VMSYSU, the file pool shipped with your system, or any other file pool to which you are assigned. In subsequent commands, you will not need to type the file pool ID. Unless you specify a different file pool, SFS will use your default file pool ID.

The ACCESS command accesses your top directory with a file mode of A. The . (period) is an abbreviation of your top directory, which is your user ID. Whenever you are referring to yourid., you can substitute a . instead. Commands that default to file mode A, take input from, or send output to, your top directory. For example, if you send a file to another user and do not specifically state the file mode of the file, SENDFILE defaults to file mode A. If the file is not located in the directory you have accessed with a file mode of A, you get an error message telling you that the file was not found.

If you did not have your top directory accessed as A, you may want to add the two commands in the previous example to your PROFILE EXEC on your 191 minidisk. Otherwise, if you log off the system, and later log back on, you will have to reenter the commands, because they are not saved after a terminal session.

Depending on your installation, you are enrolled in a file pool, use minidisk storage, or have the capability to use both. If you have space in a file pool and no minidisk storage, your top directory is accessed with a file mode of A. If you have minidisk storage and no file pool space, your 191 minidisk is accessed with a file mode of A. If you have both space in a file pool and minidisk storage, one of the following statements is true, your:

Top directory is accessed with a file mode of A. Your minidisk storage is not automatically accessed. This minidisk storage, which is at virtual address 191 or any other available virtual address, is accessed with the file mode of your choice when you want to use it.
191 minidisk is accessed with a file mode of A. If you want to use your file pool storage, you can enter the SET FILEPOOL and ACCESS commands to access it with the file mode letter of your choice.

If you want to change the default, see your system administrator.

For more information on accessing directories, see Accessing Another User's Directory.