The shell always identifies a particular directory within which you are assumed to be working. This directory is known as the working directory (also known as the current working directory). To work with a file within your working directory, you need specify only the file name with a command. If you want to work with a file in another directory, you can change your working directory, using the cd shell command and naming the new directory.

Tip: Instead of changing directories, you could use relative notation to access a file in a different directory; see Using notations for relative path names for more information.

When you type the OMVS command and begin working in the shell environment, you are placed in your home directory as your working directory.