VMS Help ALLOCATE  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

    Provides your process with exclusive access to a device until
    you deallocate the device or terminate your process. Optionally
    associates a logical name with the device.

    Requires read (R), write (W), or control access.

    Format

      ALLOCATE  device-name[:][,...] [logical-name[:]]

1 - Parameters

 device-name[:][,...]

    Specifies the name of a physical device or a logical name that
    translates to the name of a physical device. The device name
    can be generic: if no controller or unit number is specified,
    any device that satisfies the specified part of the name is
    allocated. If more than one device is specified, the first
    available device is allocated.

 logical-name[:]

    Specifies a string of 1 to 255 alphanumeric characters. Enclose
    the string in single quotation marks (` ')  if it contains
    blanks. Trailing colons (:)  are not used. The name becomes a
    process logical name with the device name as the equivalence
    name. The logical name remains defined until it is explicitly
    deleted or your process terminates.

2 - Qualifiers

 2.1 - /GENERIC

       /GENERIC
       /NOGENERIC (default)

    Indicates that the first parameter is a device type rather than a
    device name. Example device types are: RX50, RD52, TK50, RC25,
    RCF25, and RL02. The first free, nonallocated device of the
    specified name and type is allocated.

    The /[NO]GENERIC qualifier is placed before the device-name
    parameter in the ALLOCATE command line. For example, you can
    allocate an RK07 device by entering the following command at the
    DCL prompt ($):

    $ ALLOCATE/GENERIC RK07 DISK

    The following table shows some device types that you can specify
    with the /GENERIC qualifier. To see what devices are available,
    refer to your SPD for the OpenVMS version they are currently
    using.

                        Devices by Classification

                               Disk Devices

    EF51       EF52      EF53       EF54      EF58
    ESE20      ESE25     ESE52      ESE56     ESE58
    EZ31       EZ31L     EZ32       EZ32L     EZ33
    EZ33L      EZ34      EZ35       EZ51      EZ52
    EZ53       EZ54      EZ56R      EZ58      HSZ10
    HSZ15      HSZ20     HSZ40      ML11      RA60
    RA70       RA71      RA72       RA73      RA80
    RA81       RA82      RA90       RA92      RAH72
    RB02       RB80      RC25       RCF25     RD26
    RD31       RD32      RD33       RD51      RD52
    RD53       RD54      RF30       RF31      RF31F
    RF32       RF35      RF36       RF37      RF70
    RF71       RF72      RF73       RF74      RF75
    RFF31      RFH31     RFH32      RFH35     RFH72
    RFH73      RK06      RK07       RL01      RL02
    RM03       RM05      RM80       RP04      RP05
    RP06       RP07      RP07HT     RX01      RX02
    RX04       RX18      RX23       RX23S     RX26
    RX33       RX33S     RX35       RX50      RZ01
    RZ13       RZ14      RZ15       RZ16      RZ17
    RZ18       RZ22      RZ23       RZ23L     RZ24
    RZ24L      RZ25      RZ25L      RZ26      RZ26B
    RZ26L      RZ26M     RZ27       RZ27B     RZ27L
    RZ28       RZ28B     RZ28L      RZ29      RZ29B
    RZ31       RZ34L     RZ35       RZ35L     RZ36
    RZ36L      RZ37      RZ38       RZ55      RZ55L
    RZ56       RZ56L     RZ57       RZ57I     RZ57L
    RZ58       RZ59      RZ72       RZ73      RZ73B
    RZ74       RZ74B     RZ75       RZ75B     RZF01

                           Compact Disk Devices

    RRD40      RRD40S    RRD42      RRD43     RRD44
    RRD50      RV20      RV60       RV80      RW504
    RW510      RW514     RW516      RWZ01     RWZ21
    RWZ31      RWZ51     RWZ52      RWZ53     RWZ54

                               Tape Devices

    TA78       TA79      TA81       TA85      TA86
    TA87       TA90      TA90E      TA91      TAD85
    TAPE9      TD34      TD44       TE16      TF30
    TF70       TF85      TF86       TK50      TK50S
    TK60       TK70      TK70L      TKZ09     TKZ60
    TL810      TL820     TLZ04      TLZ06     TLZ07
    TLZ6       TLZ7      TM32       TS11      TSZ05
    TSZ07      TSZ08     TU45       TU56      TU58
    TU77       TU78      TU80       TU81      TZ30
    TZ30S      TZ85      TZ857      TZ86      TZ865
    TZ867      TZ87      TZ875      TZ877     TZ88
    TZ885      TZ887     TZ89       TZ895     TZ897
    TZK10      TZK11     TZX0

 2.2 - /LOG

       /LOG (default)
       /NOLOG

    Displays a message indicating the name of the device allocated.
    If the operation specifies a logical name that is currently
    assigned to another device, then the superseded value is
    displayed.

3 - Examples

    1.$ ALLOCATE  DMB2:
      %DCL-I-ALLOC, _DMB2: allocated

      The ALLOCATE command in this example requests the allocation of
      a specific RK06/RK07 disk drive, that is, unit 2 on controller
      B. The system response indicates that the device was allocated
      successfully.

    2.$ ALLOCATE  MT,MF:   TAPE:
      %DCL-I-ALLOC, _MTB2: allocated
      .
      .
      .
      $ SHOW LOGICAL TAPE:
      TAPE: = _MTB2:    (process)
      $ DEALLOCATE TAPE:
      $ DEASSIGN TAPE:

      The ALLOCATE command in this example requests the allocation
      of a tape device whose name begins with MT or MF and assigns
      it the logical name TAPE. The ALLOCATE command locates an
      available tape device whose name begins with MT, and responds
      with the name of the device allocated. (If no tape device
      beginning with MT had been found, the ALLOCATE command would
      have searched for a device beginning with MF.) Subsequent
      references to the device TAPE in user programs or command
      strings are translated to the device name MTB2.

      When the tape device is no longer needed, the DEALLOCATE
      command deallocates it and the DEASSIGN command deletes the
      logical name. Note that the logical name TAPE was specified
      with a colon on the ALLOCATE command, but that the logical name
      table entry does not have a colon.

    3.$ ALLOCATE/GENERIC RL02 WORK
      %DCL-I-ALLOC, _DLA1: allocated
      %DCL-I-SUPERSEDE, previous value of WORK has been superseded

      The ALLOCATE command in this example requests the allocation
      of any RL02 disk device and assigns the logical name WORK to
      the device. The completion message identifies the allocated
      device and indicates that the assignment of the logical name
      WORK supersedes a previous assignment of that name.

    4.$ ALLOCATE $TAPE1
      %DCL-I-ALLOC, _MUA0: allocated

      The ALLOCATE command in this example allocates the tape device
      MUA0, which is associated with the logical name $TAPE1.

    5.$ ALLOCATE /GENERIC RX50 ACCOUNTS

      The ALLOCATE command in this example allocates the first free
      diskette drive and makes its name equivalent to the process
      logical name ACCOUNTS.