VMS Help CMS, FETCH, Description  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

    The FETCH command delivers a copy of the specified element
    generation to your current default directory. The element is not
    reserved, and CMS does not allow you to replace a fetched element.
    CMS allows you to fetch an element that is reserved, and notifies
    you of any current reservations for the element.

    The presence or absence of a remark determines whether the FETCH
    transaction is recorded in the library history. If you enter a
    remark, CMS records the transaction in the history file. If you
    enter a null remark, CMS does not record the transaction in the
    history file.

    If a version of a file with the same name as the element already
    exists in your current default directory when you execute the
    fetch transaction, CMS notifies you. A new version is then created
    with the next higher version number.

    When you fetch a generation of an element from a CMS library, CMS
    restores the file creation time, revision time, revision number,
    and record format and attributes. The file that is placed in your
    directory has the same creation and revision times as the file
    that was used to create the generation that you are fetching.