"SET DEFAULT" equivalent on RSTS/E V10

[hanshuebner]

Hi,

I am playing around with RSTS/E and I wonder whether there is the equivalent of VMS's "SET DEFAULT" command available there? I understand that RSTS/E has no directories and that files are organized by accounts, so by default, I get to work with the files in my account. Can I somehow switch my DCL session to work with files in another account, similar to what "SET DEFAULT" would do in VMS? My particular problem is that I would like to compile a couple of programs consisting of many files, and I was hoping not to have to create user accounts for each program (i.e. I'd expect the accounts to be created as /NOUSER and use my normal PPN to compile stuff). But maybe that is how it is done?

Thanks,
Hans

 

[F11ACP]

I don't think a "SET DEFAULT" thing exists in RSTS/E at all, because most (if not all) system calls include the PPN, which identifies the user, and being able to change that would mean to impersonate somebody else (which is basically what login is for). Despite that, the PPNs are in fact called directories at the filesystem level, UFDs. Which are then grouped to GFDs (RSTS/E 8+, aka RDS1) and then the MFD. IMO, your best approximation for a "default" PPN would be to ASSIGN a logical name, which you would then explicitly use throughout (i.e. in all your build procedures), and switch between going over the various directories. BTW, in order for your PPN to be able to write to those "changed to" directories, they should have an appropriate protection (unless you are a privileged user, obviously).
HTH