The CLI

When you log in via a terminal or terminal emulator, you will enter the DCL command line environment. You interact with the system by typing commands at the DCL prompt and noting any messages the system issues while executing your command.

DCL stands for Digital Command Language, which dates back to OpenVMS having been a product of Digital Equipment Corporation.

Entering Commands

Once you have successfully logged in to your OpenVMS system, you may begin entering commands. The DCL Command Line Interpreter (CLI) is the program that accepts the commands you type; it ensures that they are valid commands and carries them out.

OpenVMS provides a type-ahead buffer. This allows you to continue entering commands while a previous command is still processing. While a previous command is executing, your keystrokes will not be shown, but will be carried out when the current command completes.

If you continue typing ahead until the system cannot accept any more keystrokes, the terminal will beep each time you press a key. If this happens, stop typing until the system catches up.

Please see Chapter 6, "The Digital Command Language," for information on entering commands.