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.

   Format

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

Additional information available:

PARAMETERSQUALIFIERS

Examples

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.

Additional information available:

/GENERIC/LOG

      /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:

   Disk Devices          Tape Devices

   RA60/70/80/81/90      TA78/79/81

   RC25/RCF25            TK50/70

   RK06/7                TS11

   RL01/2                TU16

   RM03/05/80            TU58

   RP04/5/6/7            TU77/78/79/80/81

   RX01/2/4/33

   RZ55

      /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   to another device, then the superseded value is displayed.

   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 any tape device whose name begins with MT or MF, to be
     assigned 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
     floppy disk drive and makes its name equivalent to the process
     logical name ACCOUNTS.