With DECC$DISABLE_POSIX_ROOT enabled, support for the POSIX root directory defined by SYS$POSIX_ROOT is disabled. With DECC$DISABLE_POSIX_ROOT disabled, the SYS$POSIX_ROOT logical name is interpreted as the equivalent of the file path "/". If a UNIX path starting with a slash (/) is given and the value after the leading slash cannot be translated as a logical name, SYS$POSIX_ROOT is used as the parent directory for the specified UNIX file path. The C RTL supports a UNIX style root that behaves like a real directory. This allows such actions as: % cd / % mkdir /dirname % tar -xvf tarfile.tar /dirname % ls / Previously, the C RTL did not recognize "/" as a directory name. The normal processing for a file path starting with "/" was to interpret the first element as a logical name or device name. If this failed, there was special processing for the name /dev/null and names starting with /bin and /tmp: /dev/null NLA0: /bin SYS$SYSTEM: /tmp SYS$SCRATCH: These behaviors are retained for compatibility purposes. In addition, support has been added to the C RTL for the logical name SYS$POSIX_ROOT as an equivalent to "/". To enable this feature for use by the C RTL, define SYS$POSIX_ ROOT as a concealed logical name. For example: $ DEFINE/TRANSLATION=(CONCEALED,TERMINAL) SYS$POSIX_ROOT - "$1$DKA0:[SYS0.abc.]" To disable this feature: $ DEFINE DECC$DISABLE_POSIX_ROOT DISABLE Enabling SYS$POSIX_ROOT results in the following behavior: o If the existing translation of a UNIX path starting with "/" fails and SYS$POSIX_ROOT is defined, the name is interpreted as if it starts with /sys$posix_root. o When converting from an OpenVMS to a UNIX style filename, and the OpenVMS name starts with "SYS$POSIX_ROOT:", then the "SYS$POSIX_ROOT:" is removed. For example, SYS$POSIX_ ROOT:[dirname] becomes /dirname. If the resulting name could be interpreted as a logical name or one of the special cases previously listed, the result is /./dirname instead of /dirname.