D=NATURAL (OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS I64) D=VAX (OpenVMS VAX) Controls the default alignment rules. Note that specifying the ALIGN attribute overrides any value that you previously specified for this qualifier. You can specify the following values for keyword: NATURAL Uses natural alignment when positioning record fields or array components. Natural alignment is when a record field or an array component is positioned on a boundary based on its size. For example, 32-bit integers are aligned on the nearest 32-bit boundary. Default on OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS I64 systems. In prior versions, the compiler spelled this keyword Alpha_AXP. It is still accepted for upward compatability. VAX Uses byte alignment when positioning record fields or array components. Record fields or array components larger than 32-bits are positioned on the nearest byte boundary. Default on OpenVMS VAX systems. On OpenVMS VAX systems, when you specify a value of NATURAL, automatic variables are aligned on longword boundaries instead of quadword boundaries. This occurs because the largest allowable alignment for the stack is longword alignment.