Article 149227 of comp.os.vms: In article <9606100523.AA13564@gate.fim.fgan.de>, win@gate.fim.fgan.de (Wingert from FIM) writes... >What I realy need is not a common userdisk and not a common UAF. What I need >is a common mail disk. Within the mailprofile you can define a lot of things. >Why can't you define an other device. Oversight? Did't seem important at the time it was implemented? Actually, I found two potential reasons in 'the archives' - A mail directory is forced to be a directory in the directory tree of a user. This was done so that when/if system managers move users between disks/systems their mail follows with no problem. (Yes,... I can anticipate your answer to that. With a common mail disk you wouldn't need to move mail as users move :-). - (external) Mail files are first created just using SYSUAF infor on the rigth disk, then renamed using profile info (No, I don't think that is a reall reason, but it sounded cute!) Workaorunds? Well, you could set the account's default device where you want the common mail, and have the SYLOGIN.COM, or LOGIN.COM on that device do a SET DEFAULT to the working disk for active use. $SET DEFAULT work_device: $DEFINE/NOLOG/JOB SYS$LOGIN 'F$ENVIRONMENT("DEFAULT") $DEFINE/NOLOG/JOB SYS$SCRATCH 'F$ENVIRONMENT("DEFAULT") : ...SYS$LOGIN_DEVICE... For the more adventureous, you could *consider* and *experiment* with defining the default device as a search list (exec mode!) of the real mccoy followed by the mail disk. You would be leaving the realm of the supported, but you've done that before no? You'd want to assure that the MAIL.MAI file would exist, otherwise it will be created on the first disk in the list. Hmmm, external mail files (MAIL$xxxxxxx.MAI) would be created wrongly too wouldn't they? Oh well, you'll just have to ensure that folks send messages smaller than 1500 bytes! :^). Still, there might just be a solution in that direction. On a next suitable occasion I'll probe the VMSmail folks with a suggestion of allowing a device to be set. It's not like they haven't heard it before, but perhaps never presented together with a large icecream ? Hope this helps, +--------------------------------------+ Hein van den Heuvel, Digital. | All opinions expressed are mine, and | "Makers of VMS and other | may not reflect those of my employer | fine Operating Systems." +--------------------------------------+