Please post the DCL commands that were used here, and post the full text of the error and (for completeness) the OpenVMS version and platform.
The following commands can retrieve device information and can display the OpenVMS system version, respectively:
SHOW DEVICE /FULL ddcu:
SHOW SYSTEM /NOPROCESS
I strongly -- strongly -- recommend skimming through the OpenVMS User's Guide, part of the OpenVMS documentation set. Having some background in the terms and concepts and command structure -- will greatly speed your requirements. After you have a grip on the User's Guide, the next step is the OpenVMS System Manager's Essentials manual. This is heavier going, and builds on terms and concepts from the User's Guide.
The manuals are here:
http://www.hp.com/go/openvms/doc/OpenVMS really isn't set up to be particularly forgiving to an inexperienced system manager, and -- as you've found -- it can be somewhere between arcane and opaque if you're not up to speed with the terms and concepts.
We were all new to OpenVMS once, too. And we all eventually read through the core manuals, as much as we didn't want to.
When in doubt, always post what problem(s) you seek to solve (this in general terms; background information), always post the exact command(s) used, and always post the exact error message(s) received. And (for most cases) information on the OpenVMS version and platform, and (for cases such as this) information on the device and the storage media.
The inclusion of the background in the question -- the problem details, the commands, and the full text of the error messages -- is somewhere between very important and critical to getting a fast (and right) answer to your intended question.
