VMS$PHASES.DAT
VMS$PHASES.DAT is a database file that determines the order of the phases of the startup procedure. It is a sequential list of the phases that STARTUP.COM starts. It includes a series of four basic phases (INITIAL, CONFIGURE, DEVICE, and BASEENVIRON) that start the operating system, followed by a series of phases for layered products. Do not modify VMS$PHASES.DAT. To start up correctly, the system requires that the contents of this file remain intact.