Resolution:
On OpenVMS, there can be several levels of logical names (process, job, group, system as well as specifically created logical name tables).  When more than one is defined for a process, there are rules of hierarchy governing what logical name is used.  In general, more local definitions are used in preference to more general ones.

If the symbol PATH is not defined, the daemon will look in the default directory of the process which executes the daemon.  Depending on how the daemon is started, the default may be the account default or a default specifically set by the process before the daemon is started.

For example:

In my process on our test machine, I have the following logical names:
    $ show log tibrv
    "TIBRV" = "AXPVMS$DKA400:[TIBRV.REF.]" (RV$TEST)
    "TIBRV" = "DKA300:[TIBCO.TIBRV.REF.]" (LNM$PROCESS_TABLE)
    "TIBRV" = "_DKA0:[TIBRV.REF.]" (LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE)
    
This means that for my process there are three different definitions of TIBRV.  The one that would be used if I were to set my default to TIBRV:[BIN] is DKA400:[TIBRV.REF].  If I set my default to TIBRV:[BIN] and execute RVD without a definition for PATH, the ticket file at DKA400:[TIBRV.REF.BIN] will be used.  However, another process in another account looking at the definition of the TIBRV logical name might look somewhere else.

If the daemon is starting with a ticket file found in TIBRV:[BIN], we need to check the logical name definition of TIBRV: for that particular process.  
You also need to check how the daemon is started (at boot, or manually, or auto-started by a process running an RV client program) and what account runs it (SYSTEM or a user account).

I am having problems with my RV license on VMS.Where does the RV daemon check for the license ticket file?