Members are supported for database I/O operations only if the target server is an iSeries™ server or a System/38™. Members are not supported if the target server is neither an iSeries server nor a System/38.
Members can be locked before use, using the Allocate Object (ALCOBJ) command if the target server is an iSeries server or a System/38.
The DDM file itself does not have members like a database file. However, if a member is identified on the source server (for example, using the Override with Database File (OVRDBF) command) and the target server is an iSeries server or a System/38, that member name is used to identify a member in the target server's file. When the target server is neither an iSeries server nor a System/38, and if the member name is specified as *FIRST, or in some cases *LAST, or the file name is the same as the member name, then the RMTFILE parameter values in the DDM file are sent without change. This allows file access on servers that do not support members.
If the member name is other than *FIRST or in some cases *LAST, or the file name is different from the member name (for example, when the file is opened) and the target server does not support members, an error message is sent to the requesting program and the function is not performed.