The MAXDEV keyword specifies the maximum number of devices defined for the WORKSTN file. The default, *ONLY, indicates a single device file. If *FILE is specified, the maximum number of devices (defined for the WORKSTN file on the create-file command) is retrieved at file open, and SAVEIND and SAVEDS space allocation will be done at run time.
With a shared file, the MAXDEV value is not used to restrict the number of acquired devices.
When you specify DEVID, SAVEIND, or SAVEDS but not MAXDEV, the program assumes the default of a multiple device file (MAXDEV with a parameter of *FILE).