*BSD News Article 67796


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From: hossers@Direct.CA (Randy Dufresne)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: FreeBSD <- - Maximum number of processes?
Date: 6 May 1996 10:00:40 GMT
Organization: Internet Direct Inc.
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Trying to figure out aproximately how many users on dumb
terminals can FreeBSD support?

In the book "Down Sizing To Unix" (1992)
On page 183/184, the author writes:

-- quote --

For example, some versions of XENIX that were designed to be run
on Intel 286-based systems have a default maximum allowed job
acceptance limit of 80 processes. Subtracting 10 for system process
slots and daemons, 70 process remain to service users. If each
user is allowed seven processes (a shell and six other commands)
in a pipe, for example, an Intel 286 running XENIX should be able
to support at least 10 users without thrashing.

Note: Early versions of UNIX System V, designed to run on slow
(16Mhz) Intel 386 machines, came with a default maximum number
of processs set at 180. Using the same logic yields a maximum
number of users of 24

More recent versions of SCO UNIX, designed to run on Intel-486
processors with ESIA buses, arrive configured with over 460 maximum
processes (yielding a support level of 64 users). These numbers
are so dependent on individual system characteristics that they
are of little use to anyone and may bear no relationship at the
actual thrashing point on any of these systems

-- End quote --

Warning on the last part of the above paragraph taken, but just
how many concurrent processes can FreeBSD handle?


Thanks for your input


Randy Dufresne