AS/400 Independent Session Capacity with SAA 
TID250948
REVISION:  A
19APR95
NOVELL PRODUCT and VERSION:  NetWare for SAA 2.0

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ISSUE

The "Rules of Thumb" correctly states that NetWare for SAA 2.0 can support up to 2,000 sessions to a single AS/400 or to multiple AS/400s.

However, the actual number of sessions an individual AS/400 can support varies with the resources of the particular AS/400.  

Novell's testing found that the actual number of sessions/LUs that can be established to a given AS/400 depends upon:
- System Memory
- Type and Number of Processors in the AS/400
- DASD
- Datalink Types Supported 
- Datalink Speed, Frame Size, and Amount of Link Saturation
- Specific Software Applications Running on the System
- Total System Usage by Users and System Jobs/Applications at a Given Time
- Total Number of Virtual Controllers and Devices in Use
- etc
the AS/400 has, and what applications are used.  

In addition, applications use system CPU time, system memory, and DASD differently from one another.  This depends on the type of application, how it was written, and what programming language was used.  Some languages are more optimized than others.

Because of these factors, Novell cannot predict how many sessions can be established to various AS/400 systems when using NetWare for SAA 2.0.  It is strictly an individual customer site environmental variable, which depends on the factors listed above and others not listed.  

IBM Systems Engineers and Account Representatives can help determine how many independent sessions can be established to a particular AS/400 system.


IMPORTANT POINT 
INDEPENDENT LUs are NOT LIMITED to 254 LUs per PU.
IBM Client Access/400 (and therefore NetWare for SAA 2.0) utilizes INDEPENDENT LUs (APPC devices that may include display session, printer, and other virtual devices) to connect to the AS/400.  There is virtually no limit to the number of INDEPENDENT LUs that can be connected to an AS/400, if the AS/400 has the resources to handle them.

This has caused confusion in many peoples minds because both the AS/400 and 3270 have had a predefined architectural limitation of 254 DEPENDENT LUs per PU.

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