Connection limits

[satoshi]

SVN rev 125:
- Always make 8 outbound connections even if have 8 inbound
- Limit outbound connections to one per a.b.?.? range
- Switch -maxconnections=#

I added the (currently undocumented) switch -maxconnections=#.  You shouldn't use it unless you need to because your router can't maintain a lot of connections, then try -maxconnections=30.

I haven't really tested -maxconnections much, could someone test it?

[Tilka]

Wouldn't it make sense to enable connections to multiple a.b.?.? peers that are in the same subnet? That could add some speed.

EDIT:
What I meant was that disabling the connection limit to nearby nodes could help keeping the network latency low.

[MoonShadow]

Wouldn't it make sense to enable connections to multiple a.b.?.? peers that are in the same subnet? That could add some speed.

Speed is a secondary goal.

[knightmb]

Speed isn't really much of an issue since the p2p is for transactions and block data; not large files. Latency is probably a good goal; have a well connected swarm insures transactions are processed quickly and block data is updated quickly so clients don't lag behind the rest of the network.

Mainly, he doesn't want home routers to get overloaded by the p2p part of bitcoin.

At the same time, those that have bandwidth and CPU to spare can set a high limit (like 1000 or more) that just acts at a super-node for the rest of the nodes to connect through.

[Ground Loop]

For a wide-open internet server on a well-connected router with a static IP, what's a typical number of connections?

My machines seem to settle into 34 or 35 connections and stay there.  Default limit, or some result of natural topography?

[throughput]

I haven't really tested -maxconnections much, could someone test it?

Is it maximum of outgoing connections or of total number of peer connections?

Could it be useful to limit both separately, by different options?

transactions and block data;  not large files

Did you mean "transactions and block data are not yet large files" ?
Megabytes per day is yet not large for my Internet, but receiving gigabyte per day for Bitcoin only is already too much.
I mean, that is the implication of future success.

[ArtForz]

Total number of peer connections, outgoing is still limited to 8.