  Recommended Numbers of Users? 
 The Question is:
 
We are running Open VMS Version 7.1 on an
ALPHA 4000 Server. What is the recommended /
ideal number of interactive users that should
be set for the system ?
 The Answer is :
 
  Somewhere between zero users and the architectural maximum user
  limit of 8192, as limited by user performance expectations, by
  available system resources and by non-interactive application
  performance requirements.
 
  Typical limitations involve the available pagefile and the increased
  pagefile usage as users or applications are added, and the amount
  of physical memory available -- factors such as the processor usage
  and the performance requirements of specific users and specific
  non-interactive application tasks are clearly also involved.
 
  An interactive user entering data into a forms menu terminal display
  will likely require far less system resources than the OpenVMS Wizard
  might require for a full OpenVMS system build, for instance -- without
  some idea of user loads and user expectations, there can be no specific
  answer.  You might thus have a system with a large number of users
  that performs nicely, or a system with comparatively few users that
  performs poorly.
 
  For a systematic approach to the question, please review the details
  available in the performance manual.  You will find details on how
  to determine a baseline, and how to measure loading and increases.
  Based on such local information and local data, you can -- assuming
  incremental increases -- predict requirements as users are added.
 
 Answer written or last revised on  7-JAN-2004 
