AppleShare File Server activity affects the performance of other applications and services running on the server, and vice versa. The administrator can adjust total system performance using the Maximum Remote User Activity meter. Changes take effect immediately. The default setting is 100%.
Setting the slider to 100% allows the server to access 100% of the available CPU cycles. This doesn't lock out any other running application. Set to 50%, the server uses every other available cycle from the CPU. This is true whether an application uses the other 50% or not.
Recommended Slider Setting
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It appears that there are too many variables in making a recommendation on the setting when an AppleShare file server is running in conjunction with another network service such as a print server or mail server. The optimal slider setting in this situation must be determined through trial and error.
The AppleShare 3.0.x file server keeps track of CPU usage. That is, AppleShare knows what percentage of the CPU that remote AFP requests are responsible for. Internally, AppleShare uses a complex scheduling algorithm for tracking and allotting CPU time.
The "Maximum Usage" slider controls what percentage of the CPU that remote AFP requests are allowed. So, what is actually happening when you change the value of the slider is a corresponding variable within the AppleShare scheduler is changed and is then used in scheduler time calculations to determine whether or not to process pending AFP requests.
Example: If the slider were set to 50% and it is determined (by the AppleShare scheduler) that processing another AFP request would result in AppleShare using more than 50% of the CPU and there are currently other processes competing for the CPU, then the scheduler would yield to system processes. Whereas, if the slider were set to 100%, then AFP requests are immediately processed regardless of whether there are other processes waiting for processor time.
As far a recommended settings, it totally depends on how the File/Print Server machine is being used. If it is a dedicated server, then the slider should be set a 100% for maximum server performance. If the machine is only a part time server and you wish to use the machine to run applications and so on, then the slider should be set at a lower value depending on what kind of local performance you desire.