Change the SMB connection limit in OS X Server 5

OS X Server 5 allows 500 simultaneous SMB file sharing connections by default. You can increase or decrease this limit using the Terminal.

When you set up SMB file sharing on OS X Server 5, it allows up to 500 simultaneous connections. You can change this setting using the MaxClients command in the Terminal.

For example, these two commands set the maximum number of SMB connections to 600 with no interruption of service:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.smb.server.plist MaxClients -int 600

sudo /usr/libexec/smb-sync-preferences

If you adjust the SMB MaxClients value, you should use Activity Monitor to make sure other high-demand services aren't affected by this change. Increasing SMB limits can increase use of shared system resources, like your server's memory, network, and processor use. Make sure your server has enough of these resources to handle more simultaneous connections. If it doesn't, consider lowering the connection limit by decreasing the MaxClients value instead.