Setting the number of available File Transfer Protocol servers

You can specify the minimum number of available servers for future client connections.

Specifying a value of 1 delays incoming connections to the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server. The recommended value is 3.

To set this value, go to the FTP Properties page and specify a number from 1 to 20 for the Initial number of servers to start.

When a client connects to an IBM® i FTP server, the FTP server examines the number of active FTP servers that are not connected to a client and the value specified for the initial number of FTP servers to start. If the initial FTP server value is greater than the number of available FTP servers, additional FTP servers are started so that the two numbers are equal. If the initial FTP server value is less than the number of available FTP servers, no action is taken. Changes to the initial FTP server value take effect at the time of the next client connection, when the above process is activated.

For example, if there are five FTP client sessions established at the same time and the initial FTP server value is set at 10, there will be 15 FTP servers running. The 15 servers include five FTP servers for the five active client sessions and ten available FTP servers. The number of available servers can be larger than the initial server value. In this same example, if the five clients end their sessions and no other sessions are started, there will be 15 available FTP servers.