Maximum number of connections

Sets the maximum number of client connections allowed. Sessions that reuse an existing tunnel are considered a single connection. Use zero (0) to set no limit. In this case, limits set by the operating system may affect the number of possible connections.

Note: You can use Maximum number of connections to avoid exhausting the Windows system memory available for creating desktop heaps. For more information, see Managing System Resources.

Maximum connections per user

Sets the maximum number of connections allowed per user. Use zero (0) to set no limit.

Notes:

• If a client opens multiple sessions using the client connection reuse feature, these sessions count as a single connection.
• Each attempt to connect after Maximum connections per user is reached adds to the number of Failed attempts used by IP blocking. If a client user reaches the maximum failed attempts set for IP blocking (20 by default), the server will temporarily block connections from that client IP address.

Session time-out (seconds)

Sets the number of seconds a connection can remain inactive before the server terminates the connection. If a connection tunnel is shared by multiple sessions, all sessions must remain idle for this duration. Use zero (0) to set no limit.

Banner message file

Identifies a file that contains text for a banner message. The server sends this text to the client before the client authenticates. Use of a banner is necessary in some jurisdictions to ensure legal protection against violators. If the file is in a format other than UTF-8, it is automatically converted to UTF-8.

Note: Some clients do not support banner display. If you configure a banner, you should ensure that your Secure Shell client supports this feature.