shared folder limits?

I'm not sure what the question is, but 10 connections has been the maximum for AFP in OS X Client for quite a while:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107237

That document is for 10.0, but I'm pretty sure the same limit was there in the old Mac OS as well.

Really? That kind of stinks.

I poked around a bit and I have no idea if it is relevant (it might be since each connected user generates an additional smbd process), but I found this line:<pre>
max smbd processes = 10</pre>

It was in "/private/var/run/smb.conf". It doesn't appear to be editable (the file is refreshed if it is), and connections are refused if the file is locked. Editing "/private/etc/smb.conf" doesn't seem to help - the copy in "/var/run" always shows "10". It has to be getting the value from somewhere though...

But to reiterate, I don't know if that line is relevant. Hopefully somebody more familiar with smb configuration could shed some light...

I'm afraid that's way beyond me, but I suspect it might be possible to get samba from the source and install it in OS X so you wouldn't have to use Linux. Maybe through something like "fink" or "macports" or something. I really don't know what I'm talking about. Perhaps you could ask in the unix section... who knows, maybe someone over there would even know how to configure the built-in smb in OS X to get rid of the "max smbd processes" limit (if that is what is actually responsible)...

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=735

Try editing the file:
/System/Library/CoreServices/SmbFileServer.bundle/Resources/DesktopDefaults.plis t

The ' MaxClients' property is set to an integer value of "10" in the "Desktop" version of the file ("100" for the server version), and editing the number definitely caused a corresponding change in the "/private/var/run/smb.conf" file.

While I have no way of testing the effects of increasing the value on the smb server (I don't have anywhere near 10 clients to test with), modifying it downward definitely lowered the limit of the number of connected users, with the characteristic that a rejected user could successfully connect once someone else logged out first.

It is a .plist file, so I suppose ' defaults' could be used to edit it, but since it is a system file, definitely make a backup, and I would suggest editing it by hand.

The command line utility ' /usr/bin/defaults' is very useful for editing .plist files - for example, a simple one-line command could be used to change the ' MacClients' setting above.

However, when used for .plist files other than user preference files, it also has the effect of changing the format and permissions of the target file, and while it shouldn't affect the file's function, and while format and permissions can be adjusted afterwards, after all that hassle, editing it manually is probably easier. And not going through the hassle might not be ideal for system files.

One particular advantage of the ' defaults' command is that it will generally write in the correct format (unlike an inexperienced user with a text editor for example). However, more than once, I have seen ' defaults' completely erase a .plist file. This isn't an issue with preference files because they are usually regenerated once they are deleted, but the same can't be said for system configuration files.

So maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it - it probably confused the issue - but there are many examples on the web of people going ahead and using ' defaults' on system files and I thought it important to make the distinction clear. I suppose that if the file is properly backed up first, it wouldn't matter either way.

..." Is it as easy as editing said file and dumping it back on the Mini? Provided you know HOW?"...

Pretty much, provided the permissions are corrected if necessary (running "repair permissions" in "Disk Utility" afterward should take care of that).

Ok, try it this way: In "Finder", navigate through "/System" > "Library" > "CoreServices", and control-click on the "SmbFileServer.bundle", choosing "Show Package Contents" from the contextual menu. Then, in the new window, click "Resources" (an alias to "Versions" > "A" > "Resources"). In that folder, there should be two files. The one relevant to this thread is called "DesktopDefaults.plist" - drag it while holding the "Option" key (this should make a copy), into a folder somewhere for safekeeping - this will be your backup in case something goes wrong so make sure the contents are intact.

Now, after all the things I said earlier about not using the ' defaults' command, I'm going to suggest doing just that. It wouldn't be my first choice for modifying that file under normal circumstances, but for giving instructions over the internet, it's tough to beat the precision of a "Terminal" command.

So assuming you have your backup copy and verifed that it is the same as the original, log in to an "admin" account, launch "/Applications" > "Utilities" > "Terminal.app" and enter these commands:<pre style="overflow:auto; padding: 5px; width: 500px ; font-size: 10px; border:1">sudo /usr/bin/defaults write /System/Library/CoreServices/SmbFileServer.bundle/Versions/A/Resources/DesktopD efaults MaxClients -int 50
sudo /usr/bin/plutil -convert xml1 /System/Library/CoreServices/SmbFileServer.bundle/Versions/A/Resources/DesktopD efaults.plist
sudo /bin/chmod 644 /System/Library/CoreServices/SmbFileServer.bundle/Versions/A/Resources/DesktopD efaults.plist</pre>
When a password is requested, enter the "admin" password. For security reasons, the keystrokes won't be displayed as you type, so just press the "enter" or "return" key after you are finished. A limit of "50" was used in the example, but that can be adjusted as required (including using "10" to set it back to t he original value).

Edit: Before starting, turn off SMB in the "Sharing" pref pane.