max connections/error reporting

Greetings,

I'm installing and and configuring squid-2.5.STABLE6 on Redhat Enterprise
(2.4.21 kernel).

I'm trying to determine the system-wide maximum number of inbound and
outbound connections squid will handle.

From what I've read there seems to be no squid configuration option
controlling the maximum number of outbound connections (squid -> content
server). The maximum number of outbound connections is determined by the
OS (the maximum number of open file descriptors via ulimit).

For inbound connections (client -> squid) there is a per-client acl
(maxconn) that can control the maximum connections for a particular client
but it seems that limiting the system-wide max inbound connections, like
the max outbound connections, falls to the OS.

I'm also looking for squid's response to the client when it can longer
open an outbound connection or accept an inbound connection.

Can someone confirm my assumptions about the max inbound and outbound
connections? And if you have a pointer to squid's response in these
situations that would be great.

I'll post the responses I receive.

Thanks,

jeff