132818 - Allow increased limit of HTTP connections to local domain

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Core :: Networking: HTTP, enhancement)

Description

[Chuck Messenger]

See also http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=132816

Currently, there is a default limit of 2 for persistent HTTP connections to a
given domain (network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server in all.js), and
of 4 for non-persistent connections (network.http.max-connections-per-server).

It would be useful if these limits were higher for connections to servers in the
local domain.

An emerging use for Mozilla may be as a GUI front-end (SOAP client) for an app
running on an app server in the local domain (which acts as a SOAP server).  It
would be entirely conceivable to have several of these apps running at once,
each possibly requiring one or more persistent HTTP connections.  With a limit
of 2 persistent connections to servers in the local domain, such a scenario is
not practical.

So, there's a need for a higher limit.  One could argue that a user could solve
the problem by increasing network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server,
etc.  However, doing so would increase the limit for all domains, thus defeating
the usefulness of the limit.

Therefore, I propose there be a separate limit for connections to servers in the
local domain (and no limit for connections to localhost -- see bug  132816). 
The rationale would be, A), it would be useful, and B), there is no performance
concern (assuming we have a much higher bandwidth connection within our local
domain, than we do to external domains).

Comment 1

[Darin Fisher]

-> default owner

Comment 2

[Patrick McManus [:mcmanus]]

in general, its useful for the web to be consistent across origins. For testing if nothing else.