There are many processes than there are sessions.
My answer is processes * elapsed time
From the documentation: "PROCESSES specifies the maximum number of operating
system user processes that can simultaneously connect to Oracle. Its value
should allow for all background processes such as locks, job queue processes,
and parallel execution processes."
(https://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14237/initparams169.htm#REFRN10175)
Your system will choke before it gets anywhere close to this theoretical
maximum. A rule of thumb is that you should be concerned if your db time
exceeds elapsed time * CPU threads; that is, if average active sessions (AAS)
is greater than the number of CPU threads (threads not cores).
P.S. I hope that is not an interview question. I usually fail DBA interviews
because of questions like that.
https://iggyfernandez.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/the-worst-interview-of-my-life/
https://iggyfernandez.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/how-not-to-interview-a-database-administrator-part-i-the-google-way/
From: dba.tyagisumit@xxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 22 May 2016 15:21:58 +0530
Subject: DB TIME in AWR
To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On a four CPU system ( 4 CPU CORE ) , for one hour elapsed time, what
is the maximum amount of DB Time that can be accumulated?
Answer: Number of ‘sessions’ in int.ora * elapsed time = 300 * 1 hours = 300
Hours
OR
Answer : Number of ‘sessions’ in int.ora * elapsed time * CPU Cores = 300 *
1 * 4 = 1200 Hours
Which one is correct any why . Little confusion here .
--
--BRSumit Tyagi+91-7829543355