Does the number of geth's maxpeers option include it's own node?

Question

In geth's parameters there is a --maxpeers option. Does this option number includes it's own node?

--maxpeers "25" Maximum number of network peers (network disabled if set to 0)

Does --maxpeers "1" means 2 peers in the network including the node which execute the geth command with --maxpeers "1"?

Answer 1

Does the number of maxpeers of geth option include it's own node?

No. Specifying the parameter:

• --maxpeers 0 will not allow your geth instance to connect to any other peer
• --maxpeers 1 will allow your geth instance to connect to one other peer
• --maxpeers n will allow your geth instance to connect to n other nodes

Does --maxpeers "1" means 2 peers in the network including the node which executed the geth command with --maxpeers "1"?

No. Your geth instance where you specified --maxpeers 1 will have at maximum 1 connection to another peer instance. However the other peer instance may have connections to many another instances.

Details below.

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Test Environment

• Single computer with 5 geth instances running on ports 30301, 30302, 30303, 30304 and 30305 .
• All instances have the same --networkid 8888 and --genesis CustomGenesis.json files - a private network.
• All instances have a different --datadir {directory} parameter.
• geth instances 2, 3, 4 and 5 all have their enode URL information listed in static-nodes.json in the --datadir {directory}.
• IF geth instance 1 is also listed in the static-nodes.json and a copy of this file is also available in it's --datadir {directory}, all 4 other geth instances will be connected to it as peers, regardless of the number specified in each of the geth instance's --maxpeer parameter.
• IF geth instance 1 does not have the static-nodes.json file but instead uses the --bootnodes {enode URL} and the --maxpeers {n} parameters, the number of connections that geth instance 1 will be connected to is n separate geth nodes.
• IF geth instance 1 does not have the static-nodes.json file but instead uses the --bootnodes {enode URL} and the --maxpeers {n} followed by the --nodiscover parameter, geth instance 1 will connect to n separate geth nodes. --nodiscover does not run geth in stand-alone mode.

Answer 2

--maxpeers "1" means one peer computer is connected to your node.

if you run > admin.peers in geth console it will return [] if you are running in --dev mode

to see connected peers

> admin.peers

returns

{
    caps: ["eth/61", "eth/62", "eth/63"],
    id: "dcae857cb89ab8xxxxxx32bde07ecff2b836bef51cba90a157afe05df50636a7",
    name: "Geth/v1.3.5/linux/go1.5.1",
    network: {
      localAddress: "37.139.x.xx:30303",
      remoteAddress: "46.x.xxx.162:33208"
    },
    protocols: {
      eth: {
        difficulty: 13215741744858590000,
        head: "1e3da5c7aea3c9300c57622532ce6a00edb79fdc6b05e79f9e4bc5930c1cf46c",
        version: 63
      }
    }
}

To see no of peers connected

> admin.peers.length

returns

13 // means 13 nodes connected to your node.