Configuring Arbortext Publishing Engine > Preparing to Configure Arbortext Publishing Engine > Initialization Process
  
Initialization Process
During initialization, Arbortext Publishing Engine starts its minimum number of Arbortext PE sub-processes according to a configuration specification. Periodically, Arbortext Publishing Engine checks for idle Arbortext PE sub-processes and tracks the lifetime duration of each Arbortext PE sub-process.
When an HTTP or SOAP request is passed to Arbortext PE Request Manager, Arbortext Publishing Engine assigns it to the idle Arbortext PE sub-process with the least elapsed time since last use. If there is no idle Arbortext PE sub-process, Arbortext Publishing Engine will start a new Arbortext PE sub-process to handle the request if the maximum number of Arbortext PE sub-processes allowed is larger than the minimum number. of Arbortext PE sub-processes.
Finding the right balance of configuration settings depends on your hardware, network traffic, system capabilities, volume and size of requests, and other factors that are particular to your site. In most cases, you will achieve the most efficient throughput by setting the maximum number of Arbortext PE sub-processes to the number of processors on the Arbortext Publishing Engine server system. This guideline ensures all CPUs will be used and avoids unnecessary context switching, which can hinder throughput.