[FAQ'dan:]
Starting LimeWire and Connecting:
How come I only connect to a few host? I used to connect to many more hosts!
Answers :
High performance and bandwidth machines on the network are recognized by LimeWire as 'Ultrapeers'. These machines accept connections from many LimeWire clients while also connecting to the rest of the Gnutella network. Moreover, the Ultrapeer shields these 'regular' LimeWire clients from the CPU and bandwidth requirements associated with Gnutella, directing traffic to clients in an efficient manner.
The reason you see only a few connections in your connections tab is because you are a LimeWire client connected to an Ultrapeer. Unfortunately, not all Ultrapeers are as good as others. If you find that you aren't getting many search results with the Ultrapeers you are connected to, simply disconnect and connect. You'll probably connect to different Ultrapeers that are more 'connected'. Also, as time goes on and the network grows, you'll receive more results. Moreover, we are currently working hard to ensure that any Ultrapeer you connect to will be well connected - stay tuned to future versions of LimeWire.
Can I control the maximum number of searches?
Yes. Go to: Tools > Options > Searching > Basic. From there you can change "Maximum Searches" (set at 5 by default). It controls how many search tabs you can have at once.