diff --git a/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiClient.cc b/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiClient.cc
index e1d4dba66a2..ae9233d944c 100644
--- a/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiClient.cc
+++ b/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiClient.cc
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 #include "XrdSsi/XrdSsiLogger.hh"
 #include "XrdSsi/XrdSsiProvider.hh"
 #include "XrdSsi/XrdSsiServReal.hh"
+#include "XrdSsi/XrdSsiScale.hh"
 #include "XrdSsi/XrdSsiTrace.hh"
 
 #include "XrdSys/XrdSysLogger.hh"
@@ -107,6 +108,8 @@ virtual rStat  QueryResource(const char *rName,
 
 virtual void   SetCBThreads(int cbNum, int ntNum);
 
+virtual void   SetSpread(short ssz);
+
 virtual void   SetTimeout(tmoType what, int tmoval);
 
                XrdSsiClientProvider() {}
@@ -256,6 +259,17 @@ void XrdSsiClientProvider::SetScheduler()
    XrdSsi::schedP->Start();
 }
 
+/******************************************************************************/
+/*       X r d S s i C l i e n t P r o v i d e r : : S e t S p r e a d        */
+/******************************************************************************/
+
+void XrdSsiClientProvider::SetSpread(short ssz)
+{
+    extern XrdSsiScale sidScale;
+
+    sidScale.setSpread(ssz);
+}
+
 /******************************************************************************/
 /*      X r d S s i C l i e n t P r o v i d e r : : S e t T i m e o u t       */
 /******************************************************************************/
diff --git a/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiProvider.hh b/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiProvider.hh
index fba808891a6..67a2d95a5c6 100644
--- a/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiProvider.hh
+++ b/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiProvider.hh
@@ -89,6 +89,26 @@ class XrdSsiProvider
 {
 public:
 
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+//! Issue a control operation (future).
+//!
+//! @param  cmd      The control command.
+//! @param  argP     The operational argument cast to a void pointer.
+//! @param  resP     A reference to the pointer to hold the operational
+//!                  result object if any.
+//!
+//! @return Upon success 0 is returned and if a resutt is returned is must
+//!         cast to te correct pointer type and deleted,when no longer needed.
+//!         Upon failure, -errno is returned.
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+enum CTL_Cmd {CTL_None = 0};
+
+virtual int    Control(CTL_Cmd cmd, const void *argP, void *&resP)
+                      {(void)cmd; (void)argP; (void)resP;
+                       return (cmd == CTL_None ? 0 : -ENOTSUP);
+                      }
+
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 //! Obtain a service object (client-side or server-side).
 //!
@@ -222,6 +242,16 @@ virtual void   ResourceRemoved(const char *rName) {}
 
 virtual void   SetCBThreads(int cbNum, int ntNum=0) {(void)cbNum; (void)ntNum;}
 
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+//! Set the client-size request spread size.
+//!
+//! @param  ssz      The maximum number of connections to use to to handle
+//!                  requests. The initial default is 4. This method may be
+//!                  called at any time. An ssz value > 1024 is set to 1024.
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+virtual void   SetSpread(short ssz) {(void)ssz;}
+
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 //! Set default global timeouts. By default, all timeouts are set to infinity.
 //!
diff --git a/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiScale.hh b/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiScale.hh
index e9fd3ae5c52..1f2518e1433 100644
--- a/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiScale.hh
+++ b/src/XrdSsi/XrdSsiScale.hh
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ class XrdSsiScale
 {
 public:
 
-static const int          maxSprd =256;
-static const int          maxEnt  = 32;      // Must be power of two
-static const int          entShft = 8;       // Allows a spread of 256
+static const int          maxSprd =  1024;
+static const int          maxEnt  =    32;       // Must be power of two
+static const int          entShft =    10;       // Allows a spread of 1024
 static const unsigned int maxPend = 65500;
 
 int   getEnt() {entMutex.Lock();
@@ -88,9 +88,11 @@ bool  rsvEnt(int xEnt) {xEnt >>= entShft;
                         return false;
                        }
 
-void  setSpread(short sval) {if (sval <= 0) maxSpread = 0;
+void  setSpread(short sval) {entMutex.Lock();
+                             if (sval <= 0) maxSpread = 0;
                                 else if (sval < maxSprd) maxSpread = sval;
                                         else maxSpread = maxSprd;
+                             entMutex.UnLock();
                             }
 
       XrdSsiScale() : nowEnt(0), maxSpread(4), nowSpread(0)