SharePoint 2010 version history limit

Question

I was reading about SharePoint 2010 list and library version history boundaries and found, that the limit is 400'000 (source link from Technet). But I got a bit confused - does this limit refers to one item or to all items combined in list/library?

And other question - if limit is exceeded, what will happen? In article there is said that "basic operations may not succeed", but what it realy means? What "plays the major role" of succeeding or not succeeding - WFE and SQL server horsepower?

Answer 1

It is for all items combined in list and library.

If you exceed this limit, basic file operations—such as file open or save, delete, and viewing the version history— may not succeed.

Please follow this link to get more idea how it effects your sharepoint

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Cc262813.aspx