There is a setting in HTTP/2 called SETTINGS_MAX_CONCURRENT_STREAMS, if set to 1 it works like HTTP/1.1, with no multiplexing. Setting it to 4~8 would make it behave in a similar way a browser actually does with HTTP/1 (creating multiple connections in parallel).
While it is correct to say that it is a client setting, it is also a server setting. The HTTP/2 specification uses the word "peer" since SETTINGS_MAX_CONCURRENT_STREAMS (0x3) is negotiated in both directions as part of the client/server handshakes.