Related Resources • Linux Newbie Administrator Guide • 0. Linux Benefit • 1. Before Installation • 2. Linux Resources/Help • 3. Basic Operations FAQ • 4. Newbie Admin FAQ • ~ 4.1 Lilo • ~ 4.2 Drives • ~ 4.3 X-Windows • ~ 4.4 Configurations • ~ 4.5 Networking • 5. Shortcuts / Commands • 6. Linux Applications • 7. Learn Linux Commands • A. How to Upgrade Kernel?

4.2.11  I reached the limit on the number of opened files (error message)

You can increase the limit via the /proc file system. This file system is entirely virtual--it is just a "window" to see or set some parts of the Linux kernel.   To read the maximum number of simultanously opened files on my system,  I use the following command:

cat /proc/sys/fs/file-max

On my system (Mandrake 7.2), the limit is 8192. To increase it, I use (as root):

echo 16000  > /proc/sys/fs/file-max

You may also want to increase the limit on a related kernel variable:

echo 30000 > /proc/sys/fs/inode-max

To make the changes permanent, add the above lines at the end of your startup script /etc/rc.d/rc.local

To learn more about the /proc Linux kernel interface, the meaning of the variables it contains, and their recommended values, you may wish to read (if you installed the Linux kernel source codes, which is a great resource even for a newbie):

less /usr/src/linux/Documentation/proc.txt

or (on RedHat 8.0)

man proc

Next > 4.2.12. I attached a new hard drive. What do I do to start using it?