Getting Error Message "Couldn't open pipe -- too many open files"

[Partha Mohanty]

I am running an application on hpux 11.0 (64 bit). After 15 hours or so I get Error message "Couldn't open pipe -- too many open files? when I do ulimit -a and ulimit -Ha, I see 2048 for both. What may be wrong?

[Anthony deRito]

You need to check your system kernel configurable parameter called nfile. Use SAM or use sysdef to verify the value. Crank it up.

[John Palmer]

Sounds like you are filling up the kernel's open file table (nfile tunable parameter).
Check usage with glance or sar -v.

Hope this helps,
John

[John Palmer · Accepted solution]

Further to my earlier reply, the 2048 value that you see in ulimit relates to the tunable parameters maxfiles (soft limit) and maxfiles_lim (hard limit) which limit the number of files that a single process can have open.
If you are approaching the 'nfile' limit then all sorts of processes will fail with various different errors.
If you have a single process which approaches maxfiles... then only it will be affected.

Regards,
John

[Rick Garland]

Check the syslog. If it states that your file table is filling up, modify the nfiule parameter (number of open files). This message regarding the file table full could be on the console as well.