maxfiles_lim

[aruns_s]

Hi Gurus,

Just got confused with maxfiles_lim.

I believe maxfile_lim which sets the hard limit for the number of files a process is allowed to have open simultaneously.

For eg, lets take a PID - 21312 and maxfiles_lim is 60.With this case, PID -21312 can open max of 60 files at a given point in time - we will take 10:30am for eg. So my confusion here is - would that same PID - 21312 be able to open another 60 files at 10:31am evenif the first lot of 60files(opened at 10:30) still open?

[A. Clay Stephenson]

First, maxfiles_lim doesn't really determine the limit, maxfiles (the soft limit) is actually the limit. A process with proper permissions can increase the soft limit upto the hard limit limit.

The limit actually limits the number of simultaneously open file descriptors per process. A process with a limit of 60 could open and close thousands of files as long as at no one moment in time the number of open files does not exceed 60.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

I have found in practice that there is small wiggle room on this stuff.

example
maxuprc=75

The oracle user gets to open 77 processes on my box and then can't open any more. I can't explain that but its been pretty consistent.

So you may see these things triggered not exactly at 60 files.

Good practice, if you are getting close to the limit you have two choices:
1) RAise the limit.
2) Get away from the ceiling, e.g. reconfigure your apps to need less files open.

Usually I go with #1.

SEP