Limits on the number of file descriptors

Question

I'm trying to install 389-ds, And it gives me this warning:

WARNING: There are only 1024 file descriptors (hard limit) available, which limit the number of simultaneous connections.

I understand about file descriptors, but I don't understand about soft and hard limits.

When I run cat /proc/sys/fs/file-max, I get back 590432. This should imply that I can open up to 590432 files (i.e. have up to 590432 file descriptors.

But when I run ulimit, it gives me different results:

$ ulimit
unlimited

$ ulimit -Hn    # Hard limit
4096

$ ulimit -Sn    # Soft limit
1024

But what are the hard / soft limit from ulimit, and how do they relate to the number stored at /proc/sys/fs/file-max?

Answer 1

According to the kernel documentation, /proc/sys/fs/file-max is the maximum, total, global number of file handles the kernel will allocate before choking. This is the kernel's limit, not your current user's. So you can open 590432, provided you're alone on an idle system (single-user mode, no daemons running). File handles (struct file in the kernel) are different from file descriptors: multiple file descriptors can point to the same file handle, and file handles can also exist without an associated descriptor internally. No system-wide file descriptor limit is set; this can only be mandated per process.

Note that the documentation is out of date: the file has been /proc/sys/fs/file-max for a long time. Thanks to Martin Jambon for pointing this out.

The difference between soft and hard limits is answered here, on SE. You can raise or lower a soft limit as an ordinary user, provided you don't overstep the hard limit. You can also lower a hard limit (but you can't raise it again for that process). As the superuser, you can raise and lower both hard and soft limits. The dual limit scheme is used to enforce system policies, but also allow ordinary users to set temporary limits for themselves and later change them.

Note that if you try to lower a hard limit below the soft limit (and you're not the superuser), you'll get EINVAL back (Invalid Argument).

So, in your particular case, ulimit (which is the same as ulimit -Sf) says you don't have a soft limit on the size of files written by the shell and its subprocesses. (that's probably a good idea in most cases)

Your other invocation, ulimit -Hn reports on the -n limit (maximum number of open file descriptors), not the -f limit, which is why the soft limit seems higher than the hard limit. If you enter ulimit -Hf you'll also get unlimited.

Answer 2

The "select" system call is one of the many terrible brain dead design decisions of unix that makes even windows95 still look so good in comparison.

It should have been banned 20 years ago and then we might by now have ability to unlimited file handlers without problems.

You can increase the number of file descriptors easily with kernel configuration and ulimit BUT remember that if any library uses "select" system call your program will become instable and fail (unless the author knows and tests if the file descriptor number that is passed is larger than FD_SET_MAX and in this case switches to use poll or epoll in which case it is unclear why it was not written with this in mind from begin).

Select can only handle file descriptors from 0 to 1023 (or what else is set in the FD_SET hardcoded constant) and if you feed one with a higher value it will poke randomly in your memory and the select will never repeat the descriptor as working. Unfortunately many libraries still use select and you see it used in all over example codes and tutorials.

Terrible and the reason why this comment is a rant and an answer. Can't answer without getting angry.