Increase max open files in Debian Squeeze (Too many open files, ulimit -n; limits.conf)

Ever wondered how to increase max open files limit in Debian?

Edit limits.conf:

# vi /etc/security/limits.conf

Format of limits.conf file:

domain      type  item        value

Insert or adjust the following entries to fit your requirements for system wide soft/hard open files limit (nofile). Soft is like a warning, hard is a real max limit!

# wildcard does not work for root, but for all other users
*               soft     nofile           4096
*               hard     nofile           32768
# settings should also apply to root
root            soft     nofile           4096
root            hard     nofile           32768

Changes should be activated on the next login. No reboot necessary!

To increase them immediatly without logout/login, type:

# ulimit -n 4096

Relogin and verify:

# ulimit -Sn # soft limit
# ulimit -Hn # hard limit

Benjamin Wiedmann

Benjamin Wiedmann is an IT Professional, Software Developer, Photograph and Musician. Read more...

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