*BSD News Article 36444


Return to BSD News archive

Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!gmi!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!MathWorks.Com!yeshua.marcam.com!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!psgrain!ticsa.com!ucthpx!ucthpx!not-for-mail
From: smarq@ucthpx.uct.ac.za (S Marquard)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Too many open files on FreeBSD 1.1.5.1 ?
Date: 2 Oct 1994 10:00:43 +0200
Organization: University of Cape Town
Lines: 24
Message-ID: <36lpbb$9u2@ucthpx.uct.ac.za>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucthpx.uct.ac.za
Summary: "Too many open files error message" - why?
Keywords: files filesystem taylor smail freebsd

I run a FreeBSD 1.1.5.1-release system which feeds a bunch of UUCP sites,
using Smail 3.1.28 #6 and Taylor UUCP 1.05 (as distributed).   

Recently about 25 messages ended up in postmaster's mailbox, all having
failed with

/usr/bin/uux: creat (TMPxxxxxxxx)  Too many open files in system

listed as the reason for non-delivery.

Is this a FreeBSD file system problem / limitation? Can one set the
maximum number of open files allowed, if so, how?

Some messages were delivered into newsgroups through a mail2news gateway
(into INN), but the same message (part of the same rmail command) failed
when trying to write into a UUCP queue. I have only one /usr filesystem,
which isn't split in any way.

If it's not a FreeBSD problem (ie. a Taylor / Smail problem), does anyone
have any suggestions?

Stephen Marquard
smarq@ucthpx.uct.ac.za