*BSD News Article 52483


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.sprintlink.net!news.charm.net!news.cais.net!news.cais.com!zippy.cais.net!news.vni.net!cnordin
From: cnordin@hq.vni.net (Craig Nordin)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc
Subject: Re: Is it bad to be in lots of groups?
Date: 5 Oct 1995 21:30:05 -0400
Organization: Virtual Networks
Lines: 24
Message-ID: <cnordin.812942843@news.vni.net>
References: <richard-0510951159360001@island.interverse.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: hq.vni.net
X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 #6 (NOV)


Yes, Virginia, It is bad to be in too many groups.

You can probably set a kernel tune that will (NGROUP? MAXGROUP?)
that will allow you to run more groups per user, but you'll
incrementally slow down your system doing that.

It is likely that the real problem is not what the Unix limit
is but what benefit and cost come from being a member of so
many groups.  

Groups are one of those things where more than a tiny few 
create large-scale complexity that you can never retreat
from after you build your system.  I'd heartily advise
trying everything possilbe to become a member of no more
that two groups beyond the default.  




-- 
--

"He who loses control, loses."  Andre Brauer, Homicide