nfile

nfile defines the maximum number of files that can be open simultaneously, system-wide, at any given time.

Acceptable Values:

Minimum
14
Maximum
Memory limited
Default
((16*(Nproc+16+MaxUsers)/10)+32+2*(Npty+Nstrpty)

Specify integer value or use integer formula expression. For more information, see Specifying Parameter Values.

Description

nfile defines the maximum number files that can be open at any one time, system-wide.

It is the number of slots in the file descriptor table. Be generous with this number because the required memory is minimal, and not having enough slots restricts system processing capacity.

Related Parameters and System Factors

The value used for nfile must be sufficient to service the number of users and processes allowed by the combination of nproc, maxusers, npty , and nstrpty.

Every process uses at least three file descriptors per process (standard input, standard output, and standard error).

Every process has two pipes per process (one per side), each of which requires a pty. Stream pipes also use streams ptys which are limited by nstrpty.

Additional Information

For an overview of parameters related to open and locked files, see configurable open- or locked-files parameters.

For an overview of all file system kernel parameters, see Overview of file-system parameters