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GETRLIMIT(2) Linux Programmer's Manual GETRLIMIT(2)
NAME
getrlimit, setrlimit - get/set resource limits
SYNOPSIS
#include <sys/time.h>
#include <sys/resource.h>
int getrlimit(int resource, struct rlimit *rlim);
int setrlimit(int resource, const struct rlimit *rlim);
DESCRIPTION
getrlimit() and setrlimit() get and set resource limits respectively. Each resource has an associated soft and hard
limit, as defined by the rlimit structure (the rlim argument to both getrlimit() and setrlimit()):
struct rlimit {
rlim_t rlim_cur; /* Soft limit */
rlim_t rlim_max; /* Hard limit (ceiling for rlim_cur) */
};
The soft limit is the value that the kernel enforces for the corresponding resource. The hard limit acts as a ceiling
for the soft limit: an unprivileged process may only set its soft limit to a value in the range from 0 up to the hard
limit, and (irreversibly) lower its hard limit. A privileged process (under Linux: one with the CAP_SYS_RESOURCE capa-
bility) may make arbitrary changes to either limit value.
The value RLIM_INFINITY denotes no limit on a resource (both in the structure returned by getrlimit() and in the struc-
ture passed to setrlimit()).
resource must be one of:
RLIMIT_AS
The maximum size of the process's virtual memory (address space) in bytes. This limit affects calls to brk(2),
mmap(2) and mremap(2), which fail with the error ENOMEM upon exceeding this limit. Also automatic stack expansion
will fail (and generate a SIGSEGV that kills the process if no alternate stack has been made available via sigalt-
stack(2)). Since the value is a long, on machines with a 32-bit long either this limit is at most 2 GiB, or this
resource is unlimited.
RLIMIT_CORE
Maximum size of core file. When 0 no core dump files are created. When nonzero, larger dumps are truncated to
this size.
RLIMIT_CPU
CPU time limit in seconds. When the process reaches the soft limit, it is sent a SIGXCPU signal. The default
action for this signal is to terminate the process. However, the signal can be caught, and the handler can return
control to the main program. If the process continues to consume CPU time, it will be sent SIGXCPU once per sec-
ond until the hard limit is reached, at which time it is sent SIGKILL. (This latter point describes Linux 2.2
through 2.6 behavior. Implementations vary in how they treat processes which continue to consume CPU time after
reaching the soft limit. Portable applications that need to catch this signal should perform an orderly termina-
tion upon first receipt of SIGXCPU.)
RLIMIT_DATA
The maximum size of the process's data segment (initialized data, uninitialized data, and heap). This limit
affects calls to brk(2) and sbrk(2), which fail with the error ENOMEM upon encountering the soft limit of this
resource.
RLIMIT_FSIZE
The maximum size of files that the process may create. Attempts to extend a file beyond this limit result in
delivery of a SIGXFSZ signal. By default, this signal terminates a process, but a process can catch this signal
instead, in which case the relevant system call (e.g., write(2), truncate(2)) fails with the error EFBIG.
RLIMIT_LOCKS (Early Linux 2.4 only)
A limit on the combined number of flock(2) locks and fcntl(2) leases that this process may establish.
RLIMIT_MEMLOCK
The maximum number of bytes of memory that may be locked into RAM. In effect this limit is rounded down to the
nearest multiple of the system page size. This limit affects mlock(2) and mlockall(2) and the mmap(2) MAP_LOCKED
operation. Since Linux 2.6.9 it also affects the shmctl(2) SHM_LOCK operation, where it sets a maximum on the
total bytes in shared memory segments (see shmget(2)) that may be locked by the real user ID of the calling
process. The shmctl(2) SHM_LOCK locks are accounted for separately from the per-process memory locks established
by mlock(2), mlockall(2), and mmap(2) MAP_LOCKED; a process can lock bytes up to this limit in each of these two
categories. In Linux kernels before 2.6.9, this limit controlled the amount of memory that could be locked by a
privileged process. Since Linux 2.6.9, no limits are placed on the amount of memory that a privileged process may
lock, and this limit instead governs the amount of memory that an unprivileged process may lock.
RLIMIT_MSGQUEUE (Since Linux 2.6.8)
Specifies the limit on the number of bytes that can be allocated for POSIX message queues for the real user ID of
the calling process. This limit is enforced for mq_open(3). Each message queue that the user creates counts
(until it is removed) against this limit according to the formula:
bytes = attr.mq_maxmsg * sizeof(struct msg_msg *) +
attr.mq_maxmsg * attr.mq_msgsize
where attr is the mq_attr structure specified as the fourth argument to mq_open(3).
The first addend in the formula, which includes sizeof(struct msg_msg *) (4 bytes on Linux/i386), ensures that the
user cannot create an unlimited number of zero-length messages (such messages nevertheless each consume some sys-
tem memory for bookkeeping overhead).
RLIMIT_NICE (since Linux 2.6.12, but see BUGS below)
Specifies a ceiling to which the process's nice value can be raised using setpriority(2) or nice(2). The actual
ceiling for the nice value is calculated as 20 - rlim_cur. (This strangeness occurs because negative numbers can-
not be specified as resource limit values, since they typically have special meanings. For example, RLIM_INFINITY
typically is the same as -1.)
RLIMIT_NOFILE
Specifies a value one greater than the maximum file descriptor number that can be opened by this process.
Attempts (open(2), pipe(2), dup(2), etc.) to exceed this limit yield the error EMFILE. (Historically, this limit
was named RLIMIT_OFILE on BSD.)
RLIMIT_NPROC
The maximum number of processes (or, more precisely on Linux, threads) that can be created for the real user ID of
the calling process. Upon encountering this limit, fork(2) fails with the error EAGAIN.
RLIMIT_RSS
Specifies the limit (in pages) of the process's resident set (the number of virtual pages resident in RAM). This
limit only has effect in Linux 2.4.x, x < 30, and there only affects calls to madvise(2) specifying MADV_WILLNEED.
RLIMIT_RTPRIO (Since Linux 2.6.12, but see BUGS)
Specifies a ceiling on the real-time priority that may be set for this process using sched_setscheduler(2) and
sched_setparam(2).
RLIMIT_RTTIME (Since Linux 2.6.25)
Specifies a limit on the amount of CPU time that a process scheduled under a real-time scheduling policy may con-
sume without making a blocking system call. For the purpose of this limit, each time a process makes a blocking
system call, the count of its consumed CPU time is reset to zero. The CPU time count is not reset if the process
continues trying to use the CPU but is preempted, its time slice expires, or it calls sched_yield(2).
Upon reaching the soft limit, the process is sent a SIGXCPU signal. If the process catches or ignores this signal
and continues consuming CPU time, then SIGXCPU will be generated once each second until the hard limit is reached,
at which point the process is sent a SIGKILL signal.
The intended use of this limit is to stop a runaway real-time process from locking up the system.
RLIMIT_SIGPENDING (Since Linux 2.6.8)
Specifies the limit on the number of signals that may be queued for the real user ID of the calling process. Both
standard and real-time signals are counted for the purpose of checking this limit. However, the limit is only
enforced for sigqueue(2); it is always possible to use kill(2) to queue one instance of any of the signals that
are not already queued to the process.
RLIMIT_STACK
The maximum size of the process stack, in bytes. Upon reaching this limit, a SIGSEGV signal is generated. To
handle this signal, a process must employ an alternate signal stack (sigaltstack(2)).
Since Linux 2.6.23, this limit also determines the amount of space used for the process's command-line arguments
and environment variables; for details, see execve(2).
RETURN VALUE
On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set appropriately.
ERRORS
EFAULT rlim points outside the accessible address space.
EINVAL resource is not valid; or, for setrlimit(): rlim->rlim_cur was greater than rlim->rlim_max.
EPERM An unprivileged process tried to use setrlimit() to increase a soft or hard limit above the current hard limit;
the CAP_SYS_RESOURCE capability is required to do this. Or, the process tried to use setrlimit() to increase the
soft or hard RLIMIT_NOFILE limit above the current kernel maximum (NR_OPEN).
CONFORMING TO
SVr4, 4.3BSD, POSIX.1-2001. RLIMIT_MEMLOCK and RLIMIT_NPROC derive from BSD and are not specified in POSIX.1-2001; they
are present on the BSDs and Linux, but on few other implementations. RLIMIT_RSS derives from BSD and is not specified in
POSIX.1-2001; it is nevertheless present on most implementations. RLIMIT_MSGQUEUE, RLIMIT_NICE, RLIMIT_RTPRIO,
RLIMIT_RTTIME, and RLIMIT_SIGPENDING are Linux-specific.
NOTES
A child process created via fork(2) inherits its parent's resource limits. Resource limits are preserved across
execve(2).
One can set the resource limits of the shell using the built-in ulimit command (limit in csh(1)). The shell's resource
limits are inherited by the processes that it creates to execute commands.
BUGS
In older Linux kernels, the SIGXCPU and SIGKILL signals delivered when a process encountered the soft and hard RLIMIT_CPU
limits were delivered one (CPU) second later than they should have been. This was fixed in kernel 2.6.8.
In 2.6.x kernels before 2.6.17, a RLIMIT_CPU limit of 0 is wrongly treated as "no limit" (like RLIM_INFINITY). Since
Linux 2.6.17, setting a limit of 0 does have an effect, but is actually treated as a limit of 1 second.
A kernel bug means that RLIMIT_RTPRIO does not work in kernel 2.6.12; the problem is fixed in kernel 2.6.13.
In kernel 2.6.12, there was an off-by-one mismatch between the priority ranges returned by getpriority(2) and
RLIMIT_NICE. This had the effect that actual ceiling for the nice value was calculated as 19 - rlim_cur. This was fixed
in kernel 2.6.13.
Kernels before 2.4.22 did not diagnose the error EINVAL for setrlimit() when rlim->rlim_cur was greater than
rlim->rlim_max.
SEE ALSO
dup(2), fcntl(2), fork(2), getrusage(2), mlock(2), mmap(2), open(2), quotactl(2), sbrk(2), shmctl(2), sigqueue(2), mal-
loc(3), ulimit(3), core(5), capabilities(7), signal(7)
COLOPHON
This page is part of release 3.25 of the Linux man-pages project. A description of the project, and information about
reporting bugs, can be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
Linux 2008-10-06 GETRLIMIT(2)
