Hi,

I need to increase the open files on my server to run a test. Usually what I do is:
ulimit –n 5000


My questions are:

1] I want to set this parameter once and for all. What is the right parameter to set in /etc/system: rlim_fd_max or rlim_fd_cur?
2] How to make sure that this parameter won’t make the system unstable?
3] What is the difference between “ulimit –a” and “ulimit -a –H”? Each one gives a different “open files” value.

thanks a lot.

rlim_fd_cur
I have never seen it cause a problem, but the only way to find out for sure is to try it.
ulimit -a gives soft limits ( eg rlim_fd_cur ), which can be changed
ulimit -a -H give the hard limits ( absolute max values )