About /etc/security/limits 2

[rickwan]

Hi,who can tell me the difference between soft limit and hard limit in the file /etc/security/limits?

Any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[PSD]

rickwan,

A hard limit is the maximum i.e. fsize=2097151. A soft limit can be any size upto the maximum hard limit which the user him/herself can change. The hard limit can only be increased by root.

In practice you set soft limits on users to give them a starting point i.e. to not let them create files which are too big. But you also set a hard limit, then if the user requires they can increase their own soft limits up to the hard limit you set when you created the user.

Cheers
PSD
IBM Certified Specialist - AIX V4.3 Systems Support
IBM Certified Specialist - AIX V4 HACMP

 

[Guest_imported]

Thanks for your help.
But another question is: Does any users have their own "limits" file?

 

[PSD]

rickwan,

When you create the user in smit you have the option to set both hard and soft limits. If you leave this blank the user is restricted by the default stanza in /etc/security/limits. If you set limits up for the user then in the /etc/security/limits file a stanza is added for that particular user.

Cheers

PSD
IBM Certified Specialist - AIX V4.3 Systems Support
IBM Certified Specialist - AIX V4 HACMP

 

[aixqueen]

There is one limits file....but every name is in it...or they use the default limits
stanza that is set?

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/doc_link/en_US/a_doc_lib/files/aixfiles/limits.htm

There is also disk quota which is different, but similar...
The disk quota system, based on the Berkeley Disk Quota System, provides an
effective way to control the use of disk space. The quota system can be
defined for individual users or groups, and is maintained for each
journaled file system.

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/doc_link/en_US/a_doc_lib/aixbman/admnconc/quota_overview.htm

 

[rickwan]

Thanks a lot,PSD and aixqueen,now i get it.