[Bug 391761] Re: process limit unlimited (regression)

[Steve Langasek]

On Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 07:52:52AM -0000, Jan Rathmann wrote:
> > What does 'ulimit -u' show from a terminal on this system?

> 31517 is the output. My system has 4 GB of RAM.

> Do you think it is appropriate for this case to open a new bug report 
> against the kernel?

Yes, please.  If the limit calculation needs to be changed, this should be
done in the kernel.

>From what I see, 31517 processes in 4GB comes out to an average of 133K per
process.  That seems like an unrealistically low amount of per-process
memory for common usage, and I think the process ulimit should probably be
lowered.

-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/391761

Title:
  process limit unlimited (regression)

Status in “pam” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released

Bug description:
  AFAIK, RLIMIT_NPROC is determined by the kernel based on available
  physical memory.  In my 512M VMs, I see the following results of
  "ulimit -u":

  dapper: unlimited
  hardy, intrepid: 4095
  jaunty, karmic: unlimited

  The intention is to have this set to in an attempt to reasonably
  mitigate fork-bombs without getting in the way of intentionally big
  process collections.  Jaunty and Karmic appear to have regressed.  I
  am assuming this is a PAM bug, but it may be a kernel issue.  Tracking
  RLIMIT setting has always eluded me.  :)

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