nflocks.5 (2010 09)
n
nflocks(5) nflocks(5)
(Tunable Kernel Parameters)
NAME
nflocks - maximum number of file locks
VALUES
Failsafe
1024
Default
The default value is computed at runtime and depends on the amount of physical memory on the system.
For small memory systems (less than 1GB), the default is 1200. For systems with more than 1GB of
memory, the default is 4096, or 4K.
Allowed values
The minimum value is 50. The maximum value is 0x1000000.
Specify a positive integer value.
DESCRIPTION
The
nflocks tunable represents the maximum number of file locks that are available system-wide.
Who Is Expected to Change This Tunable?
This tunable should be changed on systems expected to run applications with large number of file locks.
When changing this number note that one file may have several locks, and databases that use
lockf()
or fcntl() may need an exceptionally large number of locks.
Restrictions on Changing
This tunable is dynamic (tuning will take effect immediately on the running system). When the value of
nflocks is dynamically tuned it cannot be set to a value lower than the current number of file locks in
the running kernel.
When Should the Value of This Tunable Be Raised?
The value should be increased when large numbers of file locks are expected to be used simultaneously.
What are the Side Effects of Raising the Value?
The kernel allocates a portion of memory proportional to the new value of
nflocks and frees memory
proportional to the old value. Additional memory is consumed as new locks are created.
When Should the Value of This Tunable Be Lowered?
The value can be lowered to limit the number of available file locks on a system and reduce memory con-
sumption.
What are the Side Effects of Lowering the Value?
The kernel allocates a portion of memory proportional to the new value of
nflocks, and frees memory
proportional to the old value. Additional memory may be released to the system to be used for other pur-
poses if the usage was ever higher than this new value.
What Other Tunable Values Should Be Changed at the Same Time?
None.
WARNINGS
Setting
nflocks to the maximum value (0x1000000) will result in a large memory allocation (˜.5GB). A
request to change the value of nflocks will fail with [ENOMEM] set if there is either not enough free
memory or the remaining free memory would be so small as to potentially hinder system performance.
All HP-UX kernel tunable parameters are release specific. This parameter may be removed or have its
meaning changed in future releases of HP-UX.
Installation of optional kernel software, from HP or other vendors, may cause changes to tunable parame-
ter values. After installation, some tunable parameters may no longer be at the default or recommended
values. For information about the effects of installation on tunable values, consult the documentation for
the kernel software being installed. For information about optional kernel software that was factory
installed on your system, see HP-UX Release Notes at
http://www.hp.com/go/hpux-core-docs.
HP-UX 11i Version 3: September 2010 − 1 − Hewlett-Packard Company 1