What are the cons if I set the file descriptor limit to a huge number?

Question

I use Tornado(a python framework) to develope websites, but it often pops me the OSError - too many open files error during high concurrency tests.

One way to solve this is to set the FD limit to a higher number.

What are the cons, or disadvantages of setting a high FD limit? Can I set it arbitrarily to, like 99999999?

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 11:50

2

This is a good reference about what are the limitations, and how it affect your system.

edited May 23 '17 at 11:50

Community

answered Dec 16 '13 at 05:32

I like this answer because the link did explain the limits and expenses of an FD. – MK Yung Dec 17 '13 at 12:15

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 16 '13 at 05:30

1

It's safe to set it quite high. Usually the default for desktop OS is quite low. The main disadvantage is the extra memory that is allocated

answered Dec 16 '13 at 05:30

John La Rooy

"Extra memory that is allocated" - allocated by what? I'm not aware of anything that allocates memory based on ulimits. – Dec 16 '13 at 06:21
Who said anything about ulimit? The real limit is file-max – John La Rooy Dec 16 '13 at 12:15

2 Answers2