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Diffstat (limited to 'kernel/Documentation/sysctl/fs.txt')
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diff --git a/kernel/Documentation/sysctl/fs.txt b/kernel/Documentation/sysctl/fs.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..88152f214 --- /dev/null +++ b/kernel/Documentation/sysctl/fs.txt @@ -0,0 +1,300 @@ +Documentation for /proc/sys/fs/* kernel version 2.2.10 + (c) 1998, 1999, Rik van Riel <riel@nl.linux.org> + (c) 2009, Shen Feng<shen@cn.fujitsu.com> + +For general info and legal blurb, please look in README. + +============================================================== + +This file contains documentation for the sysctl files in +/proc/sys/fs/ and is valid for Linux kernel version 2.2. + +The files in this directory can be used to tune and monitor +miscellaneous and general things in the operation of the Linux +kernel. Since some of the files _can_ be used to screw up your +system, it is advisable to read both documentation and source +before actually making adjustments. + +1. /proc/sys/fs +---------------------------------------------------------- + +Currently, these files are in /proc/sys/fs: +- aio-max-nr +- aio-nr +- dentry-state +- dquot-max +- dquot-nr +- file-max +- file-nr +- inode-max +- inode-nr +- inode-state +- nr_open +- overflowuid +- overflowgid +- protected_hardlinks +- protected_symlinks +- suid_dumpable +- super-max +- super-nr + +============================================================== + +aio-nr & aio-max-nr: + +aio-nr is the running total of the number of events specified on the +io_setup system call for all currently active aio contexts. If aio-nr +reaches aio-max-nr then io_setup will fail with EAGAIN. Note that +raising aio-max-nr does not result in the pre-allocation or re-sizing +of any kernel data structures. + +============================================================== + +dentry-state: + +From linux/fs/dentry.c: +-------------------------------------------------------------- +struct { + int nr_dentry; + int nr_unused; + int age_limit; /* age in seconds */ + int want_pages; /* pages requested by system */ + int dummy[2]; +} dentry_stat = {0, 0, 45, 0,}; +-------------------------------------------------------------- + +Dentries are dynamically allocated and deallocated, and +nr_dentry seems to be 0 all the time. Hence it's safe to +assume that only nr_unused, age_limit and want_pages are +used. Nr_unused seems to be exactly what its name says. +Age_limit is the age in seconds after which dcache entries +can be reclaimed when memory is short and want_pages is +nonzero when shrink_dcache_pages() has been called and the +dcache isn't pruned yet. + +============================================================== + +dquot-max & dquot-nr: + +The file dquot-max shows the maximum number of cached disk +quota entries. + +The file dquot-nr shows the number of allocated disk quota +entries and the number of free disk quota entries. + +If the number of free cached disk quotas is very low and +you have some awesome number of simultaneous system users, +you might want to raise the limit. + +============================================================== + +file-max & file-nr: + +The value in file-max denotes the maximum number of file- +handles that the Linux kernel will allocate. When you get lots +of error messages about running out of file handles, you might +want to increase this limit. + +Historically,the kernel was able to allocate file handles +dynamically, but not to free them again. The three values in +file-nr denote the number of allocated file handles, the number +of allocated but unused file handles, and the maximum number of +file handles. Linux 2.6 always reports 0 as the number of free +file handles -- this is not an error, it just means that the +number of allocated file handles exactly matches the number of +used file handles. + +Attempts to allocate more file descriptors than file-max are +reported with printk, look for "VFS: file-max limit <number> +reached". +============================================================== + +nr_open: + +This denotes the maximum number of file-handles a process can +allocate. Default value is 1024*1024 (1048576) which should be +enough for most machines. Actual limit depends on RLIMIT_NOFILE +resource limit. + +============================================================== + +inode-max, inode-nr & inode-state: + +As with file handles, the kernel allocates the inode structures +dynamically, but can't free them yet. + +The value in inode-max denotes the maximum number of inode +handlers. This value should be 3-4 times larger than the value +in file-max, since stdin, stdout and network sockets also +need an inode struct to handle them. When you regularly run +out of inodes, you need to increase this value. + +The file inode-nr contains the first two items from +inode-state, so we'll skip to that file... + +Inode-state contains three actual numbers and four dummies. +The actual numbers are, in order of appearance, nr_inodes, +nr_free_inodes and preshrink. + +Nr_inodes stands for the number of inodes the system has +allocated, this can be slightly more than inode-max because +Linux allocates them one pageful at a time. + +Nr_free_inodes represents the number of free inodes (?) and +preshrink is nonzero when the nr_inodes > inode-max and the +system needs to prune the inode list instead of allocating +more. + +============================================================== + +overflowgid & overflowuid: + +Some filesystems only support 16-bit UIDs and GIDs, although in Linux +UIDs and GIDs are 32 bits. When one of these filesystems is mounted +with writes enabled, any UID or GID that would exceed 65535 is translated +to a fixed value before being written to disk. + +These sysctls allow you to change the value of the fixed UID and GID. +The default is 65534. + +============================================================== + +protected_hardlinks: + +A long-standing class of security issues is the hardlink-based +time-of-check-time-of-use race, most commonly seen in world-writable +directories like /tmp. The common method of exploitation of this flaw +is to cross privilege boundaries when following a given hardlink (i.e. a +root process follows a hardlink created by another user). Additionally, +on systems without separated partitions, this stops unauthorized users +from "pinning" vulnerable setuid/setgid files against being upgraded by +the administrator, or linking to special files. + +When set to "0", hardlink creation behavior is unrestricted. + +When set to "1" hardlinks cannot be created by users if they do not +already own the source file, or do not have read/write access to it. + +This protection is based on the restrictions in Openwall and grsecurity. + +============================================================== + +protected_symlinks: + +A long-standing class of security issues is the symlink-based +time-of-check-time-of-use race, most commonly seen in world-writable +directories like /tmp. The common method of exploitation of this flaw +is to cross privilege boundaries when following a given symlink (i.e. a +root process follows a symlink belonging to another user). For a likely +incomplete list of hundreds of examples across the years, please see: +http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=/tmp + +When set to "0", symlink following behavior is unrestricted. + +When set to "1" symlinks are permitted to be followed only when outside +a sticky world-writable directory, or when the uid of the symlink and +follower match, or when the directory owner matches the symlink's owner. + +This protection is based on the restrictions in Openwall and grsecurity. + +============================================================== + +suid_dumpable: + +This value can be used to query and set the core dump mode for setuid +or otherwise protected/tainted binaries. The modes are + +0 - (default) - traditional behaviour. Any process which has changed + privilege levels or is execute only will not be dumped. +1 - (debug) - all processes dump core when possible. The core dump is + owned by the current user and no security is applied. This is + intended for system debugging situations only. Ptrace is unchecked. + This is insecure as it allows regular users to examine the memory + contents of privileged processes. +2 - (suidsafe) - any binary which normally would not be dumped is dumped + anyway, but only if the "core_pattern" kernel sysctl is set to + either a pipe handler or a fully qualified path. (For more details + on this limitation, see CVE-2006-2451.) This mode is appropriate + when administrators are attempting to debug problems in a normal + environment, and either have a core dump pipe handler that knows + to treat privileged core dumps with care, or specific directory + defined for catching core dumps. If a core dump happens without + a pipe handler or fully qualifid path, a message will be emitted + to syslog warning about the lack of a correct setting. + +============================================================== + +super-max & super-nr: + +These numbers control the maximum number of superblocks, and +thus the maximum number of mounted filesystems the kernel +can have. You only need to increase super-max if you need to +mount more filesystems than the current value in super-max +allows you to. + +============================================================== + +aio-nr & aio-max-nr: + +aio-nr shows the current system-wide number of asynchronous io +requests. aio-max-nr allows you to change the maximum value +aio-nr can grow to. + +============================================================== + + +2. /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc +---------------------------------------------------------- + +Documentation for the files in /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc is +in Documentation/binfmt_misc.txt. + + +3. /proc/sys/fs/mqueue - POSIX message queues filesystem +---------------------------------------------------------- + +The "mqueue" filesystem provides the necessary kernel features to enable the +creation of a user space library that implements the POSIX message queues +API (as noted by the MSG tag in the POSIX 1003.1-2001 version of the System +Interfaces specification.) + +The "mqueue" filesystem contains values for determining/setting the amount of +resources used by the file system. + +/proc/sys/fs/mqueue/queues_max is a read/write file for setting/getting the +maximum number of message queues allowed on the system. + +/proc/sys/fs/mqueue/msg_max is a read/write file for setting/getting the +maximum number of messages in a queue value. In fact it is the limiting value +for another (user) limit which is set in mq_open invocation. This attribute of +a queue must be less or equal then msg_max. + +/proc/sys/fs/mqueue/msgsize_max is a read/write file for setting/getting the +maximum message size value (it is every message queue's attribute set during +its creation). + +/proc/sys/fs/mqueue/msg_default is a read/write file for setting/getting the +default number of messages in a queue value if attr parameter of mq_open(2) is +NULL. If it exceed msg_max, the default value is initialized msg_max. + +/proc/sys/fs/mqueue/msgsize_default is a read/write file for setting/getting +the default message size value if attr parameter of mq_open(2) is NULL. If it +exceed msgsize_max, the default value is initialized msgsize_max. + +4. /proc/sys/fs/epoll - Configuration options for the epoll interface +-------------------------------------------------------- + +This directory contains configuration options for the epoll(7) interface. + +max_user_watches +---------------- + +Every epoll file descriptor can store a number of files to be monitored +for event readiness. Each one of these monitored files constitutes a "watch". +This configuration option sets the maximum number of "watches" that are +allowed for each user. +Each "watch" costs roughly 90 bytes on a 32bit kernel, and roughly 160 bytes +on a 64bit one. +The current default value for max_user_watches is the 1/32 of the available +low memory, divided for the "watch" cost in bytes. + |