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diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/fs.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/fs.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..2a45119e3331 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/fs.rst @@ -0,0 +1,384 @@ +=============================== +Documentation for /proc/sys/fs/ +=============================== + +kernel version 2.2.10 + +Copyright (c) 1998, 1999, Rik van Riel <riel@nl.linux.org> + +Copyright (c) 2009, Shen Feng<shen@cn.fujitsu.com> + +For general info and legal blurb, please look in intro.rst. + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ + +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 +- pipe-user-pages-hard +- pipe-user-pages-soft +- protected_fifos +- protected_hardlinks +- protected_regular +- 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/include/linux/dcache.h:: + + struct dentry_stat_t dentry_stat { + int nr_dentry; + int nr_unused; + int age_limit; /* age in seconds */ + int want_pages; /* pages requested by system */ + int nr_negative; /* # of unused negative dentries */ + int dummy; /* Reserved for future use */ + }; + +Dentries are dynamically allocated and deallocated. + +nr_dentry shows the total number of dentries allocated (active ++ unused). nr_unused shows the number of dentries that are not +actively used, but are saved in the LRU list for future reuse. + +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. + +nr_negative shows the number of unused dentries that are also +negative dentries which do not map to any files. Instead, +they help speeding up rejection of non-existing files provided +by the users. + + +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. + + +pipe-user-pages-hard +-------------------- + +Maximum total number of pages a non-privileged user may allocate for pipes. +Once this limit is reached, no new pipes may be allocated until usage goes +below the limit again. When set to 0, no limit is applied, which is the default +setting. + + +pipe-user-pages-soft +-------------------- + +Maximum total number of pages a non-privileged user may allocate for pipes +before the pipe size gets limited to a single page. Once this limit is reached, +new pipes will be limited to a single page in size for this user in order to +limit total memory usage, and trying to increase them using fcntl() will be +denied until usage goes below the limit again. The default value allows to +allocate up to 1024 pipes at their default size. When set to 0, no limit is +applied. + + +protected_fifos +--------------- + +The intent of this protection is to avoid unintentional writes to +an attacker-controlled FIFO, where a program expected to create a regular +file. + +When set to "0", writing to FIFOs is unrestricted. + +When set to "1" don't allow O_CREAT open on FIFOs that we don't own +in world writable sticky directories, unless they are owned by the +owner of the directory. + +When set to "2" it also applies to group writable sticky directories. + +This protection is based on the restrictions in Openwall. + + +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_regular +----------------- + +This protection is similar to protected_fifos, but it +avoids writes to an attacker-controlled regular file, where a program +expected to create one. + +When set to "0", writing to regular files is unrestricted. + +When set to "1" don't allow O_CREAT open on regular files that we +don't own in world writable sticky directories, unless they are +owned by the owner of the directory. + +When set to "2" it also applies to group writable sticky directories. + + +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 + qualified 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. + + +mount-max +--------- + +This denotes the maximum number of mounts that may exist +in a mount namespace. + + + +2. /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc +=========================== + +Documentation for the files in /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc is +in Documentation/admin-guide/binfmt-misc.rst. + + +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. |