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(libc.info)General Limits

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General Capacity Limits
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   The POSIX.1 and POSIX.2 standards specify a number of parameters that
describe capacity limitations of the system.  These limits can be fixed
constants for a given operating system, or they can vary from machine to
machine.  For example, some limit values may be configurable by the
system administrator, either at run time or by rebuilding the kernel,
and this should not require recompiling application programs.

   Each of the following limit parameters has a macro that is defined in
`limits.h' only if the system has a fixed, uniform limit for the
parameter in question.  If the system allows different file systems or
files to have different limits, then the macro is undefined; use
`sysconf' to find out the limit that applies at a particular time on a
particular machine.  Note: Sysconf.

   Each of these parameters also has another macro, with a name starting
with `_POSIX', which gives the lowest value that the limit is allowed
to have on _any_ POSIX system.  Note: Minimums.

 - Macro: int ARG_MAX
     If defined, the unvarying maximum combined length of the ARGV and
     ENVIRON arguments that can be passed to the `exec' functions.

 - Macro: int CHILD_MAX
     If defined, the unvarying maximum number of processes that can
     exist with the same real user ID at any one time.  In BSD and GNU,
     this is controlled by the `RLIMIT_NPROC' resource limit; Note:
     Limits on Resources.

 - Macro: int OPEN_MAX
     If defined, the unvarying maximum number of files that a single
     process can have open simultaneously.  In BSD and GNU, this is
     controlled by the `RLIMIT_NOFILE' resource limit; Note: Limits on
     Resources.

 - Macro: int STREAM_MAX
     If defined, the unvarying maximum number of streams that a single
     process can have open simultaneously.  Note: Opening Streams.

 - Macro: int TZNAME_MAX
     If defined, the unvarying maximum length of a time zone name.
     Note: Time Zone Functions.

   These limit macros are always defined in `limits.h'.

 - Macro: int NGROUPS_MAX
     The maximum number of supplementary group IDs that one process can
     have.

     The value of this macro is actually a lower bound for the maximum.
     That is, you can count on being able to have that many
     supplementary group IDs, but a particular machine might let you
     have even more.  You can use `sysconf' to see whether a particular
     machine will let you have more (Note: Sysconf).

 - Macro: int SSIZE_MAX
     The largest value that can fit in an object of type `ssize_t'.
     Effectively, this is the limit on the number of bytes that can be
     read or written in a single operation.

     This macro is defined in all POSIX systems because this limit is
     never configurable.

 - Macro: int RE_DUP_MAX
     The largest number of repetitions you are guaranteed is allowed in
     the construct `\{MIN,MAX\}' in a regular expression.

     The value of this macro is actually a lower bound for the maximum.
     That is, you can count on being able to have that many
     repetitions, but a particular machine might let you have even
     more.  You can use `sysconf' to see whether a particular machine
     will let you have more (Note: Sysconf).  And even the value that
     `sysconf' tells you is just a lower bound--larger values might
     work.

     This macro is defined in all POSIX.2 systems, because POSIX.2 says
     it should always be defined even if there is no specific imposed
     limit.