Getting lots of "kernel: VFS: file-max limit XXXXX reached" messages in logs, how do I fix it?

Solution Verified - Updated -

Issue

/var/log/messages file continuously printing the following error message, what could be the problem and how to fix it?

Jan 29 19:53:50 kernel: VFS: file-max limit *XXXX* reached

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Subscriber exclusive content

A Red Hat subscription provides unlimited access to our knowledgebase, tools, and much more.

Current Customers and Partners

Log in for full access

Log In

New to Red Hat?

Learn more about Red Hat subscriptions

Using a Red Hat product through a public cloud?

How to access this content