From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Thu Sep  2 22:58:53 2004
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3985B16A4CE
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Thu,  2 Sep 2004 22:58:53 +0000 (GMT)
Received: from dan.emsphone.com (dan.emsphone.com [199.67.51.101])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D40FA43D46
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Thu,  2 Sep 2004 22:58:52 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from dan@dan.emsphone.com)
Received: (from dan@localhost)
	by dan.emsphone.com (8.12.11/8.12.11) id i82Mwpvu076611;
	Thu, 2 Sep 2004 17:58:51 -0500 (CDT)
	(envelope-from dan)
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 17:58:51 -0500
From: Dan Nelson <dnelson@allantgroup.com>
To: Danny MacMillan <flowers@users.sourceforge.net>
Message-ID: <20040902225851.GB46994@dan.emsphone.com>
References: <20040902224043.GA30143@procyon.nekulturny.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <20040902224043.GA30143@procyon.nekulturny.org>
X-OS: FreeBSD 5.3-BETA2
X-message-flag: Outlook Error
User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.6i
cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: Max # of Files in a Directory?
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>,
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>,
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 22:58:53 -0000

In the last episode (Sep 02), Danny MacMillan said:
> I googled for this but I couldn't find an answer.
> 
> What is the largest number of files that can exist in a single
> directory in FreeBSD?  I ask because I'm using courier-imap using a
> Maildir mailbox and I started seeing all kinds of errors when trying
> to copy more than 16383 messages into one of my folders there.  I'm
> retrieving mail from a

There's a limit of 16384 subdirectories in a single directory (due to
the fact that each subdir has a .. file that's linked to the parent),
but there's no real limit on the number of file.  Try truss'ing the
imap process and see exactly what syscalls are failing.

-- 
	Dan Nelson
	dnelson@allantgroup.com