4.3BSD - /usr/man/cat3/vlimit.0

VLIMIT(3C)                                                          VLIMIT(3C)


NAME
       vlimit - control maximum system resource consumption

SYNOPSIS
       #include <sys/vlimit.h>

       vlimit(resource, value)

DESCRIPTION
       This facility is superseded by getrlimit(2).

       Limits  the consumption by the current process and each process it cre‐
       ates to not individually exceed value on the  specified  resource.   If
       value  is  specified  as -1, then the current limit is returned and the
       limit is unchanged.  The resources  which  are  currently  controllable
       are:

       LIM_NORAISE    A  pseudo-limit; if set non-zero then the limits may not
                      be raised.  Only the super-user may remove  the  noraise
                      restriction.

       LIM_CPU        the  maximum  number  of  cpu-seconds to be used by each
                      process

       LIM_FSIZE      the largest single file which can be created

       LIM_DATA       the maximum growth of the data+stack region via  sbrk(2)
                      beyond the end of the program text

       LIM_STACK      the  maximum  size  of  the automatically-extended stack
                      region

       LIM_CORE       the size of the largest core dump that will be  created.

       LIM_MAXRSS     a  soft  limit  for  the  amount  of physical memory (in
                      bytes) to be given to the program.  If memory is  tight,
                      the  system  will  prefer  to take memory from processes
                      which are exceeding their declared LIM_MAXRSS.

       Because this information is stored in the per-process information  this
       system  call  must be executed directly by the shell if it is to affect
       all future processes created by the shell; limit  is  thus  a  built-in
       command to csh(1).

       The  system  refuses  to extend the data or stack space when the limits
       would be exceeded in the normal way; a break call  fails  if  the  data
       space  limit  is reached, or the process is killed when the stack limit
       is reached (since the stack cannot be extended, there is no way to send
       a signal!).

       A  file i/o operation which would create a file which is too large will
       cause a signal SIGXFSZ to be generated, this  normally  terminates  the
       process,  but  may  be  caught.  When the cpu time limit is exceeded, a
       signal SIGXCPU is sent to the offending process; to allow  it  time  to
       process  the signal it is given 5 seconds grace by raising the cpu time
       limit.

SEE ALSO
       csh(1)

BUGS
       LIM_NORAISE no longer exists.


4th Berkeley Distribution        May 12, 1986                       VLIMIT(3C)