Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 08:58:52 +0200 (IST)
From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
To: Andrew Szymkowiak <aes AT rosserv DOT gsfc DOT nasa DOT gov>
Cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: maximum number of open files (in V2.00)


On Mon, 12 Feb 1996, Andrew Szymkowiak wrote:

> In a recent posting (on another subject), Charles Sandman said:
> 
> > The default setup will handle up to 255 handles, so you can open like 249
> > files.  Yes, I tested it and was able to open this many.  No changes 
> > should be required, except a files statement in the config.sys (make it
> > at least 60).
> 
> I have just started getting the ENFILE error (or is it "EMFILE"? - I
> think that maybe it is one way in the code, and another way in the
> info), with far fewer than 249 files.  My config.sys value is
> sufficiently large.

How large?  You will get an error when you use the number 6 less than the
number given by FILES= (because 5 default handles are inherited from
COMMAND.COM and one more is used by the DPMI server).  To get 249 handles,
you have to set FILES=255.

>                     When I look through the source, I find a manifest
> constant with a name like FILE_REC_MAX #define'd to the value 20 (in a
> file somewhere like ../include/libc/local.h - sorry to be vague but I

No, that's only the initial allocation, one of the library functions 
reallocs the table if it needs to be expanded.