pidmax Parameter

Description

Specifies the value of the largest possible process ID.

pidmax sets the value for the maxpid variable. Once maxpid is set, pidmax is ignored. maxpid is used elsewhere in the kernel to determine the maximum process ID and for validation checking.

Any attempts to set maxpid by adding an entry to a file in the /etc/system.d directory have no effect.

Data Type

Signed integer

Default

30,000

Range

5 to 999,999

Units

Processes

Dynamic?

No. Used only at boot time to set the value of pidmax.

Validation

Yes. Value is compared to the value of reserved_procs and 999,999. If less than reserved_procs or greater than 999,999, the value is set to 999,999.

Implicit

max_nprocs range checking ensures that max_nprocs is always less than or equal to this value.

When to Change

Required to enable support for more than 30,000 processes on a system. See also max_nprocs Parameter.

Commitment Level

Unstable