The “tail: inotify resources exhausted” error usually occurs when you are using the tail command to follow a file that is being actively written to, and the inotify watch limit has been reached.
To fix this issue, you can try increasing the inotify watch limit by modifying the /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches file. This guide will show you how and explain what inotify is and what it does.
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Here’s how you can do it:
- First, open the /etc/sysctl.conf file in a text editor:
sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf- Add the following line at the end of the file:
fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288- Save the file and exit the text editor.
- Apply the changes by running the following command:
sudo sysctl -pThis should increase the inotify watch limit and allow you to use the tail command without encountering the “inotify resources exhausted” error.
Suppose you are still encountering the error after increasing the inotify watch limit. In that case, it could be due to other factors, such as a high number of file updates or a low amount of available system resources. In these cases, you may need to use a different tool or approach to monitor the file.
About tail
Linux users employ the tail command to display a file’s last part (the “tail”) or to monitor a file for changes in real-time continuously.
Here is the basic syntax for using the tail command:
tail [options] [file]Some common options for the tail command include:
-n: Display the lastnlines of the file.-f: Follow the file and display new lines as they are added.-c: Display the lastnbytes of the file.
For example, to display the last ten lines of the file myfile.txt, you can use the following command:
tail -n 10 myfile.txtAbout inotify
Inotify (inode notify) is a Linux kernel subsystem that provides file system event notifications. It allows applications to receive notifications when certain events occur on a file or directory, such as when a file is modified, created, or deleted.
Applications use Inotify to monitor file system events and take action when necessary. For example, a text editor can use inotify to save a file when modified automatically. Additionally, a file manager might use inotify to update the display of a directory when a file is added or removed.
Inotify has a configurable limit on the number of file system events it can watch at any given time, known as the inotify watch limit. Applications will receive the “inotify resources exhausted” error when they try to add new watches when this limit is reached. The inotify watch limit can be increased by modifying the /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches file.
About sysctl
You use the sysctl Linux utility to modify kernel parameters at runtime. It allows you to view and set various system settings, such as kernel parameters and system variables, without rebooting the system.
The sysctl command reads values from and writes values to the /proc/sys virtual file system, which contains various system settings that can be modified at runtime. The sysctl command accesses and modifies the settings stored in a hierarchy of directories and files within the /proc/sys virtual file system.
Here is the basic syntax for using the sysctl command:
sysctl [options] [key=value]Some common options for the sysctl command include the following:
-a: Display all key-value pairs.
-p: Load values from a configuration file.
-w: Set a value for a key.
For example, to display the value of the kernel.ostype key, you can use the following command:
sysctl kernel.ostypeWrapping Up
As you can see, fixing the “tail: inotify resources exhausted” issue is quite easy, and you should be up and running in no time.
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