LinuxQuestions.org - "bash: fork: Cannot allocate memory" error

- Linux - General (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/)

- - "bash: fork: Cannot allocate memory" error (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-general-1/bash-fork-cannot-allocate-memory-error-543210/)

"bash: fork: Cannot allocate memory" error

Hi.

Working on Fedora Core 2 (kernel 2.6.9), I got this error message when accessing my machine via shell:
------
bash: /bin/egrep: Bad file descriptor
-bash: fork: Cannot allocate memory
-------

What does it mean? How can I fix it?

I'm experiencing some shell problems (some commands won't work), and my memory status is:

Code:

-bash-2.05b# free -m

            total      used      free    shared    buffers    cached

Mem:          8101      8063        37          0        271      4405

-/+ buffers/cache:      3387      4714

Swap:        4094        75      4019

Thank you very much in advance

I'd say it's a problem with egrep and not memory. Try reinstalling or upgrading the package egrep comes with.