Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Have been experiencing an issue whereby an application (Pro IV based) we are using is trying to move in the region of 3500 files at once - this simply results in the app falling over.
When we clear down the direcory to say 500 files however, there are no issues.
Is there a maximum number of move or copy operations or files that can be moved at once?
There can be two things (that I can think of right now): the limits that FragInHell speaks of above, and the command line length. Of course, I can't confirm anything since I can't see the source code of the application.
In the first case, it would be a sign of really really poor programming practices: you don't need to have opened the 3500 files simultaneously to copy them, that doesn't make any sense and is an utterly stupid waste of resources. I really don't think that anyone with a couple of neurons can program like that.
In the second case, it's a matter of passing the correct amount of parameters. However, depending on the application it can also be a sign of bad programming practices. If it's a command line application, you should be passing a correct amount of parameters, that doesn't exceed the max length of the parameter list. xargs can be used for that, or it could be done with a loop. In the case of a GUI frontend, then the problem is probably in the GUI, which is interfacing with mv or whatever command like tools to move the files, and pass too much arguments to them.
In any case, and without more info on what program are you using and its true nature, that's all I can say.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.