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From: lm@snafu.Sun.COM (Larry McVoy)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: unix question: files per directory
Keywords: how many can there be?
Message-ID: <98470@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 11 Apr 89 19:43:49 GMT
References: <24110@beta.lanl.gov> <16839@mimsy.UUCP>
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Reply-To: lm@sun.UUCP (Larry McVoy)
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>In article <24110@beta.lanl.gov> dxxb@beta.lanl.gov (David W. Barts) writes:
>>How many files can there be in a single UNIX directory ....
>>I realize that as directories get bigger, they slow down, but
>>how much?  Just what IS the maximum directory size?

If you are on a POSIX system, try this

#include <unistd.h>

dirsentries(dirpath)
	char *dirpath;
{
	return pathconf(dirpath, _PC_LINK_MAX);
}

Unfortunately, on systems that allow entries up to the file size, pathconf
will almost certainly return -1 (indicating "infinity").  But machines with
a hard limit should give you that limit.

Larry McVoy, Lachman Associates.			...!sun!lm or lm@sun.com