ulimit(1)

NAME
     ulimit - set or report file size limit

SYNOPSIS
     ulimit [-f][blocks]

DESCRIPTION
     The ulimit utility sets or reports the file-size writing limit imposed on
     files written by the shell and its child processes (files of any size may
     be read). Only a process with appropriate privileges can increase the
     limit.

OPTIONS
     The ulimit utility supports the XBD specification, Utility Syntax
     Guidelines.

     The following option is supported:

     -f  Set (or report, if no blocks operand is present), the file size limit
         in blocks. The -f option is also the default case.

OPERANDS
     The following operand is supported:

     blocks  The number of 512-byte blocks to use as the new file size limit.

STDOUT
     The standard output is used when no blocks operand is present. If the
     current number of blocks is limited, the number of blocks in the current
     limit is written in the following format:

          "%d\n", <number of 512-byte blocks>

     If there is no current limit on the number of blocks, in the POSIX locale
     the following format is used:

          "unlimited\n"

EXIT STATUS
     The following exit values are returned:

     0   Successful completion.

     >0  A request for a higher limit was rejected or an error occurred.

APPLICATION USAGE
     Since ulimit affects the current shell execution environment, it is
     always provided as a shell regular built-in. If it is called in separate
     utility execution environment, such as one of the following:
          nohup ulimit -f 10000
          env ulimit 10000

     it will not affect the file size limit of the caller's environment.

     Once a limit has been decreased by a process, it cannot be increased
     (unless appropriate privileges are involved), even back to the original
     system limit.

EXAMPLES
     Set the file size limit to 51,200 bytes:

          ulimit -f 100

SEE ALSO
     sh(1), bsh(1)