sysconf(_SC_CHILD_MAX) returns wrong info

[Michael Kerrisk]

>Submitter-Id:  net
>Originator:    Michael Kerrisk
>Organization:
>Confidential:  no
>Synopsis:      sysconf(_SC_CHILD_MAX) returns wrong info
>Severity:      non-critical
>Priority:      low
>Category:      libc
>Class:         sw-bug
>Release:       libc-2.3.2
>Environment:
        <machine, os, target, libraries (multiple lines)>
Host type: i586-suse-linux-gnu
System: Linux extern4 2.4.20-4GB #1 Mon Mar 17 17:54:44 UTC 2003 i686 
unknown unknown GNU/Linux
Architecture: i686

Addons: db linuxthreads noversion
Build CFLAGS: -O2 -march=i586 -mcpu=i686 -fmessage-length=0 -g
Build CC: gcc
Compiler version: 3.3 20030226 (prerelease) (SuSE Linux)
Kernel headers: 2.4.20
Symbol versioning: yes
Build static: yes
Build shared: yes
Build pic-default: no
Build profile: yes
Build omitfp: no
Build bounded: no
Build static-nss: no

>Description:
[I've tried a number of times sending this to 
address@hidden but no acknowledgement comes back...]

On Linux, the call sysconf(_SC_CHILD_MAX) always returns 999,
the value of the constant CHILD_MAX.  However, this value bears
no relation to reality on Linux.  It would be better if it 
returned the current value of the soft resource limit from 
getrlimit(RLIMIT_MPROC, &rl).
>How-To-Repeat:
>Fix:

--
Michael Kerrisk
address@hidden

To respect someone is to allow them their world.
    to love them is to enter into it.