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# pam_limits – Modify Linux PAM limits

- Synopsis
- Parameters
- Notes
- Examples
- Status

## Synopsis

- The `pam_limits` module modifies PAM limits. The default file is `/etc/security/limits.conf`. For the full documentation, see `man 5 limits.conf`.

## Parameters

Parameter | Choices/Defaults | Comments
--- | --- | ---
backup boolean | Choices: no ← yes | Create a backup file including the timestamp information so you can get the original file back if you somehow clobbered it incorrectly.
comment - | Default: "" | Comment associated with the limit.
dest - | Default: "/etc/security/limits.conf" | Modify the limits.conf path.
domain - / required |  | A username, @groupname, wildcard, uid/gid range.
limit_item - / required | Choices: core data fsize memlock nofile rss stack cpu nproc as maxlogins maxsyslogins priority locks sigpending msgqueue nice rtprio chroot | The limit to be set
limit_type - / required | Choices: hard soft - | Limit type, see `man 5 limits.conf` for an explanation
use_max boolean | Choices: no ← yes | If set to `yes`, the maximal value will be used or conserved. If the specified value is superior to the value in the file, file content is replaced with the new value, else content is not modified.
use_min boolean | Choices: no ← yes | If set to `yes`, the minimal value will be used or conserved. If the specified value is inferior to the value in the file, file content is replaced with the new value, else content is not modified.
value - / required |  | The value of the limit.

## Notes

Note

- If `dest` file doesn’t exist, it is created.

## Examples

    - name: Add or modify nofile soft limit for the user joe
      pam_limits:
        domain: joe
        limit_type: soft
        limit_item: nofile
        value: 64000

    - name: Add or modify fsize hard limit for the user smith. Keep or set the maximal value.
      pam_limits:
        domain: smith
        limit_type: hard
        limit_item: fsize
        value: 1000000
        use_max: yes

    - name: Add or modify memlock, both soft and hard, limit for the user james with a comment.
      pam_limits:
        domain: james
        limit_type: '-'
        limit_item: memlock
        value: unlimited
        comment: unlimited memory lock for james

    - name: Add or modify hard nofile limits for wildcard domain
      pam_limits:
        domain: '*'
        limit_type: hard
        limit_item: nofile
        value: 39693561

## Status

- This module is not guaranteed to have a backwards compatible interface. [preview]
- This module is maintained by the Ansible Community. [community]

### Authors

- Sebastien Rohaut (@usawa)

Hint

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