From: jim@n5ial.mythical.com (Jim Graham) Subject: Re: Disk Quotas (was Re: New feature for the filesystems.) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1993 13:22:53 GMT
due to what appears to be a substantial interest in this, I'm posting here
instead of e-mailing (as I had planned when I read this first article).
In article <C5GyGK.34A@curia.ucc.ie> nick@symphony.mp.ucc.ie
(Nick Hilliard) writes:
>With all this talk about new features for the various filesystems, I figure
>no-one's really mentioned anything about Disk Quotas.
>
>Ok - it's fine if you're a just using Linux as a single user machine, but if
>you have a whole load of users hanging out of it, you really _do_ need some
>form of mechanism for making sure that people don't hog the machine.
this doesn't really address your question exactly, but it might be along the
lines of what you had in mind....it doesn't impose limits, as such, but it
will automagically complain to users who are hogging the disk.
one of the best UNIX admin books I've ever seen (and one of the most
recommended books out there) is called ``UNIX System Administration
Handbook'' (by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, and Scott Seebass).
in this book, there is a csh script called spacegripe (Appendix I, pp.
511-513), that will at least complain to a user who is hogging the system.
you could easily modify this to send a copy of the gripe to root, and
notify the user that root has been informed...and is going to be watching
their disk usage.
I can also think of ways to modify it even more to get nastier if they log
on and don't do anything about it (have to look at when they last logged
on and compare it to when the first/most recent gripe message was sent).
btw, if you don't have this book, you need to run (not walk) to the nearest
decent bookstore and get or order a copy. I paid $34 at Interop (strangely
enough, the receipt is one of my bookmarks in the book), but have no idea
what it runs for at bookstores.
--jim
PS: I have no financial interest in this book...I'm just glad I bought it
at the first Interop I went to (I got them to let me look at a copy
over breakfast, and after looking through it for about 1 minute, I
went back to the counter and bought it...as did my co-worker who also
took a look at the copy I had). I have, however, met the primary
author, Evi Nemeth (at the Spring 92 Interop)---nice person. very
modest, too (I gathered that she didn't see what all the fuss was
about over the book, but she likes all the e-mail she's gotten). btw,
she mentioned something about a 2nd edition being in the works...no
idea when it'll be out, but I want it!