When I modify /etc/security/limits.conf I get "E45: 'readonly' option is set (add ! to override)"

Question

I'm trying to increase the open files limit for Ubuntu 16.04 version by using vi /etc/security/limits.conf Then I add two lines like:

#* soft nofile 4096
#* hard nofile 4096

But when I use :x to save and exit I get E45: 'readonly' option is set (add ! to override) and it doesn't exit.

When I use nano etc/security/limits.conf to modify it I get:

Error writing /etc/security/limits.conf: Permission denied

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 08 '19 at 06:26

2

/etc is a system directory that a users account will not (or should not) have access to.

You need to use sudo vi /etc/security/limits.conf was required, ie. the use of sudo elevates privileges for the command following the sudo.

answered Aug 08 '19 at 06:26

guiverc

1

Also, as mentioned here, you could use sudoedit /etc/security/limits.conf if your machine is an enterprise-level one, since it logs the action to /var/log/auth.log – Diogo Vilela Aug 08 '19 at 09:35
2

@DiogoVilela I would go further and suggest sudoedit even on a non-production machine used by only one person. It can be used with just about any editor and it uses the user's editor configuration automatically (and without causing permissions problems). – Eliah Kagan Aug 08 '19 at 09:54

1 Answers1