This document describes the minimum and maximum limits for resources available to Oracle Linux users. In many cases, limits are theoretical in that they have not been physically tested and validated, but where a limit is implied by architecture or design, these are described. In some cases, additional limitations may apply as a result of vendor hardware, firmware or software driver capabilities. This document should be used alongside existing release notes, platform and hardware documentation for more specific detail.
All limits described here assume that you are using the latest update level of each Oracle Linux release. Oracle strongly recommends that whenever possible you update your software to the current update level of the operating system release.
CPU Limits
A minimum of 2 logical CPUs is recommended for all operating system installs, where possible.
| Architecture | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86_64 |
Validated: 448 Theoretical: 4,096 |
Validated: 768 Theoretical: 5,120 |
Validated: 768 Theoretical: 8,192 |
Validated: 1,792 Theoretical: 8,192 |
| aarch64 | N/A |
Validated: 160 Theoretical: 4,096 |
Validated: 256 Theoretical: 4,096 |
Validated: 512 Theoretical: 4,096 |
Maximum Memory
| Architecture | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86_64 |
Validated: 12 TB Theoretical: 64 TB |
Validated: 12 TB Theoretical: 64 TB |
Validated: 24 TB Theoretical: 64 TB |
Validated: 48 TB Theoretical: 64 TB |
| aarch64 | N/A |
Validated: 1 TB Theoretical: 256 TB |
Validated: 1.5 TB Theoretical: 256 TB |
Validated: 1.5 TB Theoretical: 256 TB |
The maximum size of the address space that is available to each process is 128 TB.
Minimum Required Memory
| Architecture | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86_64 | 1 GB minimum, 1 GB per logical CPU recommended | 1 GB minimum, 1 GB per logical CPU recommended | 1.5 GB minimum, 1.5 GB per logical CPU recommended | 1.5 GB minimum, 1.5 GB per logical CPU recommended |
| aarch64 | N/A | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
Note that additional memory may be required when performing a network installation. This additional requirement may only apply during the installation process.
Minimum Required Disk Space
| Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB minimum, 5 GB recommended | 10 GB minimum, 20 GB recommended | 10 GB minimum, 20 GB recommended | 10 GB minimum, 20 GB recommended |
Btrfs
| Feature | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum file size | Theoretical: 8 EiB | Theoretical: 8 EiB | Theoretical: 8 EiB | Theoretical: 8 EiB |
| Maximum file system size | Theoretical: 8 EiB | Theoretical: 8 EiB | Theoretical: 8 EiB | Theoretical: 8 EiB |
| Maximum subdirectories | 264 | 264 | 264 | 264 |
| Maximum symlink depth | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| ACL support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ext3
| Feature | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum file size | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB |
| Maximum file system size | 16 TB | 16 TB | 16 TB | 16 TB |
| Maximum subdirectories | 32,000 | 32,000 | 32,000 | 32,000 |
| Maximum symlink depth | 8 | 8 | 40 | 40 |
| ACL support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ext4
| Feature | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum file size | 16 TB | 16 TB | 16 TB | 16 TB |
| Maximum file system size |
16 TB Theoretical: 1 EB |
50 TB Theoretical: 1 EB |
50 TB Theoretical: 1 EB |
50 TB Theoretical: 1 EB |
| Maximum subdirectories | 65,000/unlimited | 65,000/unlimited | 65,000/unlimited | 65,000/unlimited |
| Maximum symlink depth | 8 | 8 | 40 | 40 |
| ACL support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The limits for the ext4 file system that are described in the preceding table are higher than the recommended limits and might prove unstable. If you are working with systems on which you intend to work toward using higher file system sizes or file sizes, it is recommended that you use either the Btrfs or XFS file system.
XFS
| Feature | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum file size |
100 TB Theoretical: 8 EB |
500 TB Theoretical: 8 EB |
8 EB | 8 EB |
| Maximum file system size |
300 TB Theoretical: 16 EB |
500 TB Theoretical: 16 EB |
1 PB | 1 PB |
| Maximum subdirectories | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Maximum symlink depth | 8 | 8 | 40 | 40 |
| ACL support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OCFS2
| Feature | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum file fize | 4 PiB | 4 PiB | 4 PiB |
| Maximum file system size | 4 PiB | 4 PiB | 4 PiB |
| Maximum subdirectories | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Maximum symlink depth | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| ACL support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Storage
| Feature | Oracle Linux 6 | Oracle Linux 7 | Oracle Linux 8 | Oracle Linux 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum boot LUN size (BIOS) | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB |
| Maximum boot LUN size (UEFI) | 16 TB | 50 TB | 8 EB | 8 EB |
|
Maximum number of device paths Driver dependent and may require additional configuration |
8,192 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
GPT and UEFI support are required for LUNs that are larger than 2 TB.