
		18) UUCP Won't Transfer Files > 1Mb

From: teklabs!ucbvax!npois!npoiv!harpo!eagle!mhtsa!lsc
Date: Thu Aug 26 16:42:58 1982
Subject: re: UUCP and long files
Newsgroups: net.bugs

Concerning uucp's inability to transfer large (over 1 megabyte) files.
UUCP possesses  the default ulimit (CDLIMIT as defined in 
/usr/include/sys/param.h ).  If any file larger than this limit
is transferred uucico will/should fail when it attempts to create
temporary files (at the destination site).  If one has turned on
the debugging option of uucico (x[n]) she will notice that 
the destination has sent an "ok to send" message. 
The master system will then try to send the file (there is 
no problem reading a file larger than the CDLIMIT) and subsequently
wait for an acknowledgment (CY or CN). The remote uucico will try
in vain to create a file larger than it's ulimit and hence 
jump into the proverbial bit bucket.  Meanwhile, back
at the ranch, the sending uucp will only twiddle for so
long before expected reply returns.  Since the reply never comes
the master cico will time out with the message "bad read expected 'C' got fail".
The problem can be compounded if someone reduces there ulimit and
then start a uucico daemon going.  The uucico daemon will inherit
the user's ulimit and will "eliminate" jobs that are larger.
The default limit at my site (mhtsa) is 1,048,576.
I think this explains some of the phenomenon that people have
been experiencing.
 

