Request to Reduce the Number of Files (inode) in /home and /gs/fs

2026-07-09

The number of files created on the SSD storage provided by TSUBAME4 (personal Home directory and high-speed storage area) has far exceeded initial projections, and there is a possibility that the file system’s maximum file count limit will be reached.

If the number of files reaches the system limit, it will become impossible to create any new files in these areas, and there is a risk that users will not only be unable to use the SSD storage but also unable to log in to TSUBAME. Therefore, the Center for Information Infrastructure is implementing measures to reduce the number of files on the file system, but we also ask for your cooperation in reducing the number of files you have.

Please note that while the current limit on the number of files (inodes) in the home directory (/home) is set at 2,000,000, we are considering reducing this limit to 200,000 in the near future if this issue cannot be resolved. Please follow the steps below to check the number of files in your home directory. If it exceeds 200,000, please reduce the number of files so that it falls below 200,000.

Target Directories

Excluded Directories

How to Check the Number of Inodes in Use

To check the number of inodes in your Home directory and the entire group disk (/gs/fs):

You can check the number of inodes in use by running the `t4-user-info` command on the login node.

  • Home directory (/home) 
    $ t4-user-info disk home
    The i_files column in the Home partition represents the number of inodes in use.
     
  • high-speed storage area(/gs/fs)
    $ t4-user-info disk group
    The file(M) column on the left side of /gs/fs shows the number of inodes currently in use on the high-speed storage area.
    You can view information for a specific group only by adding -g tgX-XXXXX.
     
  • To Check the Number of Inodes in a Specific Directory

You can use the following command to check the number of directories and files in a specified directory.

$ du -s --inode [path_to_target_directory]

How to Reduce the Number of Inodes

Since inodes are management records associated with files, you can reduce the number of inodes by reducing the number of files and directories.Please consider the following actions for files stored on the target file system:

  1. Delete unnecessary files
  2. Compress multiple files and directories into a single file
  3. Move files to the Work directory(/work) or the Large-scale (Big) storage area(/gs/bs). (There is ample free space in the inodes of these areas.)

In particular, we have observed cases where a large number of files are generated when installing Python packages or setting up a virtual environment (venv).
We have created an FAQ article on how to organize Python-related files, so please feel free to use it as needed.

Guidelines for Inode Usage

  • Home directory (/home) 
    We are considering lowering the upper limit for the number of inodes in the Home directory from the current 2 million to approximately 200,000 (implementation date to be determined).
    Therefore, please help us reduce the number of files so that it remains below 200,000.
    (There are no plans to change the inode limit for the Work directory (/work), which remains at 2 million.)
  • Group Disk(/gs/fs)
    There are no plans to change the limit for the group disk (2,000,000 per 1 TB).
    We would appreciate your cooperation in reducing the number of files as much as reasonably possible.
    In particular, we would appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that no files become inaccessible due to the departure of their owners.