Expert Shell Scripting

CHAPTER 32Managing File Counts

System administrators have to manage the computing resources available to their users. One resource consists of the directory queues for e-mail and print servers. These directories contain the files waiting to be processed by the server. The number of files in these directories varies depending on the volume of work on the server. There are times when no one is using the service and the queue empties out. There are also times when the server is heavily loaded and the queue will be full. Usually, though, the number of files will stay within stipulated limits.

Of course, from time to time you will have problems with a queue filling up faster than the server can process the requests. This might be due to a bubble ...