Comment 11 for bug 1595627

If you're unable modify your system's packages by installing patched .deb packages or changing your default repositories to include -proposed, you can use the following command:

sysctl -w kernel.pid_max=99999

To make this permanent, you'll need to add the following line to /etc/sysctl.conf:

kernel.pid_max = 99999

**NOTE** This solution is not intended to be a long-term fix, but merely a hotfix or stopgap until you are able to install the updated package that contains the appropriate code-level fix.

Using the 'pid_max' change above allows you to keep your package installation tree controlled and managed with stable packages, and limits the number of pids your machine will allocate to a total of 99,999 which is just enough NOT to reach the limit that this patch addresses.

When the package reaches the standard repository (after leaving -proposed), you'll receive the patched version with your regular updates and can install it as you would normally.

Hope that helps!