Hi,
Increasing the file handles for the user running the HBase process is an operating system configuration, not an HBase configuration. HBase prints the ulimit it is using on the first line in the logs. Make sure that it is correct.
To change the maximum number of open files for a user, use the command while logged in as that user.
ulimit -n
To set the maximum number of processes a user can start, use the command:
ulimit -u
You can also use the command to set many other limits:
ulimit
To make the changes persistent, add the command to the user's Bash initialization file:
~/.bashrc