diff -r e30e9b2b0e37 src/master/master-settings.c
--- a/src/master/master-settings.c	Wed Jan 21 02:21:35 2015 +0200
+++ b/src/master/master-settings.c	Thu Jan 22 13:39:41 2015 +0200
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <sys/resource.h>
 
 static bool master_settings_verify(void *_set, pool_t pool,
 				   const char **error_r);
@@ -418,7 +419,7 @@
 #ifdef CONFIG_BINARY
 	const struct service_settings *default_service;
 #else
-	rlim_t fd_limit;
+	struct rlimit fd_limit;
 	const char *max_client_limit_source = "default_client_limit";
 	unsigned int max_client_limit = set->default_client_limit;
 #endif
@@ -591,12 +592,18 @@
 			  client_limit, max_anvil_client_processes);
 	}
 #ifndef CONFIG_BINARY
-	if (restrict_get_fd_limit(&fd_limit) == 0 &&
-	    fd_limit < (rlim_t)max_client_limit) {
-		i_warning("fd limit (ulimit -n) is lower than required "
-			  "under max. load (%u < %u), because of %s",
-			  (unsigned int)fd_limit, max_client_limit,
-			  max_client_limit_source);
+	if (getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &fd_limit) == 0) {
+#ifdef HAVE_SETRLIMIT
+		rlim_t old = fd_limit.rlim_cur;
+		fd_limit.rlim_cur = I_MAX(old, max_client_limit);
+		if (setrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE, &fd_limit) < 0)
+			fd_limit.rlim_cur = old;
+#endif
+		if (fd_limit.rlim_cur < (rlim_t)max_client_limit)
+			i_warning("fd limit (ulimit -n) is lower than required "
+			    "under max. load (%u < %u), because of %s",
+			    (unsigned int)fd_limit.rlim_cur, max_client_limit,
+			    max_client_limit_source);
 	}
 #endif