setting resource limits - login.conf and ulimit

[circuit6engineering]

Hello,

The 'openfiles' resource limit set in login.conf doesn't seem to make it 
into the environment. For example:

$ userinfo $USER | grep class
class   staff

$ getcap -f /etc/login.conf -s openfiles staff
1024

$ ulimit -a | grep files
nofiles(descriptors) 512

My process is:
1) edit the configuration file - vi /etc/login.conf
2) build the database - cap_mkdb /etc/login.conf
3) reboot (desperation) - shutdown -r now
4) test the configuration - ulimit -a

cap_mkdb /etc/login.conf reports no errors so presumably the syntax of 
the configuration file is correct.

I must be missing something. Any ideas?

Here is a more comprehensive session:

    dmagus@insomnia:/home/dmagus:20$ userinfo dmagus
      login   dmagus
      passwd  *
      uid     1000
      groups  dmagus wheel
      change  NEVER
******class   staff
      gecos   Darth Magus the Proud
      dir     /home/dmagus
      shell   /bin/ksh
      expire  NEVER
    dmagus@insomnia:/home/dmagus:21$ getcap -f /etc/login.conf \
    -s openfiles staff
******1024
    dmagus@insomnia:/home/dmagus:22$ ulimit -a
      time(cpu-seconds)    unlimited
      file(blocks)         unlimited
      coredump(blocks)     unlimited
      data(kbytes)         2036792
      stack(kbytes)        4096
      lockedmem(kbytes)    296465
      memory(kbytes)       886180
******nofiles(descriptors) 512
      processes            512

    dmagus@insomnia:/home/dmagus:23$ su root
    Password:
    root@insomnia:/home/dmagus:1# userinfo root
      login   root
      passwd  $2a$08$CyZ9WiHoXEM3JFzfAPGTzOeu/8/fSWR9p06WQBbTnK5X022c6lTQC
      uid     0
      groups  wheel kmem sys tty operator staff guest
      change  NEVER
******class   daemon
      gecos   Charlie &
      dir     /root
      shell   /bin/ksh
      expire  NEVER
    root@insomnia:/home/dmagus:3# getcap -f /etc/login.conf \
    -s openfiles daemon
******2048
    root@insomnia:/home/dmagus:4# ulimit -a
      time(cpu-seconds)    unlimited
      file(blocks)         unlimited
      coredump(blocks)     unlimited
      data(kbytes)         2036792
      stack(kbytes)        8192
      lockedmem(kbytes)    296465
      memory(kbytes)       886180
******nofiles(descriptors) 512
      processes            512


    dmagus@insomnia:/home/dmagus:26$ dmesg | head -n 15
      hidev2 reportid 2: input=1, output=0, feature=0
      uhid2 at uhidev2 reportid 3: input=3, output=0, feature=0
      vscsi0 at root
      scsibus1 at vscsi0: 256 targets
      softraid0 at root
      scsibus2 at softraid0: 256 targets
      root on wd0a (e240a61f62b74f46.a) swap on wd0b dump on wd0b
      syncing disks...
      OpenBSD 5.2-stable (GENERIC) #0: Thu Jan 24 14:50:32 EST 2013

dma...@insomnia.bohemia.net:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC
      cpu0: AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3600+ ("AuthenticAMD" 686-class, 
256KB L2 cache) 2.01 GHz
      cpu0: 
FPU,V86,DE,PSE,TSC,MSR,PAE,MCE,CX8,APIC,SEP,MTRR,PGE,MCA,CMOV,PAT,PSE36,CFLUSH,MMX,FXSR,SSE,SSE2,NXE,MMXX,FFXSR,LONG,3DNOW2,3DNOW,SSE3,CX16,LAHF
      real mem  = 937947136 (894MB)
      avail mem = 911765504 (869MB)
      mainbus0 at root
    dmagus@insomnia:/home/dmagus:27$