Symptoms
This error message appears when you try to remove, move or copy a long list of files. When using your shell a command can only accept a limited number of arguments. When the number of arguments supplied to the command exceeds the permitted number of arguments an error message will appear:
-bash: /bin/rm: Argument list too long
linux command to find your limit for maximum arguments:
# getconf ARG_MAX 2097152
Example:
# rm * -bash: /bin/rm: Argument list too long