UNIX process management


When a process terminates (via exit(2) or some exceptional circumstance) it communicates a status code to its parent.

The parent needs to use one of the wait(2) system calls to collect this status.

Until the parent collects this status, a process table entry remains for the now-defunct child to hold the status code; this entry is called a "zombie process".

Fortunately, zombies use no resources other than a process table slot, so typically don't become a problem unless they fill up the process table.

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Steve VanDevender
Last modified: Thu Jul 5 14:21:00 PDT 2007