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Controlling your Linux system processes

linux.com — All modern operating systems are able to run many programs at the same time. For example, a typical Linux server might include a Web server, an email server, and probably a database service. Each of these programs runs as a separate process. What do you do if one of your services stops working? Here are some handy command-line tools for managing pr

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 15, 2007

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  • ryansmith18, on 10/11/2007, -2/+25I'm a beginner. Dugg.
  • crazybrit, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10Security doesn't have anything to do with the server going down.
  • gertin, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10@crazybrit
    True, but a server still shouldn't expose internal details like that.
  • markp93, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8`kill -9` ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fow7iUaKrq4
  • ianthepetrock, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Linux.com couldn't even stand the digg effect?

    Any mirrors?
  • phjr, on 10/11/2007, -5/+10Rather a beginner-level article, but hey, let's show that it's easy in Linux!
  • trogdoor, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5"control" != "kill forcefully"
  • sinnuendo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Use htop instead of top: http://htop.sourceforge.net/
  • JockeTF, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Well, you could install a GUI for looking at and killing processes. You could install gnome system monitor, xfce task-manager or anything else which does the job. Or why not a web interface like spong has?

    There are plenty of software for doing stuff like this in a GUI, but knowing these commands are nice if you're connected via SSH or if you just prefer to use a terminal.
  • iamdegenatron, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Mirror

    http://www.dotcache.com/http://www.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/06/08/1350219
  • inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4a protocol a username a host and a db?
    yeah, ain't the maximum of security, but there is no password in there
  • trogdoor, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Or you could just use killall or pkill
  • javaroast, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2OBkenobi don't be an idiot. Linux has various GUI's to do this. But there is a command line as well... which this particular article happens to be about.
  • spikeyone, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Or set xkill to a keystroke!
  • jcronkhite, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Great quick reference for Linux n00bs!
  • slapthemonkey, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Good article.
  • airtonix, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1lawllll so for a system monitor that is suppoed to give you memory results without impacting on those said memory results.......you sir OBkneobi.. are a fool!

    To think that tools SIMPLY MUST be rendered via Directxv29???? and have no less than five annoying glossy mulitcoloured friggn logos around your windowmamanger.......

    MOO! you consumerist!

    the food in your fridge? is it all in glossy plastic sealed wrappers? i mean would you buy or use anything without a logo or five layers of makeup?
  • Error601, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Wow...was that basic. I think even your average Windows user knows how to kill a process.
  • oolatin79, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1cool link markp, can't wait to pass it around in the office, should get a good laugh. kill -9 is the Ctrl-Alt-Del of the Linux world!
  • BJ_Blaskowitz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Using pidof makes finding the process ID much easier.

    e.g.

    kill -9 `pidof amarok`

    Note that they're not single quotation marks but the things made by pressing the tilda button (~).
  • paperhats, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0WRONG.
  • funk49, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1@Sathia

    Displaying error output from the webserver, DB or even application on any box reachable to the public is bad practice and every beginner should learn that early on. If the information above is being printed, you can bet other errors (more potentially revealing ones) will as well.

  • crazybrit, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Worked for me.


    Edit - never mind!
  • flashingcurser, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0You beat me to it. Yes htop is great proggie. Fantastic for ssh'ing in to a server and making sure everything is running well. dugg for good advice.
  • Megatog615, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2What, the name or the stupid reply?
  • flashingcurser, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Unfortunately I don't think that this is true. Ask any non computer-tech person over 50 to "kill a process" on a windows box and see what happens. It will be a real eye-opener (especially if you have to walk them through it over the phone!). 5 years ago (right after xp was released) I worked as phone-tech for MSN, the average person has no idea how to do this on an xp/2k box. I would guess about 20% knew how on 98/me, none of them knew the difference between "windows explorer" and "internet explorer". No matter how hard phone techs try to explain, users still kill "windows explorer" and reboot the computer. I now do network admin for computer related charity and run my own business building small business networks. Things have not changed. Most windows users are not like you, they want to go to the gas station and fill up with gas and press the accelerator and go down the road. They have no curiosity as to what happens to the gas in car or how the car is propelled forward. Same with their computers.
  • otoutosama, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Possibly the greatest song ever written. Sadly I'm currently not at a system with sound so can't re-listen to this masterpiece.
  • flashingcurser, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0ps is great for scripts and such. top is ok. My favorite, however, is "htop". Htop a much, much improved version of "top". Debian, ubuntu, slackware, rpm distros, pretty much all have packages for htop.

    Linkage:

    http://htop.sourceforge.net/

  • callsan, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1I just went to a school and learned about unix... i got my NEC 2720 for anyone who knows
  • theOster, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1i got 51 seconds into it.

    i think i deserve something
  • FutureGuy, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2@bdlang

    haha this is funny. unbreakable linux[.com] just exposed their DB instance name and I am guessing username and the DB name. Just imagine if this was windows[.com] all hell would break loose.
  • mink78, on 10/11/2007, -6/+5Ditto.
  • makakoloco, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1I just don't get this http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=56523_wtf_122_543lo.JPG
  • lexington86, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2How to control any linux/unix process:

    kill -9 [pid]

    Where "pid" is the process ID (for you n00bs)
  • OBKenobi, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1That looks like something from the 1970s.
  • theOster, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1samsong - was that intentional?
  • OBKenobi, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Easy!? Easy for the typical Windows/Mac user would be a GUI. They do not want to deal with command lines--ever.

    Windows has service control commands (net start/stop/pause/resume/restart servicename) and 90% of Windows users have no idea they exist. 60% of Windows users don't even know what a service is! This kind of thing will not make Linux seem attractive to them.
  • silenthidden, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1rtfm!
  • bdlang, on 10/11/2007, -11/+1"A fatal error occurred while serving your request."
    "DB_init: Failed to connect to xarmysql://xardba@xaraya-db-2/lc_live1"

    Site's down, looks like they need to read their own article. And use some basic security.
  • Samsong, on 10/11/2007, -13/+3Pffft... Nubs....

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