Defunct process help!

[Craig Cole]

Help!
When I list the proccesses currently running some are flagged as (defunct).
What I need to know is;

1: What is the correct definition of "(Defunct)"?
2: If defunct proccesses are not running then why do they appear in the
current proccess list?

[Channa Rao]

Correct definition of Defunct, with all due apologies to Mariam Webster
it means a zombie process or vagabond process or process which is like
a 'chicken with its head cut off'. More aptly, Defunct means non functioning
or comatose process. It is like the baywatch girls 'all looks no brain' process.

They appear in the current process list, because their PPID crapped out
and these processes spaced out, dont know how to gracefully exit. Run a 'truss'
or 'sdb' on these processes and see what you come up with...

IGNORE them, any introductory UNIX book would have explained all this.
--
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You might be a redneck if you think I speak for NCR
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[Andrew Gierth]

>>>>> "Craig" == Craig Cole <co...@dial.pipex.com> writes:

Craig> Help!
Craig> When I list the proccesses currently running some are flagged
Craig> as (defunct). What I need to know is;

Craig> 1: What is the correct definition of "(Defunct)"?

Defunct processes, also known as 'zombies', are processes where

- the process has called exit() or been killed
- the parent process is still in existence
- the parent process has not called wait() (or waitpid, wait3, etc.)
to retrieve the exit status.

Zombies consume no CPU time or resources other than their process table
slot.

Craig> 2: If defunct proccesses are not running then why do they appear
Craig> in the current proccess list?

Because they are still in the process table.

--
Andrew Gierth (and...@microlise.co.uk)

"Ceterum censeo Microsoftam delendam esse" - Alain Knaff in nanam