[clug] What causes an unkillable process?

[steve jenkin]

Jason Stokes wrote on 23/11/08 11:11 PM:
> The following process:
> 
>> 10685 jason     20   0  143m 8500 8492 D 64.9  1.6 937:50.21 totem
>> 
> 
> Won't die with kill -9, not even as root.  Sure, I can just reboot,
> but I'm wondering what on earth causes such a thing.

This page provides a good diagram and some background:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_states>

You have a process caught in what wikipedia calls 'uninterruptible sleep':
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_sleep>

Not a Zombie:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_process>

or Orphan:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_process>


Short explanation:
=> done better by others.

HTH
s
-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin