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kill

summary

    This subchapter looks at kill, a UNIX (and Linux) command.

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kill

    This subchapter looks at kill, a UNIX (and Linux) command.

    kill is used to stop processes.

    kill is a builtin command in csh. There is also an external utility with the same name and functionality.

which processes can be killed

    An ordinary user can only kill his or her own processes.

    A system administrator running as root (including using sudo) can use kill on any process on the entire system.

frozen process

    Sometimes a process (particularly web browsers) will freeze up. The kill command can be used to rmove the frozen program from the system.

    If a user finds their display locked up because of a frozen program, he or she can login to another computer, then login to the original system using rlogin, and then use the kill command to stop the offending process using the specific process ID.

killall

    killall is a related command. killall program_name will stop all processes with the program name, so the more specific kill with a specific process ID is usually used first.

process isolation

    UNIX does a very good job of keeping processes isolated from each other, so that no rogue process can attack or damage any other process.

    Unlike Windows, a frozen or crashed program on UNIX or Linux shouldn’t be able to bring the entire operating system to a halt.

    Most UNIX vendors carefully test their own system software and most of the system software has been running and tested for decades, so those programs rarely cause problems.

    Most bugs occur in third party software and in custom software developed for a particular installation.

other

    On November 8, 2010, Ramesh Natarajan named this the number 26 most frequently used UNIX/Linux command at this web page 50 Most Frequently Used UNIX / Linux Commands (With Examples).

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