Re: is killing zombies possible w/o a reboot?

[DervishD <lkml@dervishd.net>]

    Hi Bill :)

 * Bill Davidsen <davidsen@tmr.com> dixit:
> >    If init is the parent, all works ok, just wait a bit and all
> >those zombies will really die ;)
> Actually the ones in i/o probably won't, since the kernel either missed 
> the completion or didn't time out if the hardware missed sending the 
> int. And even plain non-i/o zombies, just how long "a bit" are you 
> proposing?

    A zombie *is already dead*, not stuck in some uninterruptible
queue in the kernel, so they will be ripped, sure. My last sentence
in the paragraph above may be confusing: when I said 'really die' I
meant 'be ripped'?

> Over Thanksgiving weekend I will try to look at the init code and see if 
> a signal could be used to initiate a forced reap without waiting for the 
> timer. By "look at" I mean not only "could I do that" but is it a good 
> thing to do, before someone starts trying to explain that it's going to 
> do something evil not to wait for the timer...

    Don't look: just send SIGCHLD to init. That will do.

    Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

-- 
Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.dervishd.net & http://www.pleyades.net/