Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!helios!cs.tamu.edu
From: skdutta@cs.tamu.edu (Saumen K Dutta)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Problems with <defunct> processes
Message-ID: <6530@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Date: 12 Jul 90 20:37:08 GMT
Sender: usenet@helios.TAMU.EDU
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
Lines: 30

Is there any way to kill a <defunct> process without rebooting the system.

What has happened is something like this

In a C program I invoked a background process in some node using rsh.

system("rsh node1 command&");

This creates a background process and runs the command. After running the
above file few times I saw that the system is loaded with many unwanted
processes all of which are swapped to the disk and seems to be waiting
for some DISK I/O for some unknown reason. The process table shows them
to be the defunct processes. 

I tried to kill them in so many different ways known to me. Is there 
anybody who can help me to sort out the problem. I want to kill these
unwanted processes without rebooting the whole system. I need the
solution urgently.

Please send e-mail if you have any idea

Thanks



--
     _                                   ||Internet: skdutta@cssun.tamu.edu  
    (   /_     _ /   --/-/- _            ||Bitnet : skd8107@tamvenus.bitnet 
   __)_/(_____(_/_(_/_(_(__(_/_______    ||Uucp : uunet!cssun.tamu.edu!skdutta
                                 ..      ||Yellnet: (409) 846-8803