Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!emory!ogicse!hsdndev!cmcl2!adm!news
From: iis!venkat@sun.com
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Defunct Processes
Message-ID: <26004@adm.brl.mil>
Date: 13 Feb 91 21:46:44 GMT
Sender: news@adm.brl.mil
Lines: 12

I am sure this question was asked several times but I did not keep track
of it. I have a daemon process which forks out to do various tasks and 
also notices the termination of its children by doing a
   signal(SIGCHLD, function)
However when I do a ps, I find several defunct processes, apparently
children of my daemon process. How do I prevent such processes being in the
system? What exactly is a defunct process. I am running my processes on a
Sun 4. Thanks.

Venkat Rao
International Imaging Systems
sun!iis!venkat@uunet.uu.net