Zombie Process: Diagnostics & Troubleshooting
A zombie process is a process that has completed execution but still has an entry in the
process table. This typically happens when a parent process does not call wait() to read the child's exit status,
leaving the child in a "zombie" state.
Why Do Zombie Processes Occur?
Zombie processes usually occur when the parent process, for some reason, didn't clean up its child process after it has
terminated. This could be due to a programming error where the developer forgot to include a wait() call in the parent
code, or the parent process was busy with other tasks and couldn't call wait() immediately.
Diagnosing Zombie Processes
You can use the ps command to identify zombie processes. The command ps aux | grep Z will list
all processes with 'Z' status, which stands for zombie.
ps aux | grep Z
The output will include the PID (Process ID), user, CPU usage, memory usage, and the command that started the zombie process.
Troubleshooting Zombie Processes
Zombie processes do not consume resources, but they do hold up process table entries, which can be a problem if the system frequently creates and destroys processes and the process table gets filled up.
The best way to get rid of zombie processes is to address the issue at its root: the parent process. If the parent
process is still running, you can try to manually send a SIGCHLD signal using the kill command
to remind it to clean up its child processes.
kill -s SIGCHLD [parent_pid]
If this doesn't work, or the parent process is no longer running, you may need to send a SIGTERM or SIGKILL signal to the zombie process. Please note that this should be a last resort as it can potentially cause data loss or corruption.
Applications Likely to Cause Zombie Processes
Any application can potentially create zombie processes if it spawns child processes and doesn't properly clean them up. However, applications that frequently create and destroy processes, such as web servers or database systems, are more likely to create zombie processes if they have bugs in their code.
Useful Linux Commands for Dealing with Zombie Processes
ps: used to list current processes.grep: used to filter output based on a search pattern.kill: used to send signals to processes.
Conclusion
Zombie processes are a common issue on Linux servers. Although they are not harmful in themselves, they can fill up the process table and cause problems. Regular monitoring and proper programming practices can help prevent the occurrence of zombie processes.
