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Date:      Sat, 23 Dec 2000 00:12:23 -0800
From:      "Crist J. Clark" <cjclark@reflexnet.net>
To:        Mikhail Teterin <mi@aldan.algebra.com>
Cc:        Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca>, stable@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: an unkillable process (again)
Message-ID:  <20001223001223.M96105@149.211.6.64.reflexcom.com>
In-Reply-To: <200012221757.eBMHvDB21729@aldan.algebra.com>; from mi@aldan.algebra.com on Fri, Dec 22, 2000 at 12:57:13PM -0500
References:  <200012220202.eBM22oc75560@cwsys.cwsent.com> <200012221757.eBMHvDB21729@aldan.algebra.com>

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On Fri, Dec 22, 2000 at 12:57:13PM -0500, Mikhail Teterin wrote:
> Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group once stated:
> 
> =In message <200012202226.eBKMQf100632@misha.privatelabs.com>, Mikhail 
> =Teterin writes:
> => Here it is:
> => 
> =>   425 mi       -18   0 45308K   144K swwrt    4:25  0.10%  0.10% communicator
> => -l
> => 
> => For some bizarre reasons of  its own, Netscape went into swap-writing
> => binge. Why did it make it immune to ``kill -9''?
> =
> =Then it appears  that swwrt has a higher priority  than kill has, which
> =it should have.
> 
> Rather confusing... kill -9 does not deliver any signals to the process.
> It is there to kill. Shouldn't it have the higher priority?

It is not a "priority" issue. The process is in the midst of an
operation that cannot be interupted. For some reason, that operation
is hanging up. I believe 'swwrt' is writing to swap? I/O calls are the
most frequent uninteruptable calls that get hung.

> Also, anything that  prevents root from killing a process  is not right,
> IMHO.

It is usually indicative of a deeper problem.

> This  leaves "reboot"  as the  only option  left, which  WILL kill
> everybody anyway, resulting  in all possible data losses,  etc. that the
> "unkillability" tries to prevent.

Not sure if leaving it is doing much harm. Why reboot?

And is there a problem with your HDD or swap?
-- 
Crist J. Clark                           cjclark@alum.mit.edu


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