Linux System Programming, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5. Process Management

As discussed in Chapter 1, processes are, after files, the most fundamental abstraction in a Unix system. As object code in execution—active, alive, running programs—processes are more than just assembly language; they consist of data, resources, state, and a virtualized computer.

In this chapter, we will look at the fundamentals of the process, from creation to termination. The basics have remained relatively unchanged since the earliest days of Unix. It is here, in the subject of process management, that the longevity and forward thinking of Unix’s original design shines brightest. Unix took an interesting path, one seldom traveled, separating the creation of a new process from the act of loading a new binary image. Although the two tasks are performed in tandem much of the time, the division has allowed a great deal of freedom for experimentation and evolution for each of the tasks. This road less traveled has survived to this day, and while most operating systems offer a single system call to start up a new program, Unix requires two: a fork and an exec. But before we cover those system calls, let’s look more closely at the process itself.

Programs, Processes, and Threads

A binary is compiled, executable code lying dormant on a storage medium such as a disk. Colloquially, we may also use the term program; large and significant binaries we might call applications. /bin/ls and /usr/bin/X11 are both binaries.

A process is a running program. A process includes ...