How to know if a child process is terminated ?
Hi, I?ve a problem in that I?ve not found a solution takin many ways.
If I fork a process into a child one how can I know in a not blocking way if the child has terminated?
For better explanation:
for (;;)
{
if (process_finished(pid)){do
else {continue to do other things}
}
I've tryed with a kill(0,pid) but that doesn't solve the problem since if the child is a zombie the return code will not help telling that the process is present.
My need is to make N child processes and create new ones only when old ones are finished in order not to load the box.
I can't believe that there is not a simple function to look at this.
Any ideas? (I?m blocked with my project for this)
Zuppy
If I fork a process into a child one how can I know in a not blocking way if the child has terminated?
For better explanation:
for (;;)
{
if (process_finished(pid)){do
else {continue to do other things}
}
I've tryed with a kill(0,pid) but that doesn't solve the problem since if the child is a zombie the return code will not help telling that the process is present.
My need is to make N child processes and create new ones only when old ones are finished in order not to load the box.
I can't believe that there is not a simple function to look at this.
Any ideas? (I?m blocked with my project for this)
Zuppy
ASKER
with a fork().
Zuppy
Zuppy
In your model, you could do this:
-----
int status;
for (;;)
{
if (waitpid(-1, &status, WNOHANG) >= 0){create another child}
else {continue to do other things}
}
------
You could also consider using pthreads instead of forking. They are much more efficient (10-15 times faster to create) since you don't make a copy of your codepages every time you create a new thread. You also get access to the same stack area, for the same reason. Just need to make sure your code is thread safe (use a pthread_mutex_lock) in any of the shared functions. It is much easier to keep track of thread groups than forked processes.
-----
int status;
for (;;)
{
if (waitpid(-1, &status, WNOHANG) >= 0){create another child}
else {continue to do other things}
}
------
You could also consider using pthreads instead of forking. They are much more efficient (10-15 times faster to create) since you don't make a copy of your codepages every time you create a new thread. You also get access to the same stack area, for the same reason. Just need to make sure your code is thread safe (use a pthread_mutex_lock) in any of the shared functions. It is much easier to keep track of thread groups than forked processes.
Sorry bout the messy post, used my Win machine to post it, :->
Nevermind. Just my browser acting funny. sorry.. :->
the child generates a SIGCHLD signal and sends it to its parent.
personally, I'd always have the child process signal that it is ending, rather than have the parent continually checking. You shouldn't be worried about hanging processes (your code won't hang, right?), but if you are, the parent can always send a message tothe child asking its status & if no reply is received, then kill it.
maybe it'll help
/* install signal handler */
struct sigaction nact, oact;
...
(void) sigemptyset( &nact.sa_mask );
nact.sa_flags = SA_SIGINFO;
nact.sa_sigaction = chldhandler;
(void) sigaction( SIGCHLD, &nact, &oact );
...
/* the code of the signal handler */
void
chldhandler( int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *context)
{
int status;
pid_t pid;
info = NULL; /* unused */
context = NULL; /* unused */
sig = 0; /* unused */
pid = waitpid( (pid_t)-1, &status, WNOHANG );
if (WIFEXITED(status) )
/* do smth when child is dead */
else if (WIFSIGNALED(status) )
. /* child receives a signal */
else if (WIFSTOPPED(status) )
/* child receives SIGSTP */
}
/* install signal handler */
struct sigaction nact, oact;
...
(void) sigemptyset( &nact.sa_mask );
nact.sa_flags = SA_SIGINFO;
nact.sa_sigaction = chldhandler;
(void) sigaction( SIGCHLD, &nact, &oact );
...
/* the code of the signal handler */
void
chldhandler( int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *context)
{
int status;
pid_t pid;
info = NULL; /* unused */
context = NULL; /* unused */
sig = 0; /* unused */
pid = waitpid( (pid_t)-1, &status, WNOHANG );
if (WIFEXITED(status) )
/* do smth when child is dead */
else if (WIFSIGNALED(status) )
. /* child receives a signal */
else if (WIFSTOPPED(status) )
/* child receives SIGSTP */
}
child *never* generates a SIGCHLD.
SIGCHLD is generated by the kernel on exit(2) system call.
and SIGCHLD is sent to a parent. wait(2) system call releases the process's audit info and deletes it from process table.
if the actual parent is dead but the child is still alive, kernel changes the parent of a child to init(1), which always has pid 1.
please note that kernel generates SIGCHLD on *child status change*, not on just child's death.
SIGCHLD is generated by the kernel on exit(2) system call.
and SIGCHLD is sent to a parent. wait(2) system call releases the process's audit info and deletes it from process table.
if the actual parent is dead but the child is still alive, kernel changes the parent of a child to init(1), which always has pid 1.
please note that kernel generates SIGCHLD on *child status change*, not on just child's death.
> please note that kernel generates SIGCHLD on *child status change*, not on just child's death.
I was not precice enough, but I think everyone understood what I meant, repectively will happen.
Thanks for being as pedantic as I'm, usually ;-)
I was not precice enough, but I think everyone understood what I meant, repectively will happen.
Thanks for being as pedantic as I'm, usually ;-)
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how are you creating the child processes?