Chapter 3. Processes in UNIX

A process is the basic active entity in most operating-system models. This chapter covers the UNIX process model, including process creation, process destruction and daemon processes. The chapter uses process fans and process chains to illustrate concepts of parentage, inheritance and other process relationships. The chapter also looks at the implications of critical sections in concurrent processes.

Objectives

• Learn how to create processes

• Experiment with fork and exec

• Explore the implications of process inheritance

• Use wait for process cleanup

• Understand the UNIX process model