Important Terms
- PID: process identifier.
- job-ID: job identifier.
Listing Process and Jobs
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| ps | Displays a list of processes and corresponding PIDs. |
| ps gx | Displays a list of processes, including "hidden" processes and corresponding PIDs. |
| jobs | Displays a list of current jobs and corresponding job-IDs. |
Stopping (Suspending) a Job/Process
To stop (suspend) a job/process, type Ctrl-Z. The suspended process will still be listed in the list of active processes even though it has been suspended.
Running a Job in the Background
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| mozilla & | Launches Mozilla as a background process (note the ampersand). The browser window will still appear; however, your shell will continue to accept commands. |
Suspending a process will also run that process in the background. Here's an example:
UNIX> mozilla
(Ctrl-Z pressed here)
[1]+ Stopped
UNIX> bg
The first command launches Mozilla. Pressing Ctrl-Z suspends Mozilla. Running the bg command resumes Mozilla, but begins running it in the background.
Bringing a Job to the Foreground
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| fg | Brings a suspended job to the foreground. |
| fg id | Brings the job corresponding to job-ID id to the foreground. |
Terminating a Job/Process
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| Type Ctrl-C | Terminates (kills) the foreground job/process. |
| kill -KILL id | Terminates (kills) the job/process with job-ID/PID id. |