Re: kill -9 <pid of X>

Jon M. Taylor (taylorj@ecs.csus.edu)
Tue, 11 Aug 1998 19:30:00 -0700 (PDT)


On Tue, 11 Aug 1998, Brandon S. Allbery KF8NH wrote:

> In message <Pine.LNX.3.96.980811152838.1987A-100000@einstein.london.sco.com>
> , T
> igran Aivazian writes:
> +-----
> | Yes, it *is* very much a kernel issue. What happens if you kill -9 the X
> | server? The machine hangs because the kernel does not sanify the
> | console/VT, i.e. switch it back to the text mode of the VT whence the X
> +--->8
>
> That's not the kernel's job.

Whose job is it then? X's? X cannot do the job properly because
it can be killed and leave the hardware in an unknown state.

> I can addle a Solaris console the same way;
> that doesn't make it the kernel's job to track what X did to the console and
> reverse it.

But under Solaris, X is the only thing that hits the video card
that way. This is not true under Linux.

> There might well be programs which depend on the kernel not
> resetting the console just because the program running on it exited.

X is supposed to be managing that console. If it dies, that
console is also dead and so too should any programs running on it be.
Same as if I have programs running on a console over a telnet session and
the telnet process is killed.

> (Do you really mean "hang"? telnet should still work....)

If you are lucky. Not all video card misprogramming just gives
you a blank screen.

Jon

---
'Cloning and the reprogramming of DNA is the first serious step in 
becoming one with God.'
	- Scientist G. Richard Seed

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