Processes in Linux
A process can be defined as an instance of a running program. It includes the program’s code, all the threads belonging to this process (which are represented by the program counter), the stack (which is an area of memory containing temporary data such as function parameters, return addresses, and local variables), the heap, for memory allocated dynamically, and its data section containing global variables and initialized variables. Each process operates within its own virtual address space and is isolated from other processes, ensuring that its operations do not interfere directly with those of others.
Process life cycle – creation, execution, and termination
The life cycle of a process can be broken down into three primary stages: creation, execution, and termination:
- Creation: A new process is created using the
fork()
system call, which creates a new process by duplicating an existing one. The parent process is the one that callsfork...