In the business world, Unix computers are typically used for server applications and high-end graphics workstations, such as those used in creating computer graphics. Even if you're not a system administrator, there may be times when you need to kill a Unix process to keep it from eating away at system memory and resources. This is done by issuing the "kill" command from a terminal session, which instructs the Unix system to terminate the process.
1. Open a terminal session if you are in a Graphical User Interface, or GUI. This will allow you to issue commands directly to the system. Shortcuts for terminal sessions are usually found in the Applications or System submenus, depending on the GUI you are using.
2. Type "ps - aux" at the terminal prompt. This will feed back a list of running processes. Included in this list will be the process identification number, or PID, and the name of the user running that process. Make a note of the PID of the program you wish to kill.
3. Type "kill (PID)" at the prompt, substituting the PID of the process you wish to kill. If you wish to kill process 2345, for example, type the following at the prompt: kill 2345
4. Run "ps -aux" again and check that the PID for the program is no longer listed. If the process is still running, force it to quit by running the kill command with the "-e" command: kill -e (PID)
- You will need to be the owner of the process in order to kill it, or you will need to be logged in as a super-user if it is owned by another user.
- Be sure to check the man pages for your particular version of Unix, as the command flags differ between Unix flavors.
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