How to limit or reset PIDs

[svc1]

Hi,

Say I have a C program that does:

While(1){system(“ls”);}

The system() call creates a new PID at each call. Therefore, when the maximum number of PIDs is reached, the ls command becomes <defunct> and eventually the system crashes.

I tried also popen() but it is the same result.

Is there a way of avoiding this behavior?

Thanks,
S

[Rubberman]

This is when you need to wait on death-of-child events with wait() or waitpid(), inside your loop. That will remove the defunct pid from the process tree, otherwise the observed behavior is expected. The system() command does a fork/exec and each fork generates a new pid, as does popen(). Alternatively, you can use one of the exec...() functions, but then your root process will no longer exist. IE, using exec() without a fork will transform your current process into a new one, but using the same PID.