Processes

[victor43]

Hello all.

I had a couple of newbie questions about running Ubuntu 9.0.4.

1. Are there any processes which run under Linux which can run hidden ? Is this possible ?
2. I ran a couple of commands (i.e. ps aux | less ps -a and top) from the terminal window and wanted to know if its possible to turn off some of these processes another words prevent them from running when linux starts up?

Here are the listing of the processes:

# ps aux | less

PID %CPU %MEM VSZ RSS TTY STAT START TIME COMMAND
root 1 0.6 0.3 3084 1888 ? Ss 12:58 0:03 /sbin/init
root 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kthreadd]
root 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [migration/0]
root 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [ksoftirqd/0]
root 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [watchdog/0]
root 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [events/0]
root 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [khelper]
root 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kstop/0]
root 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kintegrityd/0]
root 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kblockd/0]
root 11 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kacpid]
root 12 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kacpi_notify]
root 13 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [cqueue]
root 14 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [ata/0]
root 15 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [ata_aux]
root 16 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [ksuspend_usbd]
root 17 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [khubd]
root 18 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kseriod]
root 19 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kmmcd]
root 20 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [btaddconn]
root 21 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [btdelconn]
root 22 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S 12:58 0:00 [pdflush]
root 23 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S 12:58 0:00 [pdflush]
root 24 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kswapd0]
root 25 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [aio/0]
root 26 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [ecryptfs-kthrea]
root 29 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [scsi_eh_0]
root 30 0.1 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [scsi_eh_1]
root 31 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kstriped]
root 32 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kmpathd/0]
root 33 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kmpath_handlerd]
root 34 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [ksnapd]
root 35 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kondemand/0]
root 36 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [krfcommd]
root 322 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [scsi_eh_2]
root 325 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [usb-storage]
root 691 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< 12:58 0:00 [kjournald]

# ps -A
PID TTY TIME CMD
1 ? 00:00:03 init
2 ? 00:00:00 kthreadd
3 ? 00:00:00 migration/0
4 ? 00:00:00 ksoftirqd/0
5 ? 00:00:00 watchdog/0
6 ? 00:00:00 events/0
7 ? 00:00:00 khelper
8 ? 00:00:00 kstop/0
9 ? 00:00:00 kintegrityd/0
10 ? 00:00:00 kblockd/0
11 ? 00:00:00 kacpid
12 ? 00:00:00 kacpi_notify
13 ? 00:00:00 cqueue
14 ? 00:00:00 ata/0
15 ? 00:00:00 ata_aux
16 ? 00:00:00 ksuspend_usbd
17 ? 00:00:00 khubd
18 ? 00:00:00 kseriod
19 ? 00:00:00 kmmcd
20 ? 00:00:00 btaddconn
21 ? 00:00:00 btdelconn
22 ? 00:00:00 pdflush
23 ? 00:00:00 pdflush
24 ? 00:00:00 kswapd0
25 ? 00:00:00 aio/0
26 ? 00:00:00 ecryptfs-kthrea
29 ? 00:00:00 scsi_eh_0
30 ? 00:00:00 scsi_eh_1
31 ? 00:00:00 kstriped
32 ? 00:00:00 kmpathd/0
33 ? 00:00:00 kmpath_handlerd
34 ? 00:00:00 ksnapd
35 ? 00:00:00 kondemand/0
36 ? 00:00:00 krfcommd
322 ? 00:00:00 scsi_eh_2
325 ? 00:00:00 usb-storage
691 ? 00:00:00 kjournald
826 ? 00:00:00 udevd
1003 ? 00:00:00 w1_bus_master1
1129 ? 00:00:00 kpsmoused
1326 ? 00:00:00 kgameportd
2183 tty4 00:00:00 getty
2184 tty5 00:00:00 getty
2191 tty2 00:00:00 getty
2192 tty3 00:00:00 getty
2193 tty6 00:00:00 getty
2263 ? 00:00:00 acpid
2308 ? 00:00:00 syslogd
2331 ? 00:00:00 dd
2333 ? 00:00:00 klogd
2356 ? 00:00:00 dbus-daemon
2393 ? 00:00:00 hald
2396 ? 00:00:00 console-kit-dae
2459 ? 00:00:00 hald-runner
2489 ? 00:00:00 hald-addon-inpu
2538 ? 00:00:00 hald-addon-stor
2539 ? 00:00:00 hald-addon-stor
2540 ? 00:00:00 hald-addon-stor
2542 ? 00:00:00 hald-addon-stor
2544 ? 00:00:00 hald-addon-acpi
2563 ? 00:00:00 bluetoothd
2594 ? 00:00:00 gdm
2597 ? 00:00:00 gdm
2601 tty7 00:01:39 Xorg
2625 ? 00:00:00 NetworkManager
2630 ? 00:00:00 wpa_supplicant
2634 ? 00:00:00 nm-system-setti
2649 ? 00:00:00 avahi-daemon
2650 ? 00:00:00 avahi-daemon
2679 ? 00:00:00 cupsd
2707 ? 00:00:00 system-tools-ba
2766 ? 00:00:00 anacron
2782 ? 00:00:00 atd
2810 ? 00:00:00 cron
2926 tty1 00:00:00 getty
2935 ? 00:00:00 gnome-keyring-d
2948 ? 00:00:00 x-session-manag
3117 ? 00:00:00 ssh-agent
3120 ? 00:00:00 dbus-launch
3121 ? 00:00:00 dbus-daemon
3127 ? 00:00:00 pulseaudio
3130 ? 00:00:00 gconf-helper
3132 ? 00:00:01 gconfd-2
3143 ? 00:00:00 seahorse-agent
3148 ? 00:00:00 gnome-settings-
3150 ? 00:00:00 gvfsd
3159 ? 00:00:00 gvfs-fuse-daemo
3167 ? 00:00:04 metacity
3186 ? 00:00:09 gnome-panel
3187 ? 00:00:09 nautilus
3189 ? 00:00:00 bonobo-activati
3193 ? 00:00:01 nm-applet
3194 ? 00:00:00 python
3196 ? 00:00:00 evolution-alarm
3200 ? 00:00:00 update-notifier
3203 ? 00:00:00 bluetooth-apple
3211 ? 00:00:00 gnome-power-man
3213 ? 00:00:00 notify-osd
3217 ? 00:00:00 gvfs-hal-volume
3219 ? 00:00:00 trashapplet
3222 ? 00:00:00 gvfs-gphoto2-vo
3224 ? 00:00:00 gvfsd-trash
3227 ? 00:00:00 fast-user-switc
3230 ? 00:00:00 mixer_applet2
3233 ? 00:00:00 indicator-apple
3239 ? 00:00:00 gvfsd-burn
3292 ? 00:00:02 gnome-screensav
3298 ? 00:00:00 evolution-excha
3302 ? 00:00:00 evolution-data-
3886 ? 00:00:00 system-service-
3918 ? 00:00:00 sh
3919 ? 00:00:00 run-parts
3930 ? 00:00:00 apt
3943 ? 00:00:00 sleep
3955 ? 00:00:07 firefox
3973 ? 00:00:01 gnome-terminal
3974 ? 00:00:00 gnome-pty-helpe
3975 pts/0 00:00:00 bash
3995 ? 00:00:03 gedit
4001 pts/0 00:00:00 ps

[hazel]

The processes whose names begin with k are kernel threads. You can't turn these off as far as I know. Many of the processes in your second list are not necessary for running Linux as such but they are necessary for the gnome desktop. That's why gnome is so slow and why a lot of people don't like using it.

If you switch to a simpler desktop like fluxbox or icewm, most of these gnome-oriented processes won't start up.

In theory it's easy to get rid of unwanted background daemons: you simply go into the directory corresponding to your runlevel and change the S-links to those scripts to K-links. But if you're running a desktop that actually needs those daemons, it won't start correctly without them.

[JK3mp]

I've never seen gnome as very "slow" except when using alot of screenlets etc, but thats only natural. KDE is probably the most commonly reffereed to as slow. But if you like intense speed and don't mind losing some fancy desktop effects, *box(open,flux,black) are good, or perhaps a tiling window manager like awesome or something like evilWM, there a bit harder to get used to but alot of people love them(including me) once they get used to them.

[victor43]

I've never seen gnome as very "slow" except when using alot of screenlets etc, but thats only natural. KDE is probably the most commonly reffereed to as slow. But if you like intense speed and don't mind losing some fancy desktop effects, *box(open,flux,black) are good, or perhaps a tiling window manager like awesome or something like evilWM, there a bit harder to get used to but alot of people love them(including me) once they get used to them.

Thanks to both helpful replies. I don't find Gnome to slow but I am running Ubuntu 9.0.4 on a PIII 866 CPU with 512MB RAM. It works fine for me. Thanks Hazel for the help on preventing unecessary scripts from running. Appreciate the help.