What does the 'kill' command do?

What does the 'kill' command do?

• A. Send a signal to a running process
• B. Sort the contents of a file
• C. Create a hard link to a file
• D. Change the directory separator

Answer: (A)

The 'kill' command is primarily used to send a signal to a running process in a Unix-like operating system. When invoked, it allows users to terminate or manipulate processes by sending different types of signals, such as SIGTERM to gracefully stop a process or SIGKILL to forcefully terminate it. This capability is essential for managing processes on a system, especially when a program becomes unresponsive or needs to be stopped for resource management. The process control aspect of the 'kill' command highlights its utility in systems administration and user-level operations, helping maintain system stability and efficiency by allowing users to actively manage running processes.

The 'kill' command is primarily used to send a signal to a running process in a Unix-like operating system. When invoked, it allows users to terminate or manipulate processes by sending different types of signals, such as SIGTERM to gracefully stop a process or SIGKILL to forcefully terminate it. This capability is essential for managing processes on a system, especially when a program becomes unresponsive or needs to be stopped for resource management.

The process control aspect of the 'kill' command highlights its utility in systems administration and user-level operations, helping maintain system stability and efficiency by allowing users to actively manage running processes.