Agent skill
process-management
Production-grade process management - jobs, signals, cron, systemd
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-bash-shell/tree/main/skills/process-management
SKILL.md
Process Management Skill
Master process control, signals, scheduling, and monitoring
Learning Objectives
After completing this skill, you will be able to:
- List and inspect running processes
- Send and handle signals properly
- Run background jobs and daemons
- Schedule tasks with cron and systemd
- Monitor system resources
Prerequisites
- Bash basics
- Linux system fundamentals
- User permissions understanding
Core Concepts
1. Process Inspection
# List processes
ps aux # All processes
ps -ef # Full format
ps --forest # Tree view
# Find processes
pgrep -f "pattern" # PID by pattern
pidof nginx # PID by name
ps aux | grep '[n]ginx' # Grep trick
# Resource usage
top # Real-time view
htop # Better interface
2. Signal Handling
# Send signals
kill PID # SIGTERM (15)
kill -9 PID # SIGKILL (9)
kill -HUP PID # SIGHUP (1)
killall nginx # By name
pkill -f "pattern" # By pattern
# Handle signals in scripts
trap 'cleanup' EXIT
trap 'echo "Interrupted"' INT
cleanup() {
rm -f "$TEMP_FILE"
exit 0
}
3. Background Jobs
# Background execution
command & # Run in background
nohup command & # Immune to hangup
nohup cmd > log.txt 2>&1 & # With logging
# Job control
jobs # List jobs
fg %1 # Foreground job 1
bg %1 # Background job 1
disown # Detach from shell
4. Cron Scheduling
# Cron format
# ┌─── minute (0-59)
# │ ┌─── hour (0-23)
# │ │ ┌─── day of month (1-31)
# │ │ │ ┌─── month (1-12)
# │ │ │ │ ┌─── day of week (0-6)
# * * * * * command
# Examples
0 * * * * # Every hour
*/15 * * * * # Every 15 minutes
0 0 * * * # Daily at midnight
0 0 * * 0 # Weekly on Sunday
# Edit crontab
crontab -e
crontab -l
Common Patterns
Daemon Pattern
start_daemon() {
nohup ./daemon.sh >> /var/log/daemon.log 2>&1 &
echo "$!" > /var/run/daemon.pid
disown
}
stop_daemon() {
if [[ -f /var/run/daemon.pid ]]; then
kill "$(cat /var/run/daemon.pid)"
rm /var/run/daemon.pid
fi
}
Cron with Locking
# Prevent overlapping runs
0 * * * * /usr/bin/flock -n /var/lock/job.lock /path/to/script.sh
Signal Handler
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
cleanup() {
echo "Cleaning up..."
rm -f "$TEMP_FILE"
}
trap cleanup EXIT INT TERM
# Main logic
TEMP_FILE=$(mktemp)
# ... work with temp file
Signal Reference
| Signal | Number | Default | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIGHUP | 1 | Terminate | Reload config |
| SIGINT | 2 | Terminate | Ctrl+C |
| SIGQUIT | 3 | Core dump | Ctrl+\ |
| SIGKILL | 9 | Terminate | Force kill |
| SIGTERM | 15 | Terminate | Graceful stop |
| SIGSTOP | 19 | Stop | Pause |
| SIGCONT | 18 | Continue | Resume |
Anti-Patterns
| Don't | Do | Why |
|---|---|---|
kill -9 first |
kill -TERM first |
Allow cleanup |
| Kill PID 1 | Never | Crashes system |
| Cron without logs | Log all output | Debug issues |
Practice Exercises
- Process Monitor: Script to monitor a process
- Daemon Script: Create a proper daemon
- Cron Job: Schedule a backup job
- Signal Handler: Graceful shutdown script
Troubleshooting
Common Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
No such process |
Already dead | Check with ps |
Operation not permitted |
Wrong owner | Use sudo |
| Cron not running | PATH issues | Use full paths |
Debug Techniques
# Check if process exists
ps -p $PID
# Debug cron
grep CRON /var/log/syslog
# Trace process
strace -p $PID
Resources
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