parent process
<operating system> The Unix process that created one or more other
processes.
Every process except process 0 is created when another process executes the fork
system call. The process that invoked fork is the parent process, and the newly
created process is the child process. Every process has one parent process, but
can have many child processes.
The kernel identifies each process by its process identifier (PID). Process 0 is
a special process that is created when the system boots; after forking a child
process (process 1), process 0 becomes the swapper process. Process 1, known as
init, is the ancestor of every other process in the system and enjoys a special
relationship with them.
(1997-12-03)
Nearby terms:
parent « parentheses « parent message « parent
process
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