4.1.5.3.
Signals
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Processes end because they receive a signal. There are multiple signals that you can send to a process. Use the kill command to send a signal to a process. The command kill -l shows a list of signals. Most signals are for internal use by the system, or for programmers when they write code. As a user, you will need the following signals:
Table 4-2. Common signals
| Signal name | Signal number | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| SIGTERM | 15 | Terminate the process in an orderly way. |
| SIGINT | 2 | Interrupt the process. A process can ignore this signal. |
| SIGKILL | 9 | Interrupt the process. A process can not ignore this signal. |
| SIGHUP | 1 | For daemons: reread the configuration file. |
You can read more about default actions that are taken when sending a signal to a process in man 7 signal.
