Linux Server / Performance, Capacity & Containers
Find zombie processes and their responsible parent
A zombie has exited but its parent has not collected its status. It is different from a live process consuming CPU.
Environment and inputs: Linux server baseline · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS / RHEL 9-style systems. Use the specified distribution, init system and installed tool; service names, privileges and supported options can differ.
Start with this check
Confirm the host, shell and access role. Replace sample names, paths, domains and interfaces with approved targets. These are diagnostic commands; assess policy and workload impact before making changes.
ps -eo pid,ppid,stat,comm --sort=ppidRead the result
Look for Z in the STAT field and identify its parent. A brief transient zombie is different from a growing persistent population.
Resolve and verify
Inspect the parent application's child-reaping and supervision behavior. Correct the owner process through its supported lifecycle and verify the population stops growing.
Before changing production
Do not repeatedly send kill signals to an already exited zombie or terminate an unrelated system parent.