KILL(1)                    OpenBSD Reference Manual                    KILL(1)

NAME
     kill - terminate or signal a process

SYNOPSIS
     kill [-s signal_name] pid [...]
     kill -l [exit_status]
     kill -signal_name pid [...]
     kill -signal_number pid [...]

DESCRIPTION
     The kill utility sends a signal to the process(es) specified by the pid
     operand(s).  If no signal is specified, SIGTERM is used.

     Only the superuser may send signals to other users' processes.

     The options are as follows:

     -s signal_name
             A symbolic signal name specifying the signal to be sent instead
             of the default SIGTERM.

     -l [exit_status]
             If no operand is given, list the signal names; otherwise, write
             the signal name corresponding to exit_status.

     -signal_name
             A symbolic signal name specifying the signal to be sent instead
             of the default SIGTERM.

     -signal_number
             A non-negative decimal integer specifying the signal to be sent
             instead of the default SIGTERM.

     The following PIDs have special meanings:

           -1      If superuser, broadcast the signal to all processes; other-
                   wise, broadcast to all processes belonging to the user.

     Some of the more commonly used signals:

           1       HUP (hang up)
           2       INT (interrupt)
           3       QUIT (quit)
           6       ABRT (abort)
           9       KILL (non-catchable, non-ignorable kill)
           14      ALRM (alarm clock)
           15      TERM (software termination signal)

     A signal number of 0 (kill -0 pid) checks the validity of a certain pid,
     to see if it exists.  An exit code of 0 means that the specified process
     exists.

     The kill utility is built-in to csh(1); it allows job specifiers of the
     form ``%...'' as arguments so process IDs are not as often used as kill
     arguments.  See csh(1) for details.

EXAMPLES
     kill -9 -1 1234

     Forcibly terminate process ID 1234.

     kill -HUP `cat /var/run/inetd.pid`

     Send the inetd(8) daemon the hangup signal, instructing it to re-read its
     configuration from /etc/inetd.conf.

SEE ALSO
     csh(1), ps(1), kill(2), sigaction(2)

STANDARDS
     The kill utility is expected to be IEEE Std1003.2 (``POSIX.2'') compati-
     ble.

HISTORY
     A kill command appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

OpenBSD 2.9                     April 28, 1995                               2
