PS(1)PS(1)NAMEps - process status
SYNOPSISps [[-]alxE]
OPTIONS-a # Print all processes with controlling terminals
-l # Give long listing
-x # Include processes without a terminal
-E # Print kernel endpoint numbers where pids are normally printed
EXAMPLESps # Show user's own processes in short format
ps-axlE # Print all processes and tasks in long format
ps ..xlE # Same -- the '-' is optional
DESCRIPTION
Ps prints the status of active processes. Normally only the caller's
own processes are listed in short format (the PID, TTY, TIME and CMD
fields as explained below). The long listing contains:
ST State: R: runnable W: waiting (on a mes‐
sage) S: sleeping (i.e.,suspended on PM or VFS) Z:
zombie T: stopped
UID, PID, PPID, PGRP The user, process, parent process and
process group ID's.
SZ Size of the process in kilobytes.
RECV Process/task on which a receiving process is waiting or
sleeping.
TTY Controlling tty for the process.
TIME Process' cumulative (user + system) execution time.
CMD Command line arguments of the process.
The /proc file system is used to obtain the process information. Ter‐
minal names in /dev are used to generate the mnemonic names in the TTY
column, so ps is independent of terminal naming conventions.
NOTES
The '-' option prefix is not required. For marginal compatibility with
System V usage, the hidden option -e means the same as -ax, and -f is
the same as -l.
PS(1)