Which statement is not correct about “init” process in Unix ?
2017
Which statement is not correct about “init” process in Unix ?
- A.
It is generally the parent of the login shell.
- B.
It has PID 1.
- C.
It is the first process in the system.
- D.
Init forks and execs a ‘getty’ process at every port connected to a terminal.
Attempted by 229 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Answer: The statement "It is the first process in the system." is not correct.
Explanation:
Init typically runs with PID 1 and is the first user-space process started by the kernel.
The kernel itself creates an initial execution context (commonly referred to as PID 0 or the swapper/idle task) before starting user-space processes, so init is not literally the very first process in the entire system.
Init is generally the ancestor of login shells: it starts getty processes (or equivalent) that run login, which then spawns the shell.
Modern init implementations (for example systemd) perform the same overall role but manage services differently; the key point is the distinction between 'first process' and 'first user-space process.'
Conclusion: The statement is misleading; a more accurate phrasing is 'Init is the first user-space process and normally has PID 1.'