Description of problem: Under Psyche, the default sort order for the ps command is numeric ascending, by pid: $ ps fax PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND 1 ? S 0:04 init 2 ? SW 0:01 [keventd] 3 ? SW 0:00 [kapmd] 4 ? SWN 0:00 [ksoftirqd_CPU0] 5 ? SW 0:05 [kswapd] 6 ? SW 0:00 [bdflush] 7 ? SW 0:00 [kupdated] 8 ? SW 0:00 [mdrecoveryd] 12 ? SW 0:01 [kjournald] 71 ? SW 0:00 [khubd] 231 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 232 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 233 ? SW 0:01 [kjournald] 774 ? S 0:00 syslogd -a /var/lib/ntp/dev/log -m 0 778 ? S 0:00 klogd -x 964 ? S 0:02 named -u named -t /var/named 986 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/sshd 19463 ? S 0:00 \_ /usr/sbin/sshd 19465 ? S 0:00 \_ /usr/sbin/sshd 19467 ? S 0:00 \_ /usr/X11R6/bin/xterm -ls 19471 pts/0 S 0:00 \_ -bash 19529 pts/0 R 0:00 \_ ps fax 1006 ? SL 0:00 ntpd -p /var/run/ntp.pid -T /var/lib/ntp -U ntp 1043 ? S 0:00 crond 1053 ? S 0:00 cupsd [...] Under Phoebe 8.0.94, the default sort order is numeric descending, by pid: $ ps fax PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND [...] 4624 ? S 0:01 xfs -droppriv -daemon 4513 ? S 0:00 cupsd 4502 ? S 0:00 crond 4492 ? S 0:00 sendmail: Queue runner@01:00:00 for /var/spool/clien 4483 ? S 0:00 sendmail: accepting connections 4464 ? SL 0:00 ntpd -p /var/run/ntp.pid -T /var/lib/ntp -U ntp -g 4449 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/sshd 4436 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/named -u named -t /var/named 4383 ? S 0:00 klogd -x 4379 ? S 0:00 syslogd -a /var/lib/ntp/dev/log -m 0 -r 1298 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 1279 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 1254 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 74 ? SW 0:00 [khubd] 13 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 9 ? SW 0:00 [mdrecoveryd] 8 ? SW 0:00 [kupdated] 6 ? SW 0:42 [kscand] 5 ? SW 0:00 [kswapd] 7 ? SW 0:01 [bdflush] 4 ? SWN 0:00 [ksoftirqd_CPU0] 3 ? SW 0:00 [kapmd] Phoebe's behavior doesn't agree with what the man page says. If this was a deliberate change (and not a bug), then I think it's dumb--ordering by descending pid is a great way to ensure that the processes that are left in my xterm after I run the ps command (e.g., bdflush, kjournald) are ones I *don't* care about. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): procps-2.0.11-3 (Phoebe) How reproducible: Run "ps fax" on Phoebe.
This should be fixed in 2.0.11-6
Are you certain? Because at approximately 2003-03-11T18:00-0500 I downloaded and installed: ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/rawhide/i386/RedHat/RPMS/procps-2.0.11-6.i386.rpm $ rpm -q procps procps-2.0.11-6 But "ps fax" still returns a descending sort order, instead of ascending. Did I download the correct package?
Can you upgradet to the latest kernel to. There was some /proc changes in it. I get: # ps fax PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND 1 ? S 0:04 init 2 ? SW 0:00 [keventd] 3 ? SW 0:00 [kapmd] 4 ? SWN 0:00 [ksoftirqd_CPU0] 9 ? SW 0:00 [bdflush] 5 ? SW 0:00 [kswapd] 6 ? SW 0:00 [kscand/DMA] 7 ? SW 0:00 [kscand/Normal] 8 ? SW 0:00 [kscand/HighMem] 10 ? SW 0:00 [kupdated] 11 ? SW 0:00 [mdrecoveryd] 18 ? SW 0:01 [raid5d] 19 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 76 ? SW 0:00 [khubd] 2577 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 2578 ? SW 0:00 [kjournald] 2880 ? S 0:00 /sbin/dhclient -1 -q -lf /var/lib/dhcp/dhclient-eth0. 2931 ? S 0:00 syslogd -m 0 2935 ? S 0:00 klogd -x 2953 ? S 0:00 portmap 2972 ? S 0:00 rpc.statd 3038 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apmd -p 10 -w 5 -W -P /etc/sysconfig/apm-sc 3087 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/sshd 3101 ? S 0:00 xinetd -stayalive -reuse -pidfile /var/run/xinetd.pid 3867 ? S 0:00 \_ fam 3137 ? S 0:00 sendmail: accepting connections 3146 ? SW 0:00 sendmail: Queue runner@01:00:00 for /var/spool/client 3156 ? S 0:00 gpm -t imps2 -m /dev/mouse 3166 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/cannaserver -syslog -u bin 3177 ? S 0:00 crond 3188 ? S 0:00 cupsd 3227 ? S 0:00 /usr/bin/jserver 3637 ? S 0:00 xfs -droppriv -daemon 3646 ? SN 0:00 anacron -s 3655 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/atd 3747 tty1 S 0:00 /sbin/mingetty tty1 3748 tty2 S 0:00 /sbin/mingetty tty2 3749 tty3 S 0:00 /sbin/mingetty tty3 3750 tty4 S 0:00 /sbin/mingetty tty4 3751 tty5 S 0:00 /sbin/mingetty tty5 3752 tty6 S 0:00 /sbin/mingetty tty6 3753 ? S 0:00 /usr/bin/gdm-binary -nodaemon 3796 ? S 0:01 \_ /usr/bin/gdm-binary -nodaemon 3797 ? S 0:08 \_ /usr/X11R6/bin/X :0 -auth /var/gdm/:0.Xauth v 3806 ? S 0:34 \_ /usr/bin/gnome-session 3849 ? S 0:00 \_ /usr/bin/ssh-agent /etc/X11/xinit/Xclient 3854 ? S 0:02 /usr/libexec/gconfd-2 11 3856 ? S 0:00 /usr/libexec/bonobo-activation-server --ac-activate - 3858 ? S 0:01 /usr/bin/metacity --sm-client-id=default1 3861 ? S 0:02 gnome-settings-daemon --oaf-activate-iid=OAFIID:GNOME 3872 ? S 0:00 xscreensaver -nosplash 3875 ? S 0:02 gnome-panel --sm-client-id default2 3877 ? S 0:04 nautilus --no-default-window --sm-client-id default3 3879 ? S 0:00 magicdev --sm-client-id default4 3881 ? S 0:00 eggcups --sm-client-id default6 3884 ? S 0:00 pam-panel-icon --sm-client-id default0 3887 ? S 0:00 \_ /sbin/pam_timestamp_check -d root 3886 ? S 0:02 /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/rhn-applet-gui --sm-client-i 3892 ? S 0:00 /usr/libexec/notification-area-applet --oaf-activate- 3897 ? S 0:02 /usr/bin/gnome-terminal 3898 ? S 0:00 \_ gnome-pty-helper 3899 pts/0 S 0:00 \_ bash 3965 pts/0 R 0:00 \_ ps fax 3963 ? SW 0:00 [rpciod] 3964 ? SW 0:00 [lockd]
Confirmed; the problem went away once I upgaded the kernel: $ rpm -q kernel procps kernel-2.4.20-2.54 procps-2.0.11-6 $ ps fax | head -10 PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND 1 ? S 0:07 init 2 ? SW 0:00 [keventd] 3 ? SW 0:00 [kapmd] 4 ? SWN 0:00 [ksoftirqd_CPU0] 9 ? SW 0:00 [bdflush] 5 ? SW 0:00 [kswapd] 6 ? SW 0:00 [kscand/DMA] 7 ? SW 0:17 [kscand/Normal] 8 ? SW 0:00 [kscand/HighMem] Closing with RESOLVED RAWHIDE...