> In general, a process that won't die with a -9 is hung on pending I/O.
> Pretty consistent with avrd's role.
> 
> The only "fix" to a hung I/O process is to satisfy the I/O request or
> reboot.

True, but every once in a while, there might be a way to do the first
one (from the program API point of view).

Basically the I/O driver is out to lunch, and 99.99% of the time, there
won't be any user-process way to poke it in the ribs.  There are quite a
few times I've had good luck with power-cycling the device it's talking
to.  Sometimes the driver notices that and wakes up, finishing the
system call and letting the program continue (or die).  Not all the time
though.


-- 
Darren Dunham                                           ddunham AT taos DOT com
Senior Technical Consultant         TAOS            http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper?                           San Francisco, CA bay area
         < This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >