LPIC-1 GNU and Unix Commands Practice Question
Exhibit
$ ps aux | grep httpd root 12345 0.0 0.2 123456 1234 ? Ss 10:00 0:00 /usr/sbin/httpd -k start apache 12346 0.0 0.3 123456 2345 ? S 10:00 0:00 /usr/sbin/httpd -k start apache 12347 0.0 0.3 123456 2345 ? S 10:00 0:00 /usr/sbin/httpd -k start apache 12348 0.0 0.3 123456 2345 ? S 10:00 0:00 /usr/sbin/httpd -k start apache 12349 0.0 0.3 123456 2345 ? S 10:00 0:00 /usr/sbin/httpd -k start $ kill -HUP 12345
Refer to the exhibit. What is the expected outcome of the kill command?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common misconception is that SIGHUP always terminates a process, when in fact it is the standard signal for daemon configuration reloads and graceful restarts.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The parent process reloads its configuration, and child processes continue serving.
The kill command with SIGHUP (signal 1) sent to the parent httpd process (PID 12345) instructs the parent to reload its configuration files and gracefully restart its child worker processes. This is the standard behavior for Apache httpd and many other daemons: the parent process rereads configuration, spawns new children, and terminates old ones without dropping existing connections.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Only the parent process (PID 12345) is terminated.
Why it's wrong here
SIGHUP causes the parent to reload configuration; it does not terminate.
- ✗
Only child processes are restarted.
Why it's wrong here
SIGHUP is sent to parent; it manages children.
- ✓
The parent process reloads its configuration, and child processes continue serving.
Why this is correct
SIGHUP tells Apache to reload configuration without stopping.
- ✗
All httpd processes are terminated immediately.
Why it's wrong here
SIGHUP is not SIGTERM or SIGKILL.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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