Booting and Starting a Linux System and Running Linux Background Processes

When a Linux system boots, the kernel automatically loads from the hard disk into the memory of the system and starts the Linux kernel processes that it requires, in order to

provide the user or application programs with services.

If you request a service from the operating system for which a process is not currently running, the kernel will automatically start a new process in order to supply it to you.

When some processes are no longer required, they are stopped. Therefore, Linux can dynamically (instantly and automatically) start and stop processes as required. This produces an excellent savings in memory and processor utilization, which in turn makes the system more efficient and faster!

By default, the processes that are running to provide basic system services do not appear on the screen when they are running. These processes are called “background processes” or “daemons”.

For example, when you send something to print, the “printer daemon” named "lpd" is run in the background to provide you with the service of printing. However, you do not see any indication on the screen that the lpd daemon has been used to provide you with the printing service.

Linux Commands Training Tips: The currently running Linux processes can be viewed (in various ways), started and stopped with several Linux commands.

Many services are not actually supplied by the kernel, but are provided by kernel utility programs (binary files) and kernel library files.

When the OS needs a service that is not part of the kernel, it makes a “call” (request) to a utility program or a library asking it to deliver the service.

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