NAME

VMS::Process - Perl extension to manage processes

SYNOPSIS

use VMS::Process;

@pid_list = process_list([\%process_characteristics]);
$WorkedOK = suspend_process($pid);
$WorkedOK = release_process($pid);
$WorkedOK = kill_process($pid);
$WorkedOK = change_priority($pid, $priority);

DESCRIPTION

VMS::Process allows a perl program to get a list of some or all the processes on one or more nodes in the cluster, change process priority, suspend, release, or kill them. Normal VMS system security is in effect, so a program can't see or modify processes that the process doesn't have the privs to see. Once process pids are available, information about those processes can be retrieved with the VMS::ProcInfo module.

The process_list function takes an optional reference to a hash with the characteristics of the processes whose pids will be returned. Each hash element can be either a scalar or a list.

BUGS

May leak memory. May not, though.

While process_list is supposed to take a hash ref, right now it doesn't. You get all the pids for the processes on the cluster that you would normally have privs to see.

LIMITATIONS

The processing of the process characteristics hash is pretty simplistic.

The tests are really primitive. (Like there aren't any right now)

VMS system security is in force, so process_list() is likely to show fewer PIDs than SHOW SYSTEM will. Nothing we can do about that, short if INSALLing Perl with lots of privs, which is a really, really bad idea, so don't.

AUTHOR

Dan Sugalski <sugalsd@lbcc.cc.or.us>

SEE ALSO

perl(1), VMS::ProcInfo.