Process Table-Screw Display

[GallopingGhost]

After migrating to AIX 5.3-CSP8 when we run the ps command we are getting the following output:
PID PPID C STIME TTY TIME CMD
1 0 0 Jun 27 - 12:05 /etc/init
82056 1 0 Jun 27 - 0:00 /usr/lib/errdemon
127096 143764 0 12:05:31 - 0:00 telnetd -a
131250 94656 0 Jun 27 - 0:08 /usr/sbin/aixmibd
135360 94656 0 Jun 27 - 0:00 /usr/sbin/muxatmd
139420 94656 0 Jun 27 - 0:00 [process]
143514 94656 0 Jun 27 - 1:04 /usr/sbin/xntpd
147602 94656 0 Jun 27 - 0:46 /usr/sbin/portmap
(lots of pids)
5800190 143764 0 09:06:10 - 0:00 telnetd -a
5804278 2986004 0 08:25:30 pts/22 0:01 [process]
5808314 1 0 03:37:34 - 0:00 [process]
5812396 4387118 0 12:03:37 pts/751 0:00 [process]
33154 1 0 Jun 27 - 199:47 /usr/sbin/syncd
53738 94656 0 Jun 27 - 0:36 sendmail:
94656 1 0 Jun 27 - 0:00 /usr/sbin/srcmstr
102814 94656 0 Jun 27 - 0:00 [process]
(lots of pids)
5505488 4047310 0 11:35:01 pts/646 0:00 [process]
5509624 143764 0 12:14:46 - 0:00 telnetd -a
5542260 3678392 0 12:44:30 - 0:00 [process]
5558716 2486658 0 08:05:32 pts/13 0:00 [process]

We start off fine and mid-way through we end up with the lower number. The /proc directory does not appear to be out of sync. Has anybody encountered this problem and resolved it?

 

[khalidaaa]

Sorry but i'm not following! What do you mean by you ended up with the lower number!?!

 

[p5wizard]

PIDs must be unique, that is the only requirement. They are distributed in an arbitrary fashion. Nothing is predefined about numeric order...


HTH,

p5wizard

 

[GallopingGhost]

khalidaa & p5wizard,
I have never had output from a ps command that has the process table show an ordering that increases and half way through drops back down to a low number and starts increasing again. As an example, ps -ef has always had an order like this;
PID Process
2 processA
3 processA1
4 processB
5 processB1
6 processC
7 processD
8 processE
9 processF
10 processG

what we are seeing on the one p570 lpar (even after reboot)
PID Process
2 processA
4 processB
5 processB1
8 processE
3 processA1 <=back to a lower number
6 processC
7 processD
9 processF
10 processG

All pids are unique, all pids are accounted for, but our monitoring programs can not handle the unusual ordering and incorrectly reports processes.