defunct processes
PktAcesFeb 26 2009 — edited Feb 27 200910.2.0.2 Ent Ed, aix 5.3
we recently had an issue where a script on a remote server was stuck in a loop and creating about 4 connections per sec into our production database. A new instance of said script was being started each day on top of that. Needless to say performance started going down the tubes.
I kept monitoring the server and the database and nothing stood out at first but I kept seeing defunct sqlplus processes show up on the database server and the application server, but they would go away on there own fairly quickly. That lead us to discover the bug in the script.
I'm still seeing a random defunct sqlplus process on the database server come and go. It's not the same PID or PPID each time. I'm questioning the sys admin as to what is creating it and was questioned myself if that isn't the normal procedure for a sqlplus session to end by going defunct then disappearing. While I'm about 99.9999% sure it isn't normal, I tried to find some documentation in the concepts guide to dis prove this and could not. Could someone point me to some documentation on this?