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LFCS · Question #778

Which of the following is the process ID number of the init program?

The correct answer is C. 1. The init program (or systemd in modern systems) is the first user-space process launched by the Linux kernel and is always assigned a Process ID (PID) of 1.

Submitted by ngozi_ng· Apr 18, 2026Operation of Running Systems

Question

Which of the following is the process ID number of the init program?

Options

  • A-1
  • B0
  • C1
  • DIt is different with each reboot.
  • EIt is set to the current run level.

How the community answered

(53 responses)
  • A
    6% (3)
  • C
    91% (48)
  • D
    2% (1)
  • E
    2% (1)

Why each option

The `init` program (or `systemd` in modern systems) is the first user-space process launched by the Linux kernel and is always assigned a Process ID (PID) of 1.

A-1

Process IDs are non-negative integers; -1 is not a valid PID.

B0

PID 0 is reserved for the kernel's scheduler process (swapper/idle), not the `init` process.

C1Correct

The `init` process is the direct ancestor of all other processes on a Linux system, being the very first user-space process started by the kernel. By convention and design, it is always assigned the Process ID (PID) 1.

DIt is different with each reboot.

The PID of `init` is consistently 1 across all reboots of a Linux system.

EIt is set to the current run level.

The PID of `init` is fixed at 1 and is independent of the system's current run level, though `init` manages run level transitions.

Concept tested: Linux process management and init PID

Source: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/init.8.html

Topics

#init process#PID#process management#system boot

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