General Discussions

Resume Linux Process on Windows. Can We?


Indian Bloggers

Is it possible to checkpoint or save the state of a running Linux process, and then resume the same process on a Windows system?

No.
It is not possible to save the state of a running Linux process and then resume the same process on a Windows system.

Reasons being:
The environment of Windows and Linux where the process execute are very different.
They vary in several factors like,

  • The API’s of both the system are different.
  • The Process management Procedure is different. The PCB contents vary.
  • Process identity in linux generally is made up of Process ID, Credentials and Personality and such does not exist in windows.
  • Linux has the concept of Standard input, Standard output, Standard error which is not present in windows.  Thank you ‘codeinfig’ for pointing this out. Check out the  comments!
  • Linux has File descriptor tables associated with process like FD table, system wide open table etc, which is not the same in windows. File systems of both may not be the same.
  • Windows has the concept of handlers.
  • The concept of ID’s associated with process is not present in windows system.
  • The way permissions are set to files is different in both the systems. Linux associates permissions with user, group and others which are not in windows.

Due to many such environmental issues the stated argument doesn’t hold valid. However, As it happens in networks like packet format conversion from Ethernet to token ring, where there is padding/bit stuffing involved, similarly on having an intermediate level of conversion, which can handle this compatibility between both, above is possible.

4 thoughts on “Resume Linux Process on Windows. Can We?

  1. i believe windows has stdin and stdout– you can pipe commands together in the command line, you can even read from stdin in the windows version of python.

    however, to resume a linux process in windows, you would probably need to be running a compatibility layer like the few that already exist. at that point, at least youre closer to to the goal. how do you resume a linux process in linux?

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    1. Yeah. The console programming offers the stdin, out and err. I don’t remember in what context I said that. (This post was written like an year ago.) I will make that edit. Thank you so much for pointing that out. 🙂

      Compatibility layer, yeah, had read about that.

      Linux, If I am not wrong we can check the background process and resume it. Do you mean one Linux version on another?

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      1. im not sure– first i want to figure out what you mean, then i want to figure out if its possible and guess what it would take.

        im not a windows guy. its an interesting thought, resuming a process on another platform. but id have to know exactly what we are talking about on linux first.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. This was just a random thought that occurred, which I then read and understood about.

          The process could be any kind of process. All assumptions can be suitably made.. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

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