What is a reasonable first step to troubleshoot a hung web server on a Linux host?

What is a reasonable first step to troubleshoot a hung web server on a Linux host?

• A. Restart the server immediately to restore service.
• B. Clear the browser cache on the client.
• C. Check which processes are consuming CPU and memory to identify the problem.
• D. Reinstall the web server package.

Answer: (C)

When a hung web server on a Linux host is suspected, the first move is to observe what the system is actually doing by examining processes and resource usage. This reveals whether the problem is due to a single runaway process consuming CPU, memory exhaustion, or heavy I/O wait, or something else entirely. Using tools like top or htop shows current load, memory usage, and which processes are most active, giving you a real-time picture of the system’s health. You can supplement this with ps to list the top culprits and check for signs like zombie processes or a stuck PID. This information guides what to do next, such as recycling a misbehaving process, tuning configurations, or investigating logs for deeper causes. Jumping straight to restarting the service can mask the underlying issue and cause unnecessary downtime; clearing the browser cache won’t help server-side problems, and reinstalling the web server is disruptive and unnecessary without understanding the root cause.

When a hung web server on a Linux host is suspected, the first move is to observe what the system is actually doing by examining processes and resource usage. This reveals whether the problem is due to a single runaway process consuming CPU, memory exhaustion, or heavy I/O wait, or something else entirely. Using tools like top or htop shows current load, memory usage, and which processes are most active, giving you a real-time picture of the system’s health. You can supplement this with ps to list the top culprits and check for signs like zombie processes or a stuck PID. This information guides what to do next, such as recycling a misbehaving process, tuning configurations, or investigating logs for deeper causes. Jumping straight to restarting the service can mask the underlying issue and cause unnecessary downtime; clearing the browser cache won’t help server-side problems, and reinstalling the web server is disruptive and unnecessary without understanding the root cause.