PPID USER COMMAND
31701 apache /usr/sbin/httpdThe PPID is the parent process ID. Now try killing this one:
root@server# kill -9 31701Run top again. Hopefully, the memory usage has now returned to normal.
If the parent process ID was 0 , then some other process entirely is
consuming memory, so run top again.
Permanent Fix
You will probably have to restart the offending software at some point
because you may have just disabled your server’s SPAM filter or something
else important. If the problem was with Apache or MySQL, you might have
an errant bit of memory-eating programming somewhere, or Apache,
MySQL or PHP might have non-optimal memory limits. There’s a slim
chance that you have been hacked and that your server is slow because it’s
sending out millions of emails. Sometimes, though, a server has reached
capacity and simply needs more RAM to deal with the afternoon rush.
To find out what went wrong in the first place, check the web logs and/or
the log files in /var/log/. When your hosting company has finally
answered the phone, you can ask them to also take a look. Figuring out
what happened is important because it could well happen again, especially
if it’s a security issue. If the hosting company is not responsive or
convincing enough, seek other help.