Step 1: Understanding Process Hierarchy
- In Unix/Linux-based systems, all user processes originate from a common ancestor.
- This process is known as the init process, which has PID 1.
Step 2: Role of the init Process
- init is the first process started by the kernel after booting.
- It is responsible for starting system services and spawning all user processes.
- All other processes are its children either directly or indirectly.
Step 3: Evaluating the Options
- (A) Incorrect: The root process does not exist as a specific system process.
- (B) Incorrect: A parent process refers to any process that spawns child processes, but not necessarily the root of all.
- (C) Correct: The init process (PID 1) is the root parent process of all user processes.
- (D) Incorrect: The boot process refers to the system startup sequence, not a specific parent process.