ipcrm

removes System V IPC resources

TLDR

Delete shared memory segment by ID

$ ipcrm -m [shmem_id]

Delete shared memory segment by key

$ ipcrm -M [shmem_key]

Delete message queue by ID

$ ipcrm -q [queue_id]

Delete message queue by key

$ ipcrm -Q [queue_key]

Delete semaphore by ID

$ ipcrm -s [semaphore_id]

Delete semaphore by key

$ ipcrm -S [semaphore_key]

Delete all IPC resources

$ ipcrm -a

ipcrm removes System V IPC resources (shared memory segments, message queues, and semaphores). Resources can be identified by either their numeric ID or key value.Use ipcs to list existing resources and their IDs/keys before removal. Resources should be removed when no longer needed to free system resources.

PARAMETERS

-m, --shmem-id ID

Remove shared memory segment by ID

-M, --shmem-key KEY

Remove shared memory segment by key

-q, --queue-id ID

Remove message queue by ID

-Q, --queue-key KEY

Remove message queue by key

-s, --semaphore-id ID

Remove semaphore set by ID

-S, --semaphore-key KEY

Remove semaphore set by key

-a, --all

Remove all IPC resources

INSTALL

sudo apt install util-linux

sudo dnf install util-linux

sudo pacman -S util-linux

sudo apk add util-linux-misc

sudo zypper install util-linux

brew install util-linux

nix profile install nixpkgs#util-linux

CAVEATS

Removing resources while processes are still using them can cause those processes to fail. Requires appropriate permissions (owner or root). The -a option removes all accessible resources.

HISTORY

ipcrm has been part of Unix systems since System V IPC was introduced in the early 1980s. It provides essential cleanup functionality for IPC resources that persist beyond process lifetime.