diff --git a/nucleus/admin/server-mgmt/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/admin/servermgmt/cli/StopDomainCommand.java b/nucleus/admin/server-mgmt/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/admin/servermgmt/cli/StopDomainCommand.java
index d524248a075..0b2c74bfc27 100644
--- a/nucleus/admin/server-mgmt/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/admin/servermgmt/cli/StopDomainCommand.java
+++ b/nucleus/admin/server-mgmt/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/admin/servermgmt/cli/StopDomainCommand.java
@@ -204,7 +204,8 @@ private void waitForDeath(File watchedPid) throws CommandException {
         final Duration timeout = Duration.ofMillis(DEATH_TIMEOUT_MS);
         final Supplier<Boolean> deathSign;
         if (isLocal()) {
-            deathSign = () -> !ProcessUtils.isListening(addr) && !ProcessUtils.isAlive(watchedPid);
+            // watch process id first to reduce the number of opened ephemeral ports
+            deathSign = () -> !ProcessUtils.isAlive(watchedPid) && !ProcessUtils.isListening(addr);
         } else {
             deathSign = () -> !ProcessUtils.isListening(addr);
         }
diff --git a/nucleus/common/common-util/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/universal/process/ProcessUtils.java b/nucleus/common/common-util/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/universal/process/ProcessUtils.java
index a70c18a6a49..7915dcb58a2 100644
--- a/nucleus/common/common-util/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/universal/process/ProcessUtils.java
+++ b/nucleus/common/common-util/src/main/java/com/sun/enterprise/universal/process/ProcessUtils.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 import static java.lang.System.Logger.Level.DEBUG;
 import static java.lang.System.Logger.Level.INFO;
 import static java.lang.System.Logger.Level.TRACE;
+import static java.lang.System.Logger.Level.WARNING;
 import static java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets.ISO_8859_1;
 
 /**
@@ -230,7 +231,12 @@ public static boolean waitFor(Supplier<Boolean> sign, Duration timeout, boolean
                         System.out.flush();
                     }
                 }
-                Thread.yield();
+                try {
+                    Thread.sleep(100L);
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    LOG.log(WARNING, "Interrupted while waiting", e);
+                    break;
+                }
             }
             return false;
         } finally {