Job queue
Data structure maintained by job scheduler software containing jobs to run
In system software, a job queue (a.k.a. batch queue, input queue), is a data structure maintained by job scheduler software containing jobs to run.
Users submit their programs that they want executed, "jobs", to the queue for batch processing. The scheduler software maintains the queue as the pool of jobs available for it to run.
Multiple batch queues might be used by the scheduler to differentiate types of jobs depending on parameters such as:
- job priority
- estimated execution time
- resource requirements
The use of a batch queue gives these benefits:
- sharing of computer resources among many users
- time-shifts job processing to when the computer is less busy
- avoids idling the compute resources without minute-by-minute human supervision
- allows around-the-clock high utilization of expensive computing resources
Any process that comes to the CPU should wait in a queue.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Job queue”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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