Defining Thread Schedules

Queue Priority Max threads Min threads Cumulative Running

QUEUE_A 1 6 2 2 QUEUE_B 1 7 1 3 QUEUE_C 2 8 3 6 QUEUE_D 2 8 1 7 QUEUE_E 3 10 0 7 3 QUEUE_F 3 10 0 7

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7.7 Administering Queues

7.7.1 Defining Queues

To define a queue, you must name the queue, assign it to a thread schedule, set its priority, and make the queue active or inactive.

You control the flow of tasks to servers by using Applications Manager queues. All tasks pass through an Applications Manager queue to get to a server. You control queue throughput by assigning each queue to a thread schedule.

Note: Applications Manager user groups control access to queues. If you do not have access to them, see your Applications Manager administrator.

Procedure

To add a queue:

1. From the QueuesSelector window, click New.

Applications Manager opens the Queues window shown in Figure A.

For information on using selector windows, see topic 1.5 Adding, Editing, and Deleting Applications Manager Objects in the Development Guide.

2. Complete the fields using the information in Table A.

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Table A. The Queues window fields

Editing Queues in Explorer

Applications Manager operators with the necessary user group access can alter queue definitions from Explorer. For more information, see topic 7.6 Changing Queue Settings.

Field Description

Name The name may be up to 30 characters long. Thread

Schedule

The thread schedule controls the maximum number of concurrent tasks that can run through the queue and the number of threads that are reserved for the queue at any given time. For more information, see topic 7.7.2 Defining Thread Schedules.

Priority Defines the order in which each queue is scanned for task execution if the maximum number of threads for an agent is reached. Queues are scanned starting with the number 1 and ending with 99.

The execution order of tasks waiting to run in a QUEUED status is decided in the following order:

1. Queue priority 2. Job priority 3. Start date and time

Therefore, if two tasks are waiting to run in different queues, and those queues have the same priority, the jobs’ priority is checked. If queue and job priorities are the same, their start date and times are compared.

For more information on setting job priorities, see topic 2.6 Entering Execution Options for Jobs in the Development Guide.

Active Click the Active check box to activate the queue.

Active queues apply the thread settings. When you inactivate a queue, no tasks will be processed through it. The tasks will remain in the Backlog with a QUEUE WAIT status until the queue is activated.

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7.7 Administering Queues

7.7.2 Defining Thread Schedules

A thread schedule defines the number of concurrent tasks that can run through a queue during a specified period of time. You can set different minimum reserved and maximum thread limits for different periods of time during the day.

A thread schedule is assigned to each Applications Manager queue. Thread schedules determine the number of:

•Minimum reserved threads for a queue.

•Maximum threads that can run concurrently through a queue.

You can divide a thread schedule to cover different time periods during a day. For example, during normal work hours you may want to limit a queue to two concurrent tasks, then in the evening reset the queue to 10 concurrent tasks. Each thread schedule must cover the full 24 hours in a day.

Note: Applications Manager user groups control access to thread schedules. If you do not have access to them, see your Applications Manager administrator.

Procedure

To define a thread schedule:

1. From the Thread SchedulesSelector window, click New.

Applications Manager opens the Thread Schedules window shown in Figure A. For information on using selector windows, see topic 1.5 Adding, Editing, and Deleting Applications Manager Objects in the Development Guide.

Figure A. To add an entry to thread schedule,

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2. Enter a name and description for the thread schedule on the General tab of the Thread Schedules window shown in Figure A.

Note that there is one entry in the table on the General tab.

3. If you wish to specify times to set specific minimum and maximum threads, click New. Applications Manager opens the Thread schedule details window where you can specify the details for each entry in your schedule.

4. Complete the fields on the Thread schedule details window using the information in Table A and click OK.

Applications Manager adds a new entry to the table with the values you specified. You can add as many entries to the table as needed to set different minimum and maximum values for different times of the day.

Table A. Thread Schedules window fields

Updating and Deleting Thread Schedule Entries

To update or delete a thread schedule entry, select the entry in the table and select Edit or Delete.

Selecting Thread Schedules for Agents

You can select a thread schedule for an agent to specify the maximum number of concurrent tasks that can run on that agent at one time in all queues. For more information, see topic 4.2 Defining Remote Agents in the Administration Guide.

Field Description

Start Time The start time for this entry (hh:mm). Stop Time The stop time for this entry (hh:mm).

Min Thread The number of the automation engine’s threads you wish to reserve for a queue. The values can range between 0 and the maximum number of threads available on the automation engine. If one or more minimum threads are assigned to a queue’s thread schedule, then even higher priority queues (queues with a lower number set in their Priority field) will have this many fewer threads available to them. This is even true when no tasks are running in the queue that is reserving the threads. Max Thread The maximum number of tasks that can run concurrently in the queue.

The value can be between 0 and 9999. If you set the value to 0, the queue will not accept any tasks during the time period specified. Tasks assigned to this queue will show a QUEUE WAIT status.

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