Autosys tutorial: Chapter 3: Working with Machines

Chapter 3: Working with Machines

Machines :

Before you can schedule jobs to run on a machine, you must define the machine to
Autosys. You can define real machines, virtual machines, or real
machine pools.

Real Machines :

A real machine is any single machine that meets the following criteria:

■ It has been identified in the appropriate network so that CA Workload Automation

AE can access it.

■ An agent, CA AutoSys WA Connect Option, CA NSM, or CA UAJM is installed, which

lets CA Workload Automation AE run jobs on it.

■ It is defined to CA Workload Automation AE as a real machine using JIL.

A real machine must meet these conditions to run jobs. However, for CA Workload
Automation AE to perform intelligent load balancing and queuing while running jobs, it
must know the relative processing power of the real machines. CA Workload
Automation AE uses the virtual machines to provide load balancing and queuing.

Virtual Machines :

A virtual machine is a machine definition that references one or more existing real
machine definitions. By defining virtual machines to CA Workload Automation AE and
submitting jobs to run on those machines, you can specify the following:
■ Run-time resource policies (or constraints) at a high level.
■ That CA Workload Automation AE automatically runs those policies in a
multi-machine environment.
Note: Previous releases of CA Workload Automation AE required that all machines in a
virtual machine be of the same type. In the current release, the component real
machines in a virtual machine definition can be UNIX or Windows machines or a mix of
both.

Real Machine Pools :

A real machine pool is similar to a virtual machine in that it references one or more
existing real machine definitions. Real machine pools are used specifically to integrate
with CA Automation Suite for Data Centers for load balancing, When a job is scheduled
that references a real machine pool, the node names associated with the machines
referenced are used by CA Automation Suite for Data Centers to assign the real machine
to run the job.

The localhost Definition :

The localhost machine name is a reserved name. You cannot define a machine for
localhost by creating an insert_machine: localhost definition.
By default, the localhost value is resolved to the name of the machine where the CA
Workload Automation AE scheduler was installed. You can override the reserved
localhost value to the name of another real machine using the local machine definition
setting. On UNIX, you can configure this setting using the LocalMachineDefinition
parameter in the configuration file. On Windows, you can configure this setting using
the Local Machine Definition field in the Scheduler window of CA Workload Automation
AE Administrator (autosysadmin).
You must create a machine definition in the database for the machine resolved from the
localhost. To create a machine definition, use the insert_machine JIL command.
As part of the CA Workload Automation AE installation process, your administrator must
have created a machine definition for the default localhost (the machine where the
scheduler was installed) in the database. If you configure the local machine definition
setting to another machine, you must create a definition for that machine in the
database. For example, if you configure the local machine definition setting to a
machine named prod, you must define machine prod using the insert_machine: prod
command.
Note: For more information about the LocalMachineDefinition parameter in the
configuration file (UNIX), see the Administration Guide. For more information about the
Local Machine Definition (Windows), see the Online Help.

How the localhost Value is Resolved :

If the machine: localhost attribute is specified in a job definition, the scheduler tries to
resolve the localhost value when it runs the job. The localhost value is resolved as
follows:
■ The scheduler checks the value of the LocalMachineDefinition parameter (UNIX) or
the Local Machine Definition field (Windows).
■ If the local machine definition setting is set to a value other than “localhost”, the
scheduler searches the database for a machine definition with that name. For
example, suppose that LocalMachineDefinition is set to agentmach. If an
agentmach machine definition is found and all conditions are satisfied, the job runs
on agentmach. If the scheduler cannot find an agentmach machine definition, or if
it finds multiple agentmach machine definitions, the scheduler does not resolve
localhost. All jobs defined to run on the localhost machine fail.
■ If the local machine definition is not defined or is set to “localhost”, the scheduler
searches the database for a machine definition corresponding to the machine
where the scheduler was started (the default localhost). For example, suppose that
the scheduler was started on a machine named prodserver and
LocalMachineDefinition is not defined. When the job runs, the scheduler searches
for a machine definition named prodserver. If the scheduler cannot find the
prodserver definition, or if it finds multiple prodserver definitions, the scheduler
does not resolve localhost. All jobs defined to run on the localhost machine fail.
■ In a high availability failover where the shadow scheduler takes over from the
primary scheduler, the localhost is resolved in the same way. To run a job on the
localhost, the shadow scheduler first checks its local machine definition setting,
which may be different from the setting for the primary scheduler. If the local
machine definition is not defined, the localhost is resolved to the machine where
the shadow scheduler was started.

Define a Machine :

Before you can schedule jobs to run on a machine, you must define the machine to CA

Workload Automation AE.

Follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

■ Issue JIL in interactive mode.

■ Open a JIL script in a text editor.

2. Specify the following definition:

insert_machine: machine_name

node_name: address

type: type

machine_name

Defines a unique name for the machine to add.

address

Specifies the IP address or DNS name of the machine. The default is the

machine_name specified on the insert_machine statement.

type

Specifies the type of machine you are defining. Options are the following:

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX, Linux, Windows,

i5/OS, or z/OS machine. This is the default.

Specifies a CA AutoSys Workload Automation Connect Option machine.

Specifies a 4.5.1 real UNIX machine. You must specify a lowercase l.

Specifies a 4.5.1 real Windows machine. You must specify a capital L.

Specifies an r11 real Windows machine or a virtual machine that consists

only of r11 real Windows machines (type n).

Specifies a real machine pool managed by CA Automation Suite for Data

Centers.

Note: In the documentation, the type "p" machine is referred to as the real

machine pool.

Specifies an r11 real UNIX machine.

Specifies a CA NSM or a CA Universal Job Management Agent (CA UJMA)

machine.

Specifies a virtual machine. The virtual machine can consist of CA

Workload Automation Agent machines (type a), r11 real UNIX machines

(type r), and r11 real Windows machines (type n).

3. (Virtual or CA Automation Suite for Data Centers machine pool types only) Specify

the following attribute:

machine

Specifies a real machine as a component of the virtual machine or real machine

pool. The specified machine must have been defined to CA Workload

Automation AE as a real machine.

4. (CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX, Linux, Windows, i5/OS, or z/OS machine

only) Specify the following attribute:

opsys

Specifies the operating system where the CA Workload Automation Agent is

installed. Options are the following:

aix

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX installed on an AIX

computer.

hpux

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX installed on an HP-UX

computer.

linux

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for LINUX.

I5os

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for i5/OS.

solaris

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX installed on a Solaris

computer.

windows

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for Windows.

zos

Specifies a CA Workload Automation Agent for z/OS.

5. Specify additional optional attributes as required:

■ agent_name

■ character_code

■ description

■ encryption_type

■ factor

■ heartbeat_attempts (CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX, Linux,

Windows, i5/OS, or z/OS only)

■ heartbeat_freq (CA Workload Automation Agent for UNIX, Linux, Windows,

i5/OS, or z/OS only)

■ key_to_agent

■ max_load

■ opsys

■ port

6. Do one of the following:

■ Enter exit if you are using interactive mode.

■ Redirect the script to the jil command if you are using a script.

The data is loaded into the database and the machine is defined

Examples: Defining Real Machines :

The following examples define real machines:

Example: Define a CA Workload Automation Agent

This example defines a machine named eagle where the agent WA_AGENT runs on the

node myagenthostname and uses 49154 as its main input port.

insert_machine: eagle

type: a

agent_name: WA_AGENT

node_name: myagenthostname

port: 49154

max_load: 100

factor: 1.0

Example: Define an r11 Real Windows Machine

This example defines a Windows real machine named jaguar.

insert_machine: jaguar

type: n

max_load: 100

factor: 1.0

Example: Define an r11 Real UNIX Machine

This example defines a UNIX real machine named jaguar.

insert_machine: jaguar

type: r

max_load: 100

factor: 1.0

Examples: Defining Virtual Machines :

The following examples define virtual machines:

Example: Define a Virtual Machine to Include Two Real Windows Machines

This example defines a virtual machine named giraffe to include two real Release 11.3.6

Windows machines (cheetah with a factor value of 5.0 and a max_load value of 400, and

lily with a factor value of 2 and a max_load value of 15).

insert_machine: cheetah

type: a

opsys: windows

insert_machine: lily

type: a

opsys: windows

insert_machine: giraffe

type: v

machine: cheetah

max_load: 400

factor: 5.0

machine: lily

max_load: 15

factor: 2

Example: Define a Windows Virtual Machine with Subsets of r11 Real Machines

This example defines two r11 Windows real machines (lion and lotus), and a virtual

machine (gorilla), which is composed of slices, or subsets, of the max_load specified for

the real machines. Although the real machines were defined with specific max_load

values (100 and 80), the virtual machine only makes use of the reduced loads specified

in the virtual machine definition (10 and 9).

insert_machine: lion

type: n

max_load: 100

factor: 1

insert_machine: lotus

type: n

max_load: 80

factor: .8

insert_machine: gorilla

type: v

machine: lion

max_load: 10

machine: lotus

max_load: 9

Example: Define a Virtual Machine with Default Real Machines

This example defines a virtual machine (sheep), which is composed of two Release

11.3.6 UNIX real machines (warthog and camel). Because the max_load and factor

attributes are not defined for the real machines, they use the default values for these

attributes (a factor of 1.0 and a max_load of none, indicating unlimited load units).

insert_machine: warthog

opsys: linux

insert_machine: camel

opsys: solaris

insert_machine: sheep

type: v

machine: warthog

machine: camel

Example: Define a Virtual Machine with r11 Real Machines

This example defines two r11 UNIX real machines (lion and lotus), and a virtual machine

(zebra), which is composed of the two real machines. The virtual machine is a superset

of the two real machines and uses the max_load and factor attributes defined for them.

insert_machine: lion

type: r

max_load: 100

factor: 1

insert_machine: lotus

type: r

max_load: 80

factor: .9

insert_machine: zebra

type: v

machine: lion

machine: lotus

Example: Define a Real Machine Pool

This example defines a real machine pool (DCAPOOL), which is composed of three real

machines (MWIN, MLIN, and MSQL). DCAPOOL is monitored by CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers. When you define a job to reference DCAPOOL, CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers is used for machine selection.

insert_machine: MWIN

node_name: myhost

insert_machine: MLIN

node_name: myhost1

insert_machine: MSQL

node_name: myhost2

insert_machine: DCAPOOL

type: p

machine: MWIN

machine: MLIN

machine: MSQL

Examples: Defining Real Machine Pools :

The following example defines a real machine pool:

Example: Define a Real Machine Pool

This example defines a real machine pool (DCAPOOL), which is composed of three real

machines (MWIN, MLIN, and MSQL). DCAPOOL is monitored by CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers. When you define a job to reference DCAPOOL, CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers is used for machine selection.

insert_machine: MWIN

node_name: myhost

insert_machine: MLIN

node_name: myhost1

insert_machine: MSQL

node_name: myhost2

insert_machine: DCAPOOL

type: p

machine: MWIN

machine: MLIN

machine: MSQL

Delete a Real Machine :

To delete a real machine definition, specify the following subcommand in the JIL script:

delete_machine: name_of_real_machine

[remove_references: y]

[force: y]

name_of_real_machine

Specifies the name of the machine to delete.

remove_references: y

(Optional) Instructs JIL to remove references to the specified machine from the

definitions of machine pools and virtual machines. We recommend that you use

this option when you delete real machines that are referenced in the definitions of

any machine pools or virtual machines. If you do not instruct JIL to remove the

references, you cannot delete the real machine until you delete all of the

references manually.

force: y

(Optional) Use this option to delete a machine that is in use.

Example: Delete a Real Machine Not Referenced in Virtual Machines or Real Machine

Pools

This example deletes the real machine definition for the computer named jaguar:

delete_machine: jaguar

Example: Delete a Real Machine Currently Referenced via a Virtual Machine:

This example explicitly deletes the real machine hyena reference from the virtual

machine carnivores followed by the real machine definition itself.

delete_machine: carnivores

machine: hyena

delete_machine: hyena

Example: Delete a Real Machine and All Virtual Machines References Implictly:

This example deletes the real machine panther and implicitly deletes all references to it

that may be in any virtual machines or real machine pools.

delete_machine: panther

remove_references: y

Delete a Virtual Machine :

To delete a virtual machine, specify the delete_machine: machine_name subcommand

without the machine attribute in the JIL script. When you delete a virtual machine, the

definitions for its component real machines are not deleted.

You can delete all real machine references in a virtual machine until there is only one

reference remaining. You cannot delete the last reference. To delete all real machine

references in a virtual machine, you must also delete the virtual machine itself.

Note: For more information about deleting virtual machines and the related attributes,

see the Reference Guide.

Example: Delete a Virtual Machine

This example deletes the virtual machine definition named gorilla:

delete_machine: gorilla

Delete a Real Machine Pool :

To delete a real machine pool, specify the delete_machine: machine_name

subcommand without the machine attribute in the JIL script. When you delete a real

machine pool, the definitions for its component real machines are not deleted.

You can delete all real machine references in a real machine pool until there is only one

reference remaining. You cannot delete the last reference. To delete all real machine

references in a real machine pool, you must also delete the real machine pool itself.

Note: For more information about deleting real machine pools and the related

attributes, see the Reference Guide.

Example: Delete a Real Machine Pool

This example deletes the real machine pool definition named gorilla:

delete_machine: gorilla

Delete a Real Machine from a Virtual Machine or Real Machine

Pool

To delete a virtual machine or real machine pool reference to a real machine, specify

the following subcommand in the JIL script:

delete_machine: virtual_machine_name

machine: real_machine_name_referenced

Example: Delete a Real Machine from a Virtual Machine

This example deletes the real machine named camel from the virtual machine named

sheep. The machine definitions for sheep and camel are not deleted from the database.

delete_machine: sheep

machine: camel

Specifying Machine Load (max_load)

You can use the max_load attribute to define the maximum load (in load units) that a

machine can reasonably handle. The max_load attribute is valid in a real machine

definition or component machines defined to virtual machines.

Load units are arbitrary values, the range of which is user-defined. You can use any

weighting scheme you prefer. For example, a load unit with a range of 10 to 100 would

specify that machines with limited processing power are expected to carry a load of only

10, while machines with ample processing power can carry a load of 100. There is no

direct relationship between the load unit value and any of the machine's physical

resources. Therefore, we recommend that you use conventions that are meaningful to

you. You cannot use zero (0) or negative numbers as load units.

The max_load attribute is primarily used to limit the load on a machine. As long as a

job's load will not exceed a machine's maximum load, the max_load attribute does not

influence which machine a job runs on.

If you do not define the max_load attribute in a machine definition, CA Workload

Automation AE does not limit the load on the machine.

Example: Set the Maximum Load for a Real Machine

Suppose that the range of possible load values is 1 to 100. This example sets the

maximum load for a relatively low-performance real machine.

max_load: 20

Specifying Job Load (job_load) :

For load balancing to work, you must assign a job_load value to every job that impacts

the load on a machine. The job_load attribute in a job definition defines the relative

amount of processing power the job consumes (the relative load the job places on a

machine).

Load units are arbitrary values, and the range is user-defined. You can use any weighting

scheme you prefer. You can use the max_load attribute to assign a real machine a

maximum job load. Then, you can use the job_load attribute in the job definition to

assign the job a load value that indicates the relative amount of the machine's load that

the job should consume. These attributes let you control machine loading and prevent a

machine from being overloaded.

Example: Define the Relative Processing Load for a Job

Suppose that the range of possible load values is 1 to 100. This example sets the load for

a job that typically uses 10% of the CPU.

job_load: 10

Specifying Queuing Priority (priority) :

When a job is ready to run on a designated machine but the current load on that

machine is too large to accept the new job’s load, CA Workload Automation AE queues

the job for that machine so it runs when sufficient resources are available.

For job queuing to take place, you must define the priority attribute in the job

definition. The queue priority establishes the relative priority of all jobs queued for a

given machine. The lower number indicates a higher priority. If you do not set the

priority attribute or the priority is set to 0, the job runs immediately on a machine and is

not put in the queue. The job ignores any other job or machine load settings defined.

Example: Set the Job to Run with Highest Priority

This example sets the job to run with the highest priority without overriding the

machine load control mechanism.

priority: 1

Example: Set the Job to Run in the Background

This example sets the job to run in the background when the machine load is low.

priority: 100

Specifying Relative Processing Power (factor) :

You can use the factor attribute to determine the relative processing power for a

machine. To calculate the relative processing power for each machine, the scheduler

multiplies the available CPU cycles by the factor attribute value:

(Available CPU Cycles) x (Factor Attribute Value) = Relative Processing Power

The scheduler determines which of the agent machines specified in the job definition

have the best calculated usage (highest relative processing power). The scheduler starts

the job on the agent machine with the best calculated usage (highest relative processing

power).

Setting the factor value to zero (0) results in a calculated usage of zero (0) but does not

disqualify the machine. The scheduler selects an agent machine with a factor value of

zero (0) only when all other available machines specified in the job definition also have a

factor value of zero (0).

Notes:

■ Factor units are arbitrary, user-defined values. The value consists of a real number,

typically between 0.0 and 1.0. You can set factor units to a value containing a

decimal, such as 0.5. If you do not define the factor attribute in a machine

definition, the value defaults to 1.0.

■ The factor attribute is valid in a real machine definition or component machines

defined to virtual machine.

■ Sometimes the scheduler identifies multiple machines as having the best calculated

usage (highest relative processing power). In such cases, the scheduler randomly

selects one of those machines and starts the job on it. To allow the scheduler to

start the job on any machine specified in the job definition, set the factor attribute

value for all of those machines to zero (0).

■ For more information about the factor attribute in machine definitions, see the

Reference Guide.

Example: Set the Factor for a Low-Performance Real Machine

This example sets the factor for a low-performance real machine, on a scale of 0.0 to

1.0.

factor: 0.1

Example: Set the Factor for a High-Performance Real Machine

This example sets the factor for a high-performance real machine, on a scale of 0.0 to

1.0.

factor: 1.0

Machine Status :

Real machines have a run-time status attribute designed to reflect the machine’s

availability. The machine status lets the scheduler run more efficiently by not wasting

time trying to contact machines that are out of service. If a job is scheduled for a

machine that is offline, it is set to PEND_MACH status until the machine comes back

online. In the case of a virtual machine, offline machines are not considered as possible

candidates for running a job.

A machine can have one of following statuses:

Online

Indicates that the machine is available and accepting jobs to run.

Offline

Indicates that the machine has been manually removed from service and will not

accept jobs to run.

Missing

Indicates that the scheduler has verified that the machine is not responding and has

automatically removed it from service. The machine will not accept jobs to run.

Unqualified

Indicates that the scheduler is attempting to qualify the status of an agent before

switching the machine from an online to missing status. The machine will not

accept jobs to run.

Empty

Indicates that a virtual machine or real machine pool does not contain any

component machines. Jobs scheduled to machines in this status will not run.

Take a Machine Offline Manually

To manually take a machine offline (for example, during hardware service), use the

sendevent command to send a MACH_OFFLINE event.

When you send a MACH_OFFLINE event, jobs that are currently running run to

completion even though the machine’s status is offline. You can use the autorep

command to monitor running jobs.

If you shut a machine down for servicing, you may want to let the running jobs complete

before continuing. With the machine offline, you can service the machine while the

scheduler continues running. All jobs that are scheduled to start on the offline machine

are put in PEND_MACH status until the machine returns to service.

Machine Status

Note: For more information, see the Reference Guide.

Example: Manually Take a Machine Offline

This example takes the machine cheetah offline:

sendevent -E MACH_OFFLINE -n cheetah

The scheduler log displays a message similar to the following when the machine is

offline:

[11/28/2005 15:38:21] CAUAJM_I_40245 EVENT: MACH_OFFLINE MACHINE: cheetah

Put a Machine Online Manually

To manually put a machine online, use the sendevent command to send a

MACH_ONLINE event.

When you send a MACH_ONLINE event for a machine, jobs with a status of

PEND_MACH on that machine are automatically started.

Note: For more information, see the Reference Guide.

Example: Manually Put a Machine Online

This example returns the machine cheetah to online status:

sendevent –E MACH_ONLINE –n cheetah

The scheduler log displays a message, similar to the following, when the machine is

online:

[11/28/2005 15:38:21] CAUAJM_I_40245 EVENT: MACH_ONLINE MACHINE: cheetah

How Status Changes Automatically

When the scheduler verifies that a real machine is not reachable, it uses the following

process to manage machine and job status:

■ If the scheduler fails to contact a machine's agent, the scheduler marks the machine

as unqualified and logs a message similar to the following:

[11/28/2005 16:01:46] CAUAJM_W_40290 Machine cheetah is in question. Placing

machine in the unqualified state. Machine Status

58 User Guide

■ The scheduler puts all jobs scheduled to start on the unqualified machine in

PEND_MACH status. The scheduler checks the GlobalPendMachStatus parameter

(on UNIX) or Global Pend Mach Status field (on WIndows) value. If the status is set

to any valid value other than the default (PEND_MACH), the scheduler checks the

GlobalPendMachDelay parameter (on UNIX) or Global Pend Mach Delay field (on

Windows) value. If the delay interval is set to the default value (zero), the scheduler

immediately sends a CHANGE_STATUS event for the job. If the delay interval is set

to a value other than the default, the scheduler waits for the specified interval

before sending the CHANGE_STATUS event.

■ The scheduler attempts to qualify the status of that machine by pinging the agent

every 10 seconds.

■ If the agent responds, the scheduler sends a MACH_ONLINE event and the machine

returns to service.

■ When the machine returns to service, the scheduler starts all jobs in PEND_MACH

status for that machine. The scheduler checks the GlobalPendMachInterval

parameter (on UNIX) or Global Pend Mach Interval field (on WIndows) value. If the

interval is set to the default value (zero), the scheduler does not wait between job

starts. If the interval is set to a value other than the default, the scheduler waits for

the specified interval before starting jobs in PEND_MACH status, and then repeats

that cycle until all of the jobs are restarted.

■ If the agent fails to respond after three attempts, the scheduler marks the machine

as missing, issues a MACHINE_UNAVAILABLE alarm, and logs a message similar to

the following:

[11/28/2005 16:01:46] CAUAJM_I_40253 Machine cheetah is not responding. Taking

offline.

■ The scheduler puts all jobs scheduled to start on the missing machine in

PEND_MACH status based on the values set for the GlobalPendMachStatus and

GlobalPendMachDelay parameters (on UNIX) or Global Pend Mach Status and

Global Pend Mach Delay fields (on Windows). These values control the status of

jobs that are scheduled on a machine that is currently offline.

■ If the machine definition is updated, the scheduler marks the machine as

unqualified, logs the following message, and pings the agent until the machine

returns to service or is marked missing:

[11/28/2005 16:01:46] CAUAJM_W_40291 Machine cheetah has been updated. Placing

machine in the unqualified state. Machine Status

■ Otherwise, the scheduler pings the missing machine’s agent every 60 seconds to

check its availability.

■ If the agent responds, the scheduler sends a MACH_ONLINE event and the machine

returns to service.

■ When the machine returns to service, the scheduler starts all jobs in PEND_MACH

status for that machine based on the value set for the GlobalPendMachInterval

parameter (on UNIX) or Global Pend Mach Interval field (on Windows). This

parameter controls the starting of jobs in PEND_MACH status.

Notes:

■ If you understand the cause of a missing machine and intervene to correct it, you

can use the sendevent command to send a MACH_ONLINE event to bring the

machine back online instead of waiting for the scheduler to do so.

■ For more information about the GlobalPendMachInterval, GlobalPendMachStatus,

or GlobalPendMachDelay parameters on UNIX, see the Administration Guide. For

more information about the Global Pend Mach Interval, Global Pend Mach Status,

or Global Pend Mach Delay fields on Windows, see the Online Help.

More Information:

Controlling Jobs in PEND_MACH Status (see page 111)

How Status Affects Jobs on Virtual Machines

If a job is defined to run on a virtual machine or a list of machines and one of those

machines is offline, the job will run on another available machine with which it is

associated.

If, however, all machines in the virtual list are offline, the scheduler puts the job in

PEND_MACH status. If any of the machines with which the job is associated comes back

online, the scheduler removes the job from PEND_MACH status and runs it on the

online machine, subject to the queuing criteria.

Load Balancing

60 User Guide

Load Balancing

Load balancing can be implemented to use inherent features of CA Workload

Automation AE or integrated with CA Automation Suite for Data Centers. The usage of

real machine pools provides automatic load balancing through CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers.

When not using CA Automation Suite for Data Centers for load balancing, you can

implement load balancing (where the workload is spread across multiple machines

based on each machine's capabilities) by using the machine attribute to specify a virtual

machine or multiple real machines in a job definition. This is also an easy way to help

ensure reliable job processing. For example, the scheduler can use load balancing to

check which of the machines in a job definition is best suited to run the job, and

automatically start it on that machine.

The advantages of building a virtual machine are as follows:

■ Its definition can be changed and the new construct is immediately applied globally.

■ The max_load and factor values can vary between machines.

Alternatively, you can specify a list of real machines in the job's machine attribute. The

system configuration includes machines of varying processing power. CA Workload

Automation AE uses one of various load balancing methods to choose a real machine. If

you specify the cpu_mon or vmstat load balancing methods in the configuration file, CA

Workload Automation AE chooses which machine to run on based on the available

processing power obtained from the agent. If you specify the job_load load balancing

method in the configuration file, CA Workload Automation AE chooses which machine

to run on based on the max_load and factor attributes for each real machine in

conjunction with the job definition’s priority and job_load attributes. If you specify the

UNIX-only rstatd load balancing method, in the configuration file, CA Workload

Automation AE chooses which machine to run on based on the information obtained

from the remote UNIX computer’s remote kernel statistics daemon.

Load Balancing

In either case, CA Workload Automation AE uses the following process to verify the

available relative processing cycles for each machine:

1. CA Workload Automation AE calculates the number of load units available on each

real machine in the specified virtual machine. To do this, CA Workload Automation

AE uses the load balancing method specified in the configuration file.

Notes:

■ For the CA Workload Automation Agent on UNIX, Linux, Windows, or i5/OS

(machine type: a), CA Workload Automation AE uses cpu_mon, rstatd, or the

job_load method. If the machine method specified in the configuration file is

set to the cpu_mon or vmstat methods, the scheduler runs a CPU Monitoring

(OMCPU) job to determine the available CPU cycles. This is the default. For the

CA Workload Automation Agent on UNIX and Linux only (opsys: aix, hpux, linux,

or solaris), CA Workload Automation AE supports the rstatd method.

■ For the legacy agent on UNIX, CA Workload Automation AE only uses vmstat,

rstatd, or the job_load method.

■ For the legacy agent on Windows, CA Workload Automation AE only uses

vmstat or the job_load method.

2. CA Workload Automation AE performs the following calculation:

Machine Usage = Available Load Units * Factor value

3. CA Workload Automation AE chooses the machine with the most relative load units

available, based on the calculation in Step 2.

Notes:

■ If a real machine in the virtual machine is not online, the scheduler does not

attempt to contact it and it is not considered in the load balancing algorithm.

■ If the machines have equal max_load and factor values, it is equivalent to defining a

job and specifying the following in the machine field:

machine: cheetah, camel

■ If the factor attribute is not specified for a machine, CA Workload Automation AE

assumes the default factor value for each machine (1.0).

■ On UNIX, the load balancing method is specified using the MachineMethod

parameter in the CA Workload Automation AE configuration file. On Windows, the

method is specified using the Machine Method field on the Scheduler window of CA

Workload Automation AE Administrator. For more information, see the

Administration Guide or Online Help for CA Workload Automation AE Administrator.

■ The cpu_mon machine method does not apply to z/OS machines (CA Workload

Automation Agent on z/OS) because the OMCPU job is not supported on z/OS.

■ If the load balancing request is sent to a legacy agent, CA Workload Automation AE

uses the vmstat method to obtain the available CPU cycles.

Load Balancing

62 User Guide

Example: Load Balancing With a Virtual Machine

This example defines a virtual machine (marmot) with three real machines (cheetah,

hippogriff, and camel):

insert_machine: marmot

machine: cheetah

factor: 1

machine: hippogriff

factor: .8

machine: camel

factor: .3

To start a job on this virtual machine, specify marmot in the job's machine attribute. The

scheduler performs the necessary calculations to verify on which machine to run the

job, and reflects these calculations in its output log. The output is similar to the

following:

EVENT: STARTJOB JOB: test_mach

[11/22/2005 10:16:53] CAUAJM_I_40245 EVENT: STARTJOB JOB: tvm

[11/22/2005 10:16:54] CAUAJM_I_10208 Checking Machine usages:

[11/22/2005 10:16:59] <cheetah=78>

[11/22/2005 10:17:02] <hippogriff=80*[.80]=64>

[11/22/2005 10:17:07] <camel=20*[.30]=6>

[11/22/2005 10:17:11] CAUAJM_I_40245 EVENT: CHANGE_STATUS STATUS: STARTING

JOB: tvm

[11/22/2005 10:17:11] CAUAJM_I_10082 [cheetah connected for tvm]

Note that even though the machine usage on cheetah was less than that of machine

hippogriff, machine cheetah was picked because of the result of the factor calculation

(machine cheetah had 78% of its processing power available, while machine hippogriff

only had 64% available). Thus, the factors weigh each machine to account for variations

in processing power.

Load Balancing Using Virtual Resource Dependencies

Load balancing can also be performed using virtual resources combined with virtual

machines or machine lists for basic throttling and serialization. If you assign a virtual

machine or list of real machines to a job along with virtual resource dependencies, the

jobs can be dispatched to the various machines based on resource availability.

Example: Load Balancing Using Machine Virtual Resources

Suppose that you have three machines (sloth, tiger, and leopard) capable of running

several applications but they vary in capacity or physical resources, for example CPU

speed, memory, or utilization. You also have various jobs that use different runtime

resources. Jobs with low resource usage can run anywhere. Jobs that use more

resources are limited to where they can run. The number of concurrent jobs and their

requirements must be controlled to avoid overburdening any machine.

■ Define the real machine definitions for sloth, tiger, and leopard. Then define a

virtual machine, domain, that references all the machines where the jobs should be

allowed to run.

insert_machine: sloth

insert_machine: tiger

insert_machine: leopard

insert_machine: domain

type: v

machine: sloth

machine: tiger

machine: leopard

■ Define the maximum amount of virtual resources available to each machine.

Remember, they are virtual resources. They do not really exist. The virtual resource

amounts are approximations based on estimated capabilities of the machines. In

this example, the sloth machine has the fewest capabilities while the leopard

machine has the most.

insert_resource: job_weight

res_type: r

machine: sloth

amount: 2

insert_resource: job_weight

res_type: r

machine: tiger

amount: 10

insert_resource: job_weight

res_type: r

machine: leopard

amount: 30 Load Balancing Using Virtual Resource Dependencies

64 User Guide

■ Define jobs to run on one of the real machines referenced by the virtual machine

domain. Identify the virtual resource units each job consumes. Similar to the

resource definition, these values are approximations based on perceptions or

expectations of what the job consumes while running. The quantity required for the

job determines where it can run and the mix of jobs that can run concurrently.

insert_job: quick_job

machine: domain

command: efficient_report

resources: (job_weight,quantity=1,free=y)

insert_job: heavy_job

machine: domain

command: analytical_report

resources: (job_weight,quantity=5,free=y)

insert_job: beastly_job

machine: domain

command: quarterly_update

resources: (job_weight,quantity=10,free=y)

Based on the above definitions, job quick_job could run on any of the machines defined

to the virtual machine named domain because all machines have at least one unit of the

job_weight virtual resource defined to it. The jobs heavy_job and beastly_job can only

be scheduled to real machines tiger and leopard. The two jobs cannot be scheduled

concurrently to the tiger machine as that would exceed the virtual resources defined to

it. If the job heavy_job is already running on the tiger machine when job beastly_job is

being scheduled, the job beastly_job would be scheduled to run on the leopard real

machine.

Load Balancing Using Virtual and Real Resource Dependencies

You can also implement load balancing using virtual and real resources as dependencies

to a job. Virtual and real resource dependencies can be defined to both virtual machines

and real machine pools.

If you assign a virtual machine or real machine pool to a job with either virtual and/or

real resource dependencies, the job runs on the machine that satisfies the resource

dependencies. If the job has real resource dependencies and two or more machines

satisfy the specified metrics, CA Automation Suite for Data Centers returns the best

machine based on the lowest overall utilization. If the job has only virtual resource

dependencies and two or more machines satisfy the specified metrics, the job runs on

the first machine that satisfies the virtual resource requirements.

Note: If CA Workload Automation AE is not integrated with CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers, real resource dependencies are ignored and the job is submitted on the

first machine that satisfies the virtual resource requirements. If the job does not have

virtual resources, it runs on the machine as determined by load balancing using the

max_load and factor values.

Example: Load Balancing Using Virtual and Real Resource Dependencies

Suppose that you want to define a job that gets submitted on a machine that satisfies

the real and virtual resource dependencies, you can do the following:

■ Define a renewable resource ren_glb1 at the global level:

insert_resource: ren_glb1

res_type: R

amount: 10

■ Define a real machine pool DCAPOOL to include three real machines (MWIN, MLIN,

and MSOL) that are discovered and monitored by CA Automation Suite for Data

Centers for real time load balancing:

insert_machine: DCAPOOL

type: p

machine: MWIN

machine: MLIN

machine: MSOL Load Balancing Using Virtual and Real Resource Dependencies

66 User Guide

■ Define a job job_load with real and virtual resource dependencies:

insert_job: job_load

job_type: CMD

command: sleep 1

machine: DCAPOOL

owner: autosys

date_condition: 0

alarm_if_fail: 1

resources: (ren_glb1, quantity=2, free=y) and (MEM_INUSE_PCT, VALUE=30,

VALUEOP=LTE)

■ Generate a report for the job (job_load) to view whether the real and virtual

resource dependencies are satisfied on the MWIN, MLIN, and MSOL machines:

job_depends -J job_load -r

The report might resemble the following:

Job Name Machine

-------- ----------

job_load MLIN

Virtual Resources

-----------------

Resource Type Amount Satisfied?

-------- ---- ------ ----------

ren_glb1 R 2 YES

Real Resources

-----------------

Resource Satisfied?

----------- -----------

MEM_INUSE_PCT, VALUE=30, VALUEOP=LTE NO

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Job Name Machine

-------- ----------

job_load MSOL

Virtual Resources

-----------------

Resource Type Amount Satisfied?

-------- ---- ------ ----------

ren_glb1 R 2 YES

Real Resources

-----------------

Resource Satisfied?

----------- -----------

MEM_INUSE_PCT, VALUE=30, VALUEOP=LTE YES

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Job Name Machine

-------- ----------

job_load MWIN Load Balancing Using Virtual and Real Resource Dependencies

Virtual Resources

-----------------

Resource Type Amount Satisfied?

-------- ---- ------ ----------

ren_glb1 R 2 YES

Real Resources

-----------------

Resource Satisfied?

----------- -----------

MEM_INUSE_PCT, VALUE=30, VALUEOP=LTE YES

The report displays that the virtual resource (ren_gbl1) is satisfied on all the

machines. However, the real resource MEM_INUSE_PCT is satisfied only on MWIN

and MSOL machines. When you start the job (job_load), CA Automation Suite for

Data Centers decides the best machine with the least overall utilization between

the MWIN and MSOL machines.

■ Start the job (job_load):

sendevent –E START_JOB –J job_load

■ Generate a detailed report for the job (job_load) to view the machine on which the

job runs:

autorep -J job_load -d

The resulting report might resemble the following:

Job Name Last Start Last End ST Run/Ntry Pri/Xit

___________________________ ____________________ ____________________ __ ________ _______

job_load 10/07/2010 15:06:21 10/07/2010 15:06:23 SU 689/1 0

Status/[Event] Time Ntry ES ProcessTime Machine

-------------- --------------------- -- -- --------------------- ----------------

STARTING 10/07/2010 15:06:21 1 PD 10/07/2010 15:06:22 MSOL

RUNNING 10/07/2010 15:06:22 1 PD 10/07/2010 15:06:22 MSOL

SUCCESS 10/07/2010 15:06:23 1 PD 10/07/2010 15:06:23 MSOL

The report displays that CA Automation Suite for Data Centers decided MSOL as the

best machine with the least overall utilization.

Load Balancing Using Real Resource Pools

68 User Guide

Load Balancing Using Real Resource Pools

If you assign the real machine pool to a job without any real resource dependencies, CA

Automation Suite for Data Centers monitors these machines and decides the best

machine with the least overall utilization for job submission.

Note: This does not apply to virtual machines although you may create a virtual machine

that is composed of real machines that are monitored by CA Automation Suite for Data

Centers.

Example: Load Balancing Using Real Machine Pools

Suppose that you want to define a job that gets submitted on a machine with least

overall utilization, you can do the following:

■ Define a real machine pool DCAPOOL to include three real machines (MWIN, MLIN,

and MSOL) that are discovered and monitored by CA Automation Suite for Data

Centers for real time load balancing:

insert_machine: DCAPOOL

type: p

machine: MWIN

machine: MLIN

machine: MSOL

■ Define a job job_load and assign the real machine pool DCAPOOL to it:

insert_job: job_load

machine: DCAPOOL

command: sleep 1

owner: autosys

CA Automation Suite for Data Centers monitors the three machines (MWIN, MLIN,

and MSOL) and decides the best machine with the least overall utilization for job

submission. For example, if the overall utilization of MWIN is 68%, MLIN is 50%, and

MSOL is 56%, CA Automation Suite for Data Centers selects MLIN machine for job

submission.

Forcing a Job to Start

■ Start the job (job_load):

sendevent –E START_JOB –J job_load

■ Generate a detailed report for the job (job_load) to view the machine on which the

job runs:

autorep -J job_load -d

The resulting report might resemble the following:

Job Name Last Start Last End ST Run/Ntry Pri/Xit

___________________________ ____________________ ____________________ __ ________ _______

job_load 10/07/2010 14:35:42 10/07/2010 14:35:43 SU 687/1 0

Status/[Event] Time Ntry ES ProcessTime Machine

-------------- --------------------- -- -- --------------------- ----------------

STARTING 10/07/2010 14:35:42 1 PD 10/07/2010 14:35:42 MLIN

RUNNING 10/07/2010 14:35:42 1 PD 10/07/2010 14:35:42 MLIN

SUCCESS 10/07/2010 14:35:43 1 PD 10/07/2010 14:35:43 MLIN

Forcing a Job to Start

If you use the sendevent command to send a FORCE_STARTJOB event to a job, CA

Workload Automation AE immediately starts the job on the machine that is specified in

the job definition, regardless of the current load on the machine or the job_load value

that is set for the job. If the job was defined to run on a virtual machine or a list of real

machines, CA Workload Automation AE checks which machine has the most processing

power available and runs the job on that machine, even if the job_load value set for the

job exceeds the max_load value set for the machine.

Notes:

■ If you send a FORCE_STARTJOB event to a job in ON_ICE or ON_HOLD status, the

job's status does not revert to its previous status when it completes.

■ If you send a FORCE_STARTJOB event to a job in RESWAIT status, the

FORCE_STARTJOB is ignored and the job remains in the RESWAIT status. You can

remove or alter the resource requirements of the job so the job is no longer in

RESWAIT and can be started.

■ If you send a FORCE_STARTJOB event to a job in FAILURE or TERMINATED status

that has a virtual resource dependency with free=Y or free=N and has not released

the virtual resources, the FORCE_STARTJOB event verifies if the job's current status

is FAILURE or TERMINATED and schedules the job using the already held virtual

resources. Before force starting the job, the scheduler does not re-evaluate other

resource dependencies.

Forcing a Job to Start

70 User Guide

Example: Force a Job to Start

This example describes the effects of forcing a job to start. Assume you scheduled Job1

to run every Monday at 3:00 A.M. On Sunday, you sent a JOB_ON_HOLD event to put

the job in ON_HOLD status, so that the job does not run as scheduled on Monday. If you

send a FORCE_STARTJOB event to Job1 on Wednesday at 2:00 P.M., Job1 runs to

completion (either success or failure), and then runs again as scheduled on Monday at

3:00 A.M. The job did not revert to the ON_HOLD status after you forced it to start on

Wednesday.

Queuing Jobs

Queuing is a mechanism used in CA Workload Automation AE to check the run order of

jobs that cannot run immediately. There is no actual physical queue. Instead, CA

Workload Automation AE uses queuing policies, which are based on the use and

subsequent interaction of the job_load and priority attributes in a job definition and the

max_load and factor attributes in a machine definition. Jobs that are in a queued state

already meet their starting conditions, but cannot start due to external conditions.

Jobs that meet their starting conditions but are in the ON_HOLD or ON_ICE state also do

not start; however, these jobs are not considered queued jobs. To place a job on hold or

on ice, send a JOB_ON_HOLD or JOB_ON_ICE event using the sendevent command. Jobs

in these states do not start until you take them off hold or off ice.

When a job leaves a queued state, the scheduler determines whether to start the job by

re-evaluating starting conditions for that job unless you configure CA Workload

Automation AE to skip starting condition evaluation for queued jobs. If a job that is

contained in a box fails its starting condition checks when leaving the queue, the

scheduler places that job in the ACTIVATED state. If a job that is not contained in a box

fails its starting condition checks when leaving the queue, the scheduler places that job

in the INACTIVE state. If the job meets its starting conditions, or if you configure the

system to skip starting condition evaluation for queued jobs, the job starts.

When you take a job off hold, the scheduler re-evaluates starting conditions for that job.

When you take a job off ice, the scheduler does not restart the job until its starting

conditions recur, even if those conditions were met while the job was on ice.

When you instruct the scheduler to bypass execution of a job, the scheduler starts the

job when it meets its starting conditions. The scheduler simulates running these jobs,

but the agent does not execute commands associated with the jobs. Bypassed jobs

evaluate as successfully completed on the scheduler machine. When you issue the

JOB_OFF_NOEXEC event, the agent executes commands associated with the specified

job the next time the job starts. Changing the executable status of a job does not affect

evaluation of starting conditions.

Notes:

■ When you take jobs off hold or when jobs leave a queued state, the scheduler does

not re-evaluate date and time conditions. Jobs that meet their date and time

conditions while they are in a queued state or on hold start as soon as they leave

the queue or are taken off hold unless other starting conditions apply and are not

satisfied.

■ If you configure CA Workload Automation AE to skip starting condition evaluation

for queued jobs, those jobs start immediately upon leaving a queued state.

■ For more information about configuring CA Workload Automation AE to skip

starting condition evaluation for queued jobs, see the Administration Guide or the

Online Help. Queuing Jobs

72 User Guide

The following sections discuss queuing jobs and give examples of how to use load

balancing and queuing to optimize job processing in your environment.

How CA Workload Automation AE Queues Jobs

For queuing to be most effective, you must set the priority attribute for all jobs. By

default, the priority attribute is set to 0, indicating that the job should not be queued

and should run immediately. When you let the priority attribute default for a job, it runs

even if its job load would push the machine over its load limit. However, even when jobs

have a priority of 0, CA Workload Automation AE tracks job loads on each machine so

that jobs with non-zero priorities can be queued.

Note: If the job has resource dependencies, CA Workload Automation AE does not use

the following process to limit the job load on machines and to queue jobs for

processing. Instead, the resource manager (CA Workload Automation AE) is used to

select the best machine to run the job.

CA Workload Automation AE uses the following process to limit the job load on

machines and to queue jobs for processing:

■ If you set a job_load value for a job and you assigned a max_load for every real

machine comprising a virtual machine, CA Workload Automation AE checks if each

machine has sufficient available load units before running the job.

When more than one job is queued, the priority value is considered first when

deciding which job to run next. If there are insufficient load units available to run

the highest priority job, no other priority jobs are considered subsequently.

■ If each real machine has sufficient load units, CA Workload Automation AE employs

the load balancing and factor algorithms to verify on which machine the job should

start.

■ If only one of the machines has sufficient load units, the job runs on that machine.

■ If none of the machines has sufficient load units, CA Workload Automation AE puts

the job in QUE_WAIT status for all the machines. The job stays in QUE_WAIT status

until one of the machines has sufficient load units available.

Note: If a job is in QUE_WAIT status and you want it to run immediately, do not force

the job to start. Instead, use the sendevent command to send a CHANGE_PRIORITY

event that changes the job's priority to 0.

Queuing Jobs

Example: Job Queuing

This example shows a simple job queuing scenario that uses a previously defined

machine named lion with a max_load of 100:

insert_job: jobA

machine: lion

job_load: 80

priority: 1

insert_job: jobB

machine: lion

job_load: 90

priority: 1

In this example, if JobA was running when JobB started, CA Workload Automation AE

would put JobB in QUE_WAIT status until JobA completes, at which point JobB can run.

Example: Job Queuing and Load Balancing

This example shows a situation in which a machine has 80 load units and multiple jobs

are waiting to start. In this example, JobB and JobC are executing, while JobA and JobD

are queued (in the QUE_WAIT state) and waiting for available load units. The numbers

in the following illustration indicate the job_load assigned to each job, and the

max_load set for the machine.

The following JIL statements define the machine and the jobs in this example:

insert_machine: cheetah

max_load: 80

insert_job: JobA

machine: cheetah

job_load: 50

priority: 70

insert_job: JobB

machine: cheetah

job_load: 50

priority: 50 Queuing Jobs

74 User Guide

insert_job: JobC

machine: cheetah

job_load: 30

priority: 60

insert_job: JobD

machine: cheetah

job_load: 30

priority: 80

In this example, JobB and JobC are already running because their starting conditions

were satisfied first. After JobB or JobC completes, JobA is considered to start before

JobD because JobA has a higher priority.

How soon JobA starts is determined by a combination of its priority and job_load

attributes, and the max_load machine attribute. The result differs based on whether

JobB or JobC finishes first, as follows:

■ If JobB finishes first, 50 load units become available, so JobA runs. After JobA or

JobB complete, sufficient load units become available, so JobD runs.

■ If JobC finishes first, only 30 load units become available, so both JobA and JobD

remain queued until JobB completes.

■ After JobB completes, a total of 80 load units become available, so both JobA and

JobD are eligible to run. Because JobA has a higher priority, it runs first. JobD runs

shortly after.

Using a Virtual Machine as a Subset of a Real Machine

One variety of virtual machine can be considered a subset of a real machine. Typically,

you would use this type of virtual machine to construct an individual queue on a given

machine. One use for this construct might be to limit the number of jobs of a certain

type that run on a machine at any given time.

Example: Define a Virtual Machine as a Subset of a Real Machine

This example shows how to define a virtual machine that functions as a subset of a real

machine, thereby acting as a queue.

In this example, cheetah is a real machine with a max_load value of 80. If you create

three different print jobs, but you want only one job to run on a machine at a time, you

can use a combination of the max_load attribute for a virtual machine and the job_load

attributes for the jobs themselves to control how the jobs run.

Queuing Jobs

To implement this scenario, you would first create the virtual machine named

cheetah_printQ as follows:

insert_machine: cheetah_printQ

machine: cheetah max_load: 15

Next, you would define the three print jobs as follows:

insert_job: Print1

machine: cheetah_printQ

job_load: 15

priority: 1

insert_job: Print2

machine: cheetah_printQ

job_load: 15

priority: 1

insert_job: Print3

machine: cheetah_printQ

job_load: 15

priority: 2

Although the real machine cheetah has a max_load value of 80, meaning that all three

jobs (with their job_load values of 15) could run on it simultaneously, the virtual

machine cheetah_printQ effectively resets the real machine's max_load to 15. Because

each job is defined to run on cheetah_printQ, not cheetah, only one of the jobs can run

at a time because each job requires all of the load units available on the specified

machine.

Note: The load units associated with a virtual machine have no interaction with the load

units for the real machine. This example implies that the virtual load of 15 does not

subtract from the load units of 80 for the real machine. Load units are simply a

convention that lets the user restrict concurrent jobs running on any one machine.

Using a Virtual Machine to Combine Subsets of Real Machines

You can also define virtual machines to combine subsets (or slices) of real machines into

one virtual machine. You might do this, for example, if there are two machines that are

print servers and you want only one print job to run at a time on each.

Example: Define a Virtual Machine to Combine Subsets of Real Machines

This example defines a virtual machine (printQ) that uses subsets of the loads available

on two real machines to control where jobs run.

User-Defined Load Balancing

76 User Guide

To implement this, you would create the virtual machine named printQ, and specify two

real machines (cheetah and camel), as shown in the following JIL statements:

insert_machine: printQ

type: v

machine: cheetah

max_load: 15

machine: camel

max_load: 15

When a job is ready to start on printQ, CA Workload Automation AE checks if the

component real machine (cheetah or camel) has enough load units available to run the

job.

■ If neither machine has enough available load units, the product puts the job in

QUE_WAIT status and starts it when there are enough load units.

■ If only one machine has enough available load units, the product starts the job on

that machine.

■ If both machines have enough available load units, the product checks the usage on

each, and starts the job on the machine with the most available CPU resources.

User-Defined Load Balancing

As an alternative to using the load balancing methods that CA Workload Automation AE

provides, you can write your own programs or batch files to check which machine to use

at run time. If you specify the name of a program or batch file as the value of the

machine attribute in the job definition, the scheduler runs the batch file at job run time,

and substitutes its output for the machine name.

If the machine returned by the script is offline, the product puts the job in PEND_MACH

status for that machine. When the missing machine returns to service, the pending job

runs on it regardless of whether the script would return a different machine name at

that point in time. Because a machine must be defined for the scheduler to run a job on

it, you must have previously defined the machine returned by the script to CA Workload

Automation AE.

User-Defined Load Balancing

Example: User-Defined Load Balancing

This example shows how you would specify a user-defined program or batch file in place

of a real or virtual machine for processing a job.

For example, you might supply the following:

insert_job: run_free

machine: '/usr/local/bin/pick_free_mach'

command: $HOME/DEL_STUFF

At run time, the script /usr/local/bin/pick_free_mach runs on the scheduler machine.

The standard output is substituted for the name of the machine, and the job runs on

that machine.

Important! The escape character in the machine value above is the back-tic character

(`), not an apostrophe ('). You must escape a program or batch file used as the machine

attribute value with back-tic characters as shown for the scheduler to recognize that the

machine value specifies a script. The apostrophe and quotation mark characters do not

work in this case.

Autosys tutorial

Pages

Monday, 21 September 2015

Chapter 3: Working with Machines

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