ChRT- change real-time attribute process scheduling

With regards to linux blog entry posted last month about process scheduling prioritization, here's another way to schedule and modify real-time attributes of linux commands when launched or currently active application PIDs using linux command chrt.

In linux, all process runs with their own respective scheduling priorities and process attributes on every CPU cycle that simply affects how linux kernel sets CPU resources and process priorities to a particular PIDS. There are three categories of linux scheduling policies namely:

a. SCHED_OTHER - this is the default linux scheduling policy
b. SCHED_FIFO - stands for FIFO, first in first out policy scheme
c. SCHED_RR, or SCHED_BATCH - stand for linux round-robin schedule policy

This linux blog entry covers an alternative approach,besides from using nice and renice, on priority scheduling of linux process and threads. Process scheduling and application prioritization is a must to know specially on thousand server farms and/or enteprise world of linux computing.

Chrt man says:
Chrt sets or retrieves the real-time scheduling attributes of an existing PID or runs COMMAND with the given attributes. Both policy (one of SCHED_OTHER, SCHED_FIFO, SCHED_RR, or SCHED_BATCH) and priority can be set and retrieved.


Chrt linux command is installed by default installation. This process attribute linux tools is part of util-linux package. The util-linux package contains a large variety of low-level linux binaries that makes a Linux system to function steadily. Among others, util-linux contains the fdisk disk configuration tool and the user account and login programs.

How to install chrt and util-linux binary package?

INSTALLATION
============

# yum -y install util-linux


MORE CHRT USAGE
===============

Let's take for example, the PID of kswapd process

# ps axuw | grep kswapd0 | grep -v kswapd
returns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
root 153 0.0 0.0 0 0 ? S< Sep10 0:01 [kswapd0]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are minimim and maximum priority value of these linux scheduling policies as shown below:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCHED_OTHER min/max priority : 0/0
SCHED_FIFO min/max priority : 1/99
SCHED_RR min/max priority : 1/99
SCHED_BATCH min/max priority : 0/0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's make it work.

CHRT APPLICATION
-----------------

The process ID of kswapd swap daemon is 153 from the above case, to determine the scheduling policy for the currently running PID

# chrt -p 153
returns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
pid 153's current scheduling policy: SCHED_OTHER
pid 153's current scheduling priority: 0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let us apply changing the priority attributes of Squid PID 5555 for example.

# chrt -p 5555
returns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
pid 5555's current scheduling policy: SCHED_OTHER
pid 5555's current scheduling priority: 0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Changing scheduling attribute of PID 5555 to 5 using chrt would be

# chrt -p 5 5555


CHRT VERIFICATION USAGE
-----------------------

# chrt -p 5555
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
pid 5555's current scheduling policy: SCHED_OTHER
pid 5555's current scheduling priority: 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As mentioned above, chrt uses other linux scheduling policies. In order to use and change the other schedule process attributes' value, simply follow as shown below

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a. SCHED_OTHER
# chrt -p 5 5555

b. SCHED_FIFO
# chrt -p -f 5 5555

c. SCHED_RR, or SCHED_BATCH
# chrt -p -r 5 5555
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make sure you verify the schedule priority attribute using chrt PID chrt verification method.

FINAL NOTE
-----------

At times, we would have an enteprise process being exectuted on non-busy hour of the day that consumes most of server resources, implementing linux priority scheduling and contolling application policy attributes would do the trick.


XCESS:
Well, am not inactive, just trying to do harder from my work around here.