Backoff Job Queue Polling Mechanism

• US 20140259018A1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Jain, Nitin
• Granted Patent: US 9,448,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Abstract

A backoff polling algorithm may use a minimum polling interval which represents an amount of time between repeated polls of a job step queue. When polled, the job step queue may indicate a number of job steps scheduled to execute currently. Additionally, the backoff polling algorithm may repeatedly poll the job step queue at the current polling interval and execute any job steps indicated until the step queue indicates that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is below a minimum threshold. While the indicated number of job steps is below the minimum threshold, the backoff polling algorithm may repeatedly increase the polling interval up to a predetermined maximum polling interval and poll at each increased interval until the indicated number of job steps is above the minimum threshold. The backoff polling algorithm may then decrease the polling interval to the minimum polling interval.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing, by a computer;

setting a polling interval to a minimum interval, wherein the polling interval represents an amount of time between repeated polls of a job step queue;

wherein in response to being polled the job step queue is configured to indicate a number of job steps scheduled to execute currently;

repeatedly polling the job step queue at the polling interval and executing any job steps indicated by the step queue as scheduled to execute currently until the step queue indicates that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is below a minimum job step threshold;

while the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is below the minimum job step threshold;

repeatedly increasing the polling interval; and

polling the job step queue at each increased polling interval until the job step queue indicates that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is above the minimum job step threshold; and

in response to the job step queue indicating that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is above the minimum job step threshold, decreasing the polling interval to the minimum polling interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said repeatedly polling the job step queue at the polling interval comprises:

determining that the job step queue has been polled at the minimum polling interval more often than a predetermined maximum threshold; and

increasing the polling interval for at least one polling cycle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said repeatedly increasing the polling interval comprises repeatedly increasing the polling interval by a variable interval increment, wherein the variable increment varies exponentially between each increase.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said repeatedly increasing the polling interval comprises repeatedly increasing the polling interval by a fixed interval increment up to a predetermined maximum polling interval.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the interval increment is adjustable based on user input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the minimum job step threshold is adjustable based on user input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein decreasing the polling interval to the minimum polling interval comprises repeatedly decreasing the polling interval over a plurality of polling intervals during which the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently remains above the minimum job step threshold.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform:

setting a polling interval to a minimum interval, wherein the polling interval represents an amount of time between repeated polls of a job step queue;

wherein in response to being polled the step queue is configured to indicate a number of job steps scheduled to execute currently;

repeatedly polling the job step queue at the polling interval and executing any job steps indicated by the step queue as scheduled to execute currently until the step queue indicates that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is below a minimum job step threshold;

repeatedly increasing the polling interval and polling the job step queue at each increased polling interval until the job step queue indicates that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is above the minimum job step threshold; and

decreasing the polling interval to the minimum polling interval.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein said repeatedly polling the job step queue at the polling interval comprises:

determining that the job step queue has been polled at the minimum polling interval more often than a predetermined maximum threshold; and

increasing the polling interval for at least one polling cycle.

10. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein said repeatedly increasing the polling interval comprises repeatedly increasing the polling interval by a variable interval increment, wherein the variable increment varies exponentially between each increase.

11. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein said repeatedly increasing the polling interval comprises repeatedly increasing the polling interval by a fixed interval increment up to a predetermined maximum polling interval.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the fixed interval increment is adjustable based on user input.

13. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the minimum job step threshold is adjustable based on user input.

14. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein decreasing the polling interval to the minimum polling interval comprises repeatedly decreasing the polling interval over a plurality of polling intervals during which the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently remains above the minimum job step threshold.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores program instructions that when executable on the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform;

setting a polling interval to an initial interval, wherein the polling interval represents an amount of time between repeated polls of a job step queue;

wherein in response to being polled the step queue is configured to indicate a number of job steps scheduled to execute currently;

repeatedly increasing the polling interval and polling the job step queue at each increased polling interval until the job step queue indicates that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is above a minimum job step threshold; and

in response to the job step queue indicating that the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently is above the minimum job step threshold, decreasing the polling interval to a minimum polling interval.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said repeatedly increasing the polling interval comprises repeatedly increasing the polling interval by a variable interval increment, wherein the variable increment varies exponentially between each increase up to a predetermined maximum polling interval.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said repeatedly increasing the polling interval comprises repeatedly increasing the polling interval by a fixed interval increment up to a predetermined maximum polling interval.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the fixed interval increment is adjustable based on user input.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the minimum job step threshold is adjustable based on user input.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein decreasing the polling interval to the minimum polling interval comprises repeatedly decreasing the polling interval over a plurality of polling intervals during which the number of job steps scheduled to execute currently remains above the minimum job step threshold.