serialize(1)serialize(1)NAMEserialize - force target process to run serially with other processes
SYNOPSIS
command [command_args]
pid]
DESCRIPTION
The command is used to force the target process to run serially with
other processes also marked by this command. The target process can be
referred to by pid value, or it can be invoked directly on the command.
Once a process has been marked by the process stays marked until
process completion unless is reissued on the serialized process with
the option. The option causes the pid specified with the option to
return to normal timeshare scheduling algorithms.
This call is used to improve process throughput, since process through‐
put usually increases for large processes when they are executed seri‐
ally instead of allowing each program to run for only a short period of
time. By running large processes one at a time, the system makes more
efficient use of the CPU as well as system memory, since each process
does not end up constantly faulting in its working set, to only have
the pages stolen when another process starts running. As long as there
is enough memory in the system, processes marked by behave no differ‐
ently from other processes in the system. However, once memory becomes
tight, processes marked by are run one at a time with the highest pri‐
ority processes being run first. Each process will run for a finite
interval of time before another serialized process is allowed to run.
Options
supports the following options:
Indicates the process specified by
pid should be returned to timeshare scheduling.
Indicates the
pid of the target process.
If neither option is specified, is invoked on the command line passed
in.
RETURN VALUE
returns the following value:
Successful completion.
Invalid
pid specification, nonnumeric entry, or pid specification
is that of a special system process.
Could not execute the specified command.
No such process.
Must be root or a member of a group having the
privilege to execute
ERRORS
fails under the following condition and sets (see errno(2)) to the fol‐
lowing value:
The pid passed in does not exist.
EXAMPLES
Use to force a database application to run serially with other pro‐
cesses marked for serialization:
Force a currently running process with a pid value of 215 to run seri‐
ally with other processes marked for serialization:
Return a process previously marked for serialization to normal time‐
share scheduling. The pid of the target process for this example is
WARNINGS
The user has no way of forcing an execution order on serialized pro‐
cesses.
AUTHOR
was developed by HP.
SEE ALSOsetprivgrp(1M), getprivgrp(2), serialize(2).
serialize(1)
