Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jpl-devvax!david
From: david@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (David E. Smyth)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: SunOS and SVRn Scheduler Algorithm
Message-ID: <7085@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 16 Feb 90 00:05:44 GMT
Reply-To: david@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (David E. Smyth)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Lines: 16

Can somebody please post the actual scheduling algorithm used by SunOS
4.0.3?  And for System V just so we stay compatable.

Why?  There is some difference of opinion here about how effective
"nice" is in controlling how much various processes execute.  The SunOS
documents are completely vague in the sveral places process priorities
are discussed, such as nice(1), getpriority(2), and so on.

In one place there is a statement that processes which use more CPU get
a lower effective priority by the scheduler so that interactive
processes are more responsive.  Elsewhere is a comment that a priority
of 19 means the process will never run unless no other process has
anything to do.

The actual algorithm should clear up this confusion.  I'm very suprised
its not in the documentation.