Scheduling in Parallel and Distributed Computing
Scheduling refers to the process of assigning tasks to computing resources (e.g., processors,
cores, nodes) in a way that optimizes performance, resource utilization, and efficiency. Effective
scheduling minimizes execution time, reduces idle times, and balances workloads.
Key Scheduling Strategies:
1. First-Come, First-Served (FCFS):
o Description: Tasks are executed in the order they arrive.
o Advantages: Simple and easy to implement.
o Disadvantages: Can lead to long wait times, especially for shorter tasks if longer ones
arrive first (convoy effect).
2. Round Robin (RR):
o Description: Tasks are assigned time slices in a cyclic order, giving each task an equal
opportunity to run.
o Advantages: Fair and simple, avoids starvation.
o Disadvantages: Context switching overhead, not ideal for tasks with varying execution
times.
3. Priority Scheduling:
o Description: Tasks are assigned priorities, with higher priority tasks executed first.
o Advantages: Useful for prioritizing critical tasks.
o Disadvantages: Risk of lower-priority tasks starving.
4. Shortest Job First (SJF):
o Description: Executes the task with the shortest execution time first.
o Advantages: Minimizes average wait time.
o Disadvantages: Requires knowledge of task execution time, may lead to starvation of
longer tasks.
5. Multilevel Queue Scheduling:
o Description: Tasks are grouped into queues based on characteristics (e.g., interactive,
batch) and scheduled accordingly.
o Advantages: Separates tasks based on behavior, improving response times for interactive
tasks.
o Disadvantages: Complex to manage, requires tuning of queue priorities.
6. Fair Share Scheduling:
o Description: Ensures that resources are fairly distributed among users or tasks based on
pre-defined shares.
o Advantages: Ensures balanced resource usage across different jobs or users.
o Disadvantages: Can be difficult to configure optimally for varied workloads.
7. Gang Scheduling:
o Description: Schedules related tasks (e.g., threads of a parallel program) to run
simultaneously on different processors.
o Advantages: Reduces synchronization delays, improves performance for tightly coupled
tasks.
o Disadvantages: Needs coordinated resource allocation, which can be complex.
8. Backfilling:
o Description: Allows lower-priority tasks to "fill in" scheduling gaps created by waiting for
high-priority tasks to start.
o Advantages: Increases resource utilization and reduces wait times.
o Disadvantages: Can lead to complexity in maintaining the scheduling order.
Popular Scheduling Tools:
1. Slurm (Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management):
o Widely used for managing job scheduling on large clusters and supercomputers.
o Supports advanced scheduling techniques like backfilling, job priorities, and resource
reservations.
2. HTCondor:
o Specializes in managing high-throughput computing jobs across distributed resources.
o Effective for complex workflows, data-intensive applications, and job prioritization.
3. Apache Mesos:
o A cluster manager that abstracts CPU, memory, storage, and other resources, allowing
applications to share and manage resources dynamically.
o Used in data centers to manage containerized applications and big data workloads.
4. Kubernetes Scheduler:
o A core component of Kubernetes that manages pod scheduling across a cluster, taking
into account resource requirements, affinity, and constraints.
o Ideal for containerized applications, microservices, and cloud-native environments.
5. PBS (Portable Batch System):
o A job scheduling system used in HPC environments for managing batch and interactive
workloads.
o Provides capabilities like job queuing, resource allocation, and job prioritization.
