Q: What does a batch scheduler do?
Q: What kinds of jobs do I need to schedule?
Q: My system already has cron on it, so why would I need Xi-Batch?
Q: Is Xi-Batch just a layer over cron?
Q: I have job scheduling in my management framework product. Do I need Xi-Batch?
Q: What does it mean to “export” a job?
Q: Does Xi-Batch support Microsoft Windows?
Q: How does Xi-Batch help me manage my system?
Q: How do jobs get into the Xi-Batch system?
Q: What additional control does Xi-Batch provide?
Q: Can I manually start jobs?
Q: Is the Xi-Batch system difficult to install and learn?
Q: My operators are busy enough now. I'm worried that if users start submitting jobs through Xi-Batch, it will create more work for the operations staff.

What does a batch scheduler do?

A batch scheduler is a program that allows you to create a job (or series of jobs) for your computer to do, and then runs it for you at a specific time and/or when certain conditions are right for it to run. Schedules can be one time (e.g., run this job starting at 2AM tomorrow morning), or repetitive (e.g., run this job on the 3rd working day of every month). [Back to top]

What kinds of jobs do I need to schedule?

Some of your scheduled jobs are dictated by the type of business you're running. If you send bills to your customers, then you'd want to set up a schedule of jobs to automatically generate and print bills according to your company's billing schedule. Every business has jobs that run on a regular schedule, some daily, some weekly, monthly or on a specialized schedule, such as a manufacturing schedule. You can reduce your workload, reduce the chance of errors and increase your operational efficiency by automating the jobs that get run on a regular basis. Robust job scheduling systems like Xi-Batch let you manage your computing resources more efficiently, with less operator intervention. [Back to top]

My system already has cron on it, so why would I need Xi-Batch?

Very simple schedules can be handled by cron, but it has many limitations. Interdependencies between jobs cannot be handled directly by cron, nor can it handle coordination of jobs across hosts. There is no display of jobs, no load leveling capability and no means of controlling jobs once cron has started them. Cron has limited security features, no job monitoring and no graphical interfaces. While talented programmers can create complex job flows and use cron to initiate these processes, cron remains essentially a timer function to start the process in motion, similar to pushing over the first domino in a chain. [Back to top]

Is Xi-Batch just a layer over cron?

No! Unlike some other scheduling products which are little more than a fancy user interface over the standard UNIX utilities, Xi-Batch has been developed from the ground up. It does not rely on any other software products or utilities for its operation. Plus, it goes far beyond cron functionality by adding networking, job chaining, environment control and user security. [Back to top]

I have job scheduling in my management framework product. Do I need Xi-Batch?

Only you can make that determination. Our customers have told us, though that Xi-Batch delivers better functionality and reliability than the scheduling components of many of the leading system management framework products, with a much lower price tag. [Back to top]

What does it mean to “export” a job?

Xi-Batch is a fully networked job scheduling and management system. This means that jobs can be submitted on one system and be moved to another system to actually run. This is quite useful in “server farm” installations with many machines having access to common database, storage and application resources. When you “export” a job in Xi-Batch, it means that you are allowing it to be viewed, managed or actually run on a remote system. Without this export attribute, a job is only accessible on the machine where it is submitted. [Back to top]

Does Xi-Batch support Microsoft Windows?

Xi-Batch supports Microsoft Windows in a number of ways. First, we provide a Windows user interface (Win 95 and later) for submission, viewing and management of jobs in the Xi-Batch system. Additionally, there is an NT Agent (NT/2000/XP) that allows a Xi-Batch server to submit and run jobs on a Windows server. Xi-Batch provides two-way file transfer to Windows servers and the ability to remote launch Windows applications. [Back to top]

How does Xi-Batch help me manage my system?

If you're a system administrator, Xi-Batch gives you an up-to-the-second view of all jobs currently running and scheduled to run in your system.. You can tailor this view as you see fit, to show all jobs on all hosts in your network, or just those jobs on a specific host. You can also tailor the display to show jobs from a given user, or jobs that are members of a particular job queue. Xi-Batch shows you the status of each job, indicated by the color of its display line. With a simple mouse click, you can control jobs, too, restarting ones that may have failed, manually starting jobs, changing priorities or putting pending jobs on hold. [Back to top]

How do jobs get into the Xi-Batch system?

Xi-Batch has multiple mechanisms for submission of jobs. You can submit jobs using the Motif GUI with a couple of mouse clicks. You can also submit jobs from a command prompt, or jobs may be submitted from other jobs or scripts that are running in your system. With the available API, you can submit jobs to the scheduler from within your own applications. [Back to top]

What additional control does Xi-Batch provide?

Xi-Batch provides increased control in a number of areas, including increased security for your systems and greater control of its resources.

• USER CONTROL: A user (a person or application) must be defined to the Xi-Batch system before Xi-Batch will accept jobs from that user. In addition, Xi-Batch allows you to specify which operations may be performed on jobs by each user, including viewing of jobs. By default, a user can only see and control his/her own jobs in the system. Additionally, Xi-Batch provides load control and prioritization by user to maintain the overall efficient operation of your system. Xi-Batch can protect the integrity of your networked hosts by requiring users to submit jobs only through Xi-Batch. (When using Xi-Batch, you do not need to give a user a login to a remote system in order for them to be allowed to submit jobs to that system. Xi-Batch serves as your gatekeeper.)
• LOAD MANAGEMENT: Each job is given a load level value, and Xi-Batch lets you set a maximum total load value for all jobs submitted to the system. As an example, if your system load level maximum is set to 5000, then Xi-Batch will be allowed to start up to 5 jobs with a load level value of 1000 each, or 10 jobs with a load level value of 500 each, or any combination that does not exceed the system maximum.
• JOB CHAINING: Xi-Batch uses scheduling and control variables to control the flow of jobs in your system. Xi-Batch or the jobs themselves can assign values to these variables, which are then tested by other jobs pending in the system. When the proper variable conditions are met, the job is made eligible to run.
• JOB PRIORITIZATION: Jobs can be assigned priorities in the system, and users can be restricted in the priority levels they are permitted to assign to their jobs. All else being equal, jobs of higher priority will be considered for execution before those of a lower priority. Using load leveling, time scheduling and job priority in combination gives you extraordinary flexibility in the management of your system workload.

Can I manually start jobs?

Yes! It is quite easy to submit jobs in a held state, to be released to run on the direction of the user, operator or administrator. Once you have installed Xi-Batch, you'll find yourself using it as your central control and monitoring point for all your batch processing. [Back to top]

Is the Xi-Batch system difficult to install and learn?

Not at all. Installation can be accomplished in just a few minutes. Once you copy the distribution files to your system and create a special user account to own the Xi-Batch files and programs, installation is quick and straightforward. Xi-Batch does not interfere with your existing systems, meaning that you can evaluate, test and migrate to a Xi-Batch powered system with a minimum of hassle. [Back to top]

My operators are busy enough now. I'm worried that if users start submitting jobs through Xi-Batch, it will create more work for the operations staff.

Actually, Xi-Batch will likely reduce the amount of work your operators need to do. Users who submit jobs using Xi-Batch can use the same monitoring and control screens available to the operators, but restricted in scope to just their own jobs. Users can be given much more control over their own work without having to grant them administrative rights to the jobs of others. [Back to top]