[comp.unix.questions] cron: b queue max run limit exceeded

stuart@bms-at.UUCP (Stuart D. Gathman) (02/20/88)

The max run limit message above is often printed on our system console
along with a rescheduling message.  This is annoying since we run applications
on the console.  (No flames on this please - our budget is tight.)

What causes this message?  Where does cron print it?  To cron's stderr?
To /dev/console?  Is there a way to change the limit?  I am hoping that
a simple redirection of stderr in /etc/rc will fix the problem, but although
strings reveals that the message comes from cron, there is no documentation
as to what is means.  We run reports using the batch/at -qb command.  This
indicates that the message has something to do with the batch queue.  But,
we are unable to duplicate the message by queueing up lots of reports!?

Please E-mail responses.
-- 
Stuart D. Gathman	<stuart@bms-at.uucp>
			<..!{vrdxhq|dgis}!bms-at!stuart>

det@hawkmoon.MN.ORG (Derek E. Terveer) (03/07/88)

> The max run limit message above is often printed on our system console
> along with a rescheduling message.  This is annoying since we run applications
> on the console.  (No flames on this please - our budget is tight.)
> 
> What causes this message?

This message is caused by having too many jobs scheduled to run in queue "b".
Its a warning only.

>			     Where does cron print it?  To cron's stderr?

Not sure -- guess it must print it to /dev/console...

> To /dev/console?  Is there a way to change the limit?

Yup -- edit your /usr/lib/cron/queuedefs file so that the line that begins with
a "b" has a bigger number than "2" in front of the "j".  This will be the
number of simultaneous jobs allowed.  Alternatively, you may define more queues
(up to 26, i believe) by defining more lines similar to the ones you will find
in that file.

hope this helps,