mark%umcp-cs@udel-relay@sri-unix.UUCP (08/24/83)
From: Mark Weiser <mark%umcp-cs@udel-relay> Here is merged response to several recent topics. We run our whole system file saves multi-user. After noticing that they took much longer this way (not too surprising), we started nicing the dumping program to -18 (pretty heavy priority). Did this help? Not very much. What good is a nice if even when you are not very nice at all it hardly buys a thing. The problem is apparently that dump mostly is doing i/o, and somehow being very negatively nice doesn't help it get buffers and things fast as it needs them.
edhall%rand-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (08/24/83)
On the other hand, you'll find that a positive nice does make it take longer--without reducing the effect on other users. Once again, it is because nice number does not affect I/O operations. Has anyone figured out a way to make nice really `nice' for I/O- intensive processes? -Ed