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Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 01:11:03 +0200 (CEST)
From: Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
To: Steve Bertrand <steve@ibctech.ca>
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Cc: "freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Questions -" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject: Re: Set task priority
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> When I run the command, other critical programs fail to respond causing
> an 'outage-like' situation.
>
> Normally, this is a time-of-day task and will run happily later into the
> night, but I want to run it now.
>
> What is the best way to set priority on my task in order to ensure it
> completes as quickly as possible, but does not cause a situation where
> other programs and their children can't respond?

generally single program could not make that - FreeBSD schedules tasks 
well. in certain cases it may be like that.

For example - programs that runs for long time constantly and uses CPU 
gets automatically "downgraded" so your newly run backup task can make 
them really out of CPU power.

man nice

will help you - get your backup program priority down.


Actually i don't know if "downgrading" (called autorenice) can be disabled 
for certain processes. If would make sense for - say - database servers.

Anyone know?