Scheduling theory

In computing, scheduling is the method by which work specified by some means is assigned to resources that complete the work. The work may be virtual computation elements such as threads, processes or data flows, which are in turn scheduled onto hardware resources such as processors, network links or expansion cards.

A scheduler is what carries out the scheduling activity. Schedulers are often implemented so they keep all computer resources busy (as in load balancing), allow multiple users to share system resources effectively, or to achieve a target quality of service. Scheduling is fundamental to computation itself, and an intrinsic part of the execution model of a computer system; the concept of scheduling makes it possible to have computer multitasking with a single central processing unit (CPU).

A scheduler may aim at one or more of many goals, for example: maximizing throughput (the total amount of work completed per time unit); minimizing wait time (time from work becoming enabled until the first point it begins execution on resources); minimizing latency or response time (time from work becoming enabled until it is finished in case of batch activity, or until the system responds and hands the first output to the user in case of interactive activity); or maximizing fairness (equal CPU time to each process, or more generally appropriate times according to the priority and workload of each process). In practice, these goals often conflict (e.g. throughput versus latency), thus a scheduler will implement a suitable compromise. Preference is measured by any one of the concerns mentioned above, depending upon the user's needs and objectives.

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