serialize(1)                                                   serialize(1)




 NAME    [Toc]    [Back]
      serialize - force target process to run serially with other processes

 SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]
      serialize command [command_args]

      serialize [-t] [-p pid]

 DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]
      The serialize command is used to force the target process to run
      serially with other processes also marked by this command.  The target
      process can be referred to by pid value, or it can be invoked directly
      on the command.  Once a process has been marked by serialize, the
      process stays marked until process completion unless serialize is
      reissued on the serialized process with the -t option.  The -t option
      causes the pid specified with the -p option to return to normal
      timeshare scheduling algorithms.

      This call is used to improve process throughput, since process
      throughput usually increases for large processes when they are
      executed serially instead of allowing each program to run for only a
      short period of time.  By running large processes one at a time, the
      system makes more efficient use of the CPU as well as system memory,
      since each process does not end up constantly faulting in its working
      set, to only have the pages stolen when another process starts
      running.  As long as there is enough memory in the system, processes
      marked by serialize behave no differently from other processes in the
      system.  However, once memory becomes tight, processes marked by
      serialize are run one at a time with the highest priority processes
      being run first.  Each process will run for a finite interval of time
      before another serialized process is allowed to run.

    Options    [Toc]    [Back]
      serialize supports the following options:

           -t        Indicates the process specified by pid should be
                     returned to timeshare scheduling.

           -p        Indicates the pid of the target process.

      If neither option is specified, serialize is invoked on the command
      line passed in.












 Hewlett-Packard Company            - 1 -   HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003






 serialize(1)                                                   serialize(1)




 RETURN VALUE    [Toc]    [Back]
      serialize returns the following value:

           0    Successful completion.
           1    Invalid pid specification, nonnumeric entry, or <=
                PID_MAXSYS.
           2    Could not execute the specified command.
           3    No such process.
           4    Must be root or a member of a group having SERIALIZE
                privilege to execute serialize.

 ERRORS    [Toc]    [Back]
      serialize fails under the following condition and sets errno (see
      errno(2)) to the following value:

           [ESRCH]        The pid passed in does not exist.

 EXAMPLES    [Toc]    [Back]
      Use serialize to force a database application to run serially with
      other processes marked for serialization:

           serialize database_app

      Force a currently running process with a pid value of 215 to run
      serially with other processes marked for serialization:

           serialize -p 215

      Return a process previously marked for serialization to normal
      timeshare scheduling.  The pid of the target process for this example
      is 174:

           serialize -t -p 174

 WARNINGS    [Toc]    [Back]
      The user has no way of forcing an execution order on serialized
      processes.

 AUTHOR    [Toc]    [Back]
      serialize was developed by HP.

 SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]
      setprivgrp(1M), getprivgrp(2), serialize(2).


 Hewlett-Packard Company            - 2 -   HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003