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Resource control in BICsuite: Optimal utilization and stability of your IT infrastructure

In modern IT environments, especially with complex and dynamic workloads, the efficient management and control of system resources is crucial. Bottlenecks in CPU, memory, network bandwidth, or software licenses can lead to delays, errors, and system instability. The workload Automation Systems BICsuite and schedulix (Open Source) offer a sophisticated resource control system that ensures that jobs only start when the required resources are available and that these resources are used optimally during execution. This helps to avoid or minimize errors caused by resource bottlenecks.

The basis: Named Resources

Named Resources are at the heart of resource control in BICsuite. A Named Resource is the definition of a class of resources that can be used to map physical or logical resources. When you create a new resource, you must first decide what type of resource it should be:

CATEGORY: Used for the hierarchical structuring and organization of named resources, similar to folders.
STATIC: Describes static runtime environments that are provided, for example, by installed software packages or user environments. An instance of this resource must exist and be available for a job that requires it to start.
SYSTEM: Maps system parameters such as CPU units, main memory units, or disk space. When used, this resource must be quantified, i.e., a job must specify the required amount (e.g., 3 CPU units or 10 GB of disk space).
SYNCHRONIZING: Special resources for synchronizing parallel jobs. Whether a resource request can be fulfilled may depend on the current status of the resource, the last status update time, and competing allocation by other flow objects. Here, too, it is possible to quantify the request. A synchronizing resource can be assigned a resource state profile that defines the possible states of the resource. Without such a profile, no status- or timestamp-related requests can be defined.

Resource Requirements and Availability

Jobs place requirements on resources that must be met before they can be executed. These requirements are managed and monitored using various fields:

Requirable Quantity: The maximum quantity of a resource that a job may request.
Number: Specifies the total number of units of the resource available.
Free quantity: Shows the number of currently free instances of this resource.
Load: A graphical bar visualizes the current utilization rate of the resource.
Online: Allows you to manually switch a resource online or offline. An offline resource is temporarily unavailable.
Condition: A condition can be stored here that must be met for the resource to be recognized as valid.

Controlling resource behavior

BICsuite offers advanced mechanisms for fine-grained control of resource behavior:

Sticky flag: If this switch is set, the resource is retained within a master batch until the last job that required this resource with the sticky flag enabled has been completed. This prevents other jobs from using the resource in the meantime.
NO_KEEP: The resource is released after the job is completed, regardless of success or failure.
KEEP: The resource is only released when the job has reached a final status (in the case of error, the resource is kept).
KEEP_FINAL: The resource is only released when the job and all its children have reached a final status.
Lock Mode: Defines the access mode to the required resource (e.g., exclusive or shared).
Resource Status: For Synchronizing Resources that are assigned to a Resource State Profile, a list of required Resource States can be entered. The job can only start if the resource is in one of these states.
Load Profile (Footprint): Combines several requirements for SYSTEM resources under one name. This simplifies job definitions, as all requirements defined in the load profile must be available in sufficient quantity for a job server.

Advantages of BICsuite resource control

The comprehensive resource control in BICsuite offers decisive advantages:

Avoidance of bottlenecks: Precise control ensures that jobs only start when sufficient resources are available, preventing system overload.
Optimal utilization: Resources are used more efficiently because BICsuite intelligently orchestrates distribution and release.
Increased stability: Reduction of errors and downtime that could arise from resource conflicts.
Better predictability: Resource consumption is easier to plan, and the impact on the rest of the system can be dynamically adjusted.
Flexibility: Support for complex scenarios such as parallel processing, in which resources are dynamically allocated and managed for subprocesses.

BICsuite resource control is therefore an indispensable tool for ensuring the performance, stability, and efficiency of your entire IT infrastructure and reliably automating complex workloads.

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