Eliminating CPU Waste

Solaris Resource Manager never wastes CPU availability. No matter how low a user's allocation, that user is always given all the available CPU if there are no competing users. One consequence of this is that users may notice performance that is less smooth than usual. If a user with a very low effective share is running an interactive process without any competition, the job will appear to run quickly. However, as soon as another user with a greater effective share demands CPU time, it will be given to that user in preference to the first user, so the first user will notice a marked job slow-down. Nevertheless, Solaris Resource Manager goes to some lengths to ensure that legitimate users are not cut off and unable to do any work. All processes being scheduled by Solaris Resource Manager (except those with a maximum nice value) will be allocated CPU regularly by the scheduler. There is also logic to prevent a new user that has just logged in from being given an arithmetically "fair" but excessively large proportion of the CPU to the detriment of existing users.