Job Dependencies

Often the most convenient way to build a complex task is to split the task into subtasks. In these cases, subtasks depend on the completion of other subtasks before the dependent subtasks can get started. An example is that a predecessor task produces an output file that must be read and processed by a dependent task.

The grid engine system supports interdependent tasks with its job dependency facility. You can configure jobs to depend on the completion of one or more other jobs. The facility is enforced by the qsub -hold_jid command. You can specify a list of jobs upon which the submitted job depends. The list of jobs can also contain subsets of array jobs. The submitted job is not eligible for execution unless all jobs in the dependency list have finished.