The authors analyze three approaches to scheduling mixed batch and interactive workloads on a supercomputer: (i) fixed partition, in which memory resources are statically allocated between the workloads: (ii) no partition, in which the interactive workload preempts resources as needed from the batch workload, and (iii) no partition with grouped admission, in which the interactive workload preempts resources only when the number of waiting interactive jobs reaches a threshold value. The authors also investigate the potential benefits of using virtual memory to perform the automatic overlay of jobs too large to fit in the amount of real memory instantaneously available to them. Using analytic tools, they compare the different policies according to the average speedup achieved by the batch workload given that a mean interactive job response time objective must be met by each. They show that, under a wide variety of conditions, fixed partition performs better than the other policies.
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