ln queue ``program'' ``program''
In all cases, queue creates a virtual connection to an instance of the queued(8) daemon which performs the actual operation. The daemon may reside on the local host or on another host which can be reached through the internet. Necessary files (arguments) will be supplied to the daemon and output will be returned to the user of queue.
Programs run by queue inherit the environment of the invoker, even if the actual execution takes place on a remote host. Moreover, certain characteristics may be controlled by setting predefined environment variables.
The QMAXCPU environment variable places a (lower) ceiling on the number of CPU seconds that a process may consume. It is useful to prevent runaway processes from using up excessive resources. In no event can the QMAXCPU variable be used to increase the the cpu time beyond that set in the program's queued configuration file. Similarly, the QMAXTIME environment variable places a ceiling on the number of real seconds for which a process may run. This is useful in cases where processes could become ``hung,'' accruing no CPU time but blocking the queue.
The QMINNICE environment variable alters the base nice (scheduling priority). Increasing this variable causes the process to receive a smaller percent of the cpu resource per unit time. A high ``nice'' should be used for long-running, non-time-critical jobs to avoid slowing down the system for interactive users. The QMINNICE variable cannot be used to lower the ``nice'' below the value specified in the program's queued configuration file.
The QNOTIFY variable sets the method of notification upon completion of batch jobs. It may be set to "mail" for mail only, to "send" for terminal messages only, to "saml" for both, to "soml" for mail only in the event that terminal messages cannot be delivered, and to "none" for no special notification. If not set, QNOTIFY defaults to "mail." Note that in all cases any errors generated by the job will be mailed and that the additional informational mailing will be suppressed in these cases.