A JAMS Queue provides a temporary holding place for pending Jobs and Setups on a first-in-first-out basis. Queues can be assigned to Jobs, Setups and Folders.

Queues are either in a started or stopped state and can be set to run multiple jobs simultaneously. To enhance load balancing capabilities you can also specify what node a Queue is started on.

Note: Defining and using Queues in JAMS is optional.

Defining a New Queue

To define a new Queue, follow the steps below:

On the JAMS Client select the Queues shortcut.
This action opens the Queues Definitions View.
Choose the green Add button on the JAMS Ribbon to open the JAMS Queue Definition Wizard.
On the Queue Name page, enter a unique name and description for the Queue. Click the Next button.
Choose Finish to complete the Queue definition process.

Modifying Queue Properties

Queues can be modified by accessing its definitions window.

To open a Queue's property definition, double-click a Queue from the Definitions View list.

A Queue definition is organized into two tabs. The Name tab displays a Queue’s basic Name, Description and Last Changed properties. The Status tab allows you to adjust the Queue’s start/stop status and Job Limit setting.

On the Status tab the Status checkbox indicates if the Queue has currently started. If true, Jobs submitted to the Queue are available to run.
Use the Job Limit adjustment to define the maximum the number of Jobs that can run concurrently.
From the Started On section, you can add, delete or modify the Agent nodes where the Queue originates. This can include a single node or a list of nodes.

Note: An Agent node name in a Job definition overrides an Agent node name in a Queue definition. However, the Job still runs on the assigned Queue and adheres to any Job Limit settings defined within the Queue.

Manually Stopping and Starting a Queue

When a Job is waiting for a Queue Job limit slot it cannot execute. However, you can manually start a Queue by right-clicking the Queue’s context menu from the Queue Definitions View and choosing the Start command. Conversely, you can select the Stop command to manually halt the Queue.

Queues and Resources

While there are similarities between Batch Queues and Resources there are some significant differences that are spelled out below.

A Batch Queue is defined by the number of concurrent Job executions and Job limitation settings.

When submitting a Job, a Batch Queue can be adjusted, but a Resource cannot.

A Resource definition is based on the total number of unit quantities available. As these Jobs run they consume the available units that are released upon completion.

Resource requirements can be defined at the System, Folder and the Job level. These values are then added together to define the total units required for the Job to begin executing.