Index: trunk/doc/release.2015/ps1.datasystem/pantasks.tex
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+
+Other task options discussed below exist to control the system
+behavior in detail.  Note that the options below may be dynamically
+reset by the \code{task.exec} macro.   
+
+\note{this section probably has too much detail; move this into an
+  online user guide?}
+
+The option ``npending'' may be used to limit the number of jobs which
+are simultaneously executed for a specific task.  For example, some
+classes of jobs should only be run one-at-a-time because they are not
+protected against collisions or they may overload a resource.  The use
+of ``npending'' allows these situations to be handled cleanly within
+\ippprog{pantasks} (avoiding cumbersome coding within with program or supporting
+script).
+
+The option ``nmax'' limits the total number of jobs which a task
+generates.  This option may be useful in cases where
+\ippprog{pantasks} is used to perform a limited set of operations.
+\note{do we actually use this in IPP?}
+
+The option ``trange'' allows the user to restrict the time period during
+which the specific tasks is executed.  This option is given with a
+start and an end time for the limiting time range.  These times may be
+of one of several forms: ``HH:MM:SS'' specifies a time within a day
+(in UT or local time?).  ``Day[@HH:MM:SS]'' specifies a time on a
+specific day, e.g., \code{trange Mon@13:00 Tue@09:00} says the task
+should be run from 1pm on Mondays to 9am on Tuesdays.  ``YYYY/MM/DD,HH:MM:SS''
+specifies a time on a specific date within the year.  The start and
+end times must be of the same class.  The \code{trange} command has
+some optional arguments as well.  The option \code{-nmax NNN} defines
+the maximum number of jobs which may be run in that time range.  The
+option \code{-exclude} specifies that the time range is a period when
+the task should {\em not} be executed.  An arbirary number of time
+ranges may be specified \note{how are they evaluated?}
+
+The option \code{nice} specifies the ``nice'' level at which the job is
+run when it is executed.  The parallel processing system must respect
+this concept.
+
+The option \code{active} can be used to turn on and off a task for
+periods.  Since a user command or a macro run by \ippprog{pantasks} can
+re-define task options, the \code{active} state may be changed
+independently of the task execute.  This is useful for keeping tasks
+defined by a \ippprog{pantasks} instance, but allowing the user to
+prevent them from running for some reason.
+