Prioritizing Class A Jobs

You can reserve any number of background processing work processes to be kept free for high-priority, or class A, jobs. Reserving work processes for class A jobs does not reserve any particular work process in a server for class A jobs, but rather makes sure a certain number of work processes is free at all times. To set the number of class A background work processes, you’ll need to set the work process distribution and assign each work process to an operation mode. For more information, see Prioritization Strategies for Class A Jobs.

Procedure

To set the number of work processes to keep free for high-priority jobs in the definition of an instance (SAP application server):

1. Call Transaction RZ04 or choose CCMS
® Configuration ® Operation Modes / Instances.
2. To review the current configuration of SAP instances and operation modes and begin defining up background processing servers, choose Instances/operation modes.
3. If the server you want to set up as a background processing server doesn’t appear in this list, create a new instance. Choose Instance ® Create new instance. Complete the instance definition in this Maintain Instance Data window, then save.
4. Once the server you want to set up as a background processing server appears in this list, select the mode for that server then select Choose.
5. In the Maintain Work Process Distribution screen, set the number of work process by selecting the current number and increasing or decreasing it with the "-" or "+" buttons.
6. Save here, return to the previous screen, and save again. These changes will take effect when the operation mode is next activated.

Numbers of Class A background work processes:

0
The default number. Use this value if you do not have mission- or system-critical class A jobs that must always start immediately when they become eligible to start. In this case, jobs are simply run according to their priority, or "class". Work processes are not kept free for class A jobs.

1 or more
Use this value to guarantee that mission- or system-critical jobs start immediately once they become eligible to start. One background processing work process will always be kept free for class A jobs, ensuring no class A job has to wait for a free background work process.

To keep background work processes available for jobs that aren’t class A, be sure that the number of class A work processes is less than the total number of background work processes in an application server. Otherwise, only class A jobs will be eligible to run on that server.

To reserve an entire application server exclusively for class A jobs, set the number of class A work processes to the total number of background work processes. For example, if an SAP server offers 4 background work processes and the class A reservation for the server is set to 4, only class A jobs can start at that server.

The class A setting is in effect whenever the operation mode(s) in which it is defined are active.