Re: Launching Mathematica kernel with Windows 'start' command in order to customise the priority of the kernel process
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg76130] Re: [mg76009] Launching Mathematica kernel with Windows 'start' command in order to customise the priority of the kernel process
- From: John Fultz <jfultz at wolfram.com>
- Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 05:46:50 -0400 (EDT)
- Reply-to: jfultz at wolfram.com
Under Windows, the kernel takes the command-line argument... -threadpriority=n where n can be -2, -1, 0, 1, or 2. This is the relative thread priority to the default priority with which the kernel was launched (negative being lower priority). A word of warning...this is not such a great idea in version 6. It was with great difficulty that we tuned the thread priorities under Windows so that both the kernel and the FE would be responsive in a world of Manipulate and Dynamic. Sincerely, John Fultz jfultz at wolfram.com User Interface Group Wolfram Research, Inc. On Mon, 14 May 2007 05:53:08 -0400 (EDT), Andrew Moylan wrote: > Hi all, > > Like some previous posters (http://groups.google.com/group/comp.soft- > sys.math.mathematica/browse_thread/thread/264aaac68d41add2?tvc=2&q= > %22shell+command%22#), I'd love to configure the Mathematica kernel > attached to my front end to automatically start and run at a lower > priority in Windows. The Windows "start" command has been suggested > for this purpose, and would seem ideal, but I have had no success with > it. Here is what I've tried: > > Under "Advanced Options" in the Kernel configuration, the following > works just fine to create a (normal priority) local kernel: > > Arguments to MLOpen: -LinkMode Listen -LinkName "test" > Shell command to launch kernel: mathkernel -mathlink -LinkMode Connect > -LinkName "test" > > Starting here, I would assume that making the following adjustment > would be adequate to change the priority: > > Shell command to launch kernel: start /low mathkernel -mathlink - > LinkMode Connect -LinkName "test" > > Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, making that change causes > the kernel to fail to start. The symptons are: Kernel menu -> Start > Kernel -> [click on kernel name] -> [nothing apparently happens at > all]. Here are some other shell commands I have tried, with identical > symptoms: > > Shell command to launch kernel: start /wait mathkernel -mathlink - > LinkMode Connect -LinkName "test" > Shell command to launch kernel: start mathkernel -mathlink -LinkMode > Connect -LinkName "test" > Shell command to launch kernel: start "title" /wait mathkernel - > mathlink -LinkMode Connect -LinkName "test" > Shell command to launch kernel: start "title" mathkernel -mathlink - > LinkMode Connect -LinkName "test" > and all of the above with 'mathkernel' replaced by the full path to > MathKernel.exe. > > Note that opening a Windows command prompt and typing any of the above > works just fine to start mathkernel; but for reasons unknown, none of > them appear to do anything when used in the "Shell command to launch > kernel" box. > > The following is probably related: if I create a batch file, > startkernel.bat, and place the relevant shell command into it (any of > the above, including those that don't use the 'start' command and > instead directly run mathkernel.exe), I experience the same symptoms. > > Any ideas? > > Cheers, > > Andrew