Programmed restarts

Abstract

It can happen to the computer programs that require long execution times that their runs are interrupted due to various reasons lying outside the programs. Part 1 of this paper estimates how much time we shall probably need to run a job, provided that we know the frequency of system halts and how long it takes to run the job smoothly. Mean time for programs that have to start from the very beginning after each halt, is compared with the mean time of the same jobs whose additional (restarting) code allows previous results to be saved and used at a restart. Part 2 states some features the restarting code should have, and finds places in the simplified program structure most suitable for locating parts of the restarting code.