[Condor-users] condor_submit feature request

[Steffen Grunewald <steffen.grunewald@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I'd like to ask for a feature related to condor_submit.

Every now and then, I have to run a large job cluster with several 100s
to 1000s of jobs, each using $(Process) as the argument to the executable
(simply a counter, used as a seed for a RNG).
Often I'd like to split the large cluster into pieces submitted separately,
or extend an existing cluster.
What condor_submit is lacking is a way to start counting at a process number
> 0.
Of course, this could be worked around using a "dummy" executable for the
first n jobs of a cluster:
	Executable = /bin/false
	Queue n
then defining the real one
	Executable = $the_real_one
	Queue m
but it imposes unneccessary load on the scheduler, and those very short running
jobs in the past had the tendency to confuse their shadow processes.
If there was a "StartAt" parameter for the submit file (which would default
to 0 for the first Queue statement, and be counted up subsequently), that 
would make things a lot easier (also to repeat a selected set of failed jobs).

Any opinions?

Cheers, 
 Steffen

-- 
Steffen Grunewald * MPI Grav.Phys.(AEI) * Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam
Cluster Admin * http://pandora.aei.mpg.de/merlin/ * http://www.aei.mpg.de/
* e-mail: steffen.grunewald(*)aei.mpg.de * +49-331-567-{fon:7233,fax:7298}
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