Re: Looping jobs from within the jobfile

[Jens Axboe <axboe@kernel.dk>]

On Fri, Feb 22 2013, Gavin Martin wrote:
> On 22 February 2013 12:10, Jens Axboe <axboe@kernel.dk> wrote:
> > On Fri, Feb 22 2013, Gavin Martin wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> I'm trying to understand the "loops" feature.
> >>
> >> I have jobfile that I would like to loop round a number of times:-
> >>
> >> {jobfile.fio}
> >> [global]
> >> ioengine=libaio
> >> direct=1
> >>
> >> [job1]
> >> rw=randrw
> >> rwmixread=70
> >> bsrange=4k-128k
> >> iodepth=4
> >> runtime=3m
> >> filename=/dev/sdm
> >> size=4G
> >> time_based
> >> offset=0
> >>
> >> [job2]
> >> stonewall
> >> rw=write
> >> bs=512K
> >> size=12G
> >> filename=/dev/sdm
> >> iodepth=1
> >> timeout=5m
> >> offset=20G
> >> {/jobfile.fio}
> >>
> >> So above I have a random read/write section followed by a sequential
> >> write section.  I would like to loop round this for x number of times,
> >> for example randrw, seqw, randrw, seqw, randrw, etc.  I've tried using
> >> the "loops=x" option in the global section, but all this does is loop
> >> each job before moving onto the next, at the moment it does randrw,
> >> randrw, seqw, seqw.
> >>
> >> Along with the above I was hoping that with the run status group
> >> report at the end of the run, it would give the average of each of
> >> those runs with the received min and max values:-
> >>
> >> Run status group 1 (all jobs):
> >>   WRITE: io=8192.0MB, aggrb=56333KB/s, minb=56333KB/s, maxb=56333KB/s,
> >> mint=148909msec, maxt=148909msec
> >>
> >> but at the moment the "minb" and "maxb" have the same values.  Ideally
> >> it would give the max and min values for each of those loops of that
> >> particular job, along with the average.
> >>
> >> Is this possible from within the jobfile?
> >
> > That's not currently possible. loops=x just makes fio repeat the same
> > job section any number of times, and all iterations are included in the
> > output. So job1 would run x times, then job2 would run x times, because
> > of the stonewall between them.
> >
> > If you want separate reporting and also iterations of x{job1,job2}
> > instead of x{job1} then x{job2}, then it probably is easier to just
> > script around that and loop around the fio invocation instead.
> >
> > --
> > Jens Axboe
> >
> 
> Thanks Jens,
> 
> That what I was planning to do, but just wondered if it was possible
> from within the jobfile, thereby keeping all the reporting in one
> place.
> 
> You've built a great tool with load of different options, making it
> very flexible, it is just sometimes difficult finding and
> understanding the right ones.

Thanks, and I agree that the number of options can be a bit confusing.
Some day I'd like to make an extensive user guide. Until that happens,
if you do come across descriptions of options (in the man page or HOWTO)
that are not completely clear, I would appreciate a email on why that is
and perhaps even a suggestion/patch for improving it.

-- 
Jens Axboe