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Best computer architecture for timetabling with Nova T?

SteveRichards

By SteveRichards
in MIS Systems

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SteveRichards

SteveRichards

Posted
Posted

Hi,

I'm currently working on next year's timetable. This is now the second timetable I have produced and the first time I've done it on my own.

I've been thinking a lot about how the auto-scheduler works and how to optimise for it and I cant find any info to answer some of my ponderings.

 

For example, obviously, a computer with a faster processor will be able to try more solutions in less time but what about multi core processors? Is Nova T programmed to take advantage of multiple cores? Does it work particularly better with any other hardware configurations than others that people are aware of?

 

Thanks... :)

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted (edited)
I very much doubt it is multi core optimized as it hails from a time back when we only had one core.

Does that mean Steve should get a Core i9-9900K (or KF)? :D

 

This processor currently has the fastest single-threaded performance of any desktop CPU...

 

www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

 

Given the age of Nova-T6 I would very much doubt that it's multi-core optimised

Nova-T6 (and T4 before it) looks like it was designed for Windows 3.1 and Intel 286 CPUs!

 

1gVB0o.png

 

^ The 386 wasn't released until 1985.

 

What @synaesthesia said. :)

Edited by Arthur
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SteveRichards

SteveRichards

Posted
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Posted
Does that mean Steve should get a Core i9-9900K (or KF)? :D

 

[...]

^ The 386 wasn't released until 1985.

 

What @synaesthesia said. :)

 

Wow!

 

What about virtualisation on a high spec multi-core? That way each core could have it's own scheduling thread.

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted
What about virtualisation on a high spec multi-core?

I wouldn't bother unless you want to avoid getting your computer sullied by Capita's software. :D

CAM

CAM

Posted
Posted (edited)

When we upgraded to Windows 7, Nova T6 also decided it was going to hide half the window so you couldn't get to the OK or Cancel buttons or see the rest of a timetable unless you resized, shuffled, resized, shuffled along as the scrollbars were hidden.

 

It can go in there with Exams Organiser for dying ungracefully because it can't show a dialog box using an old Windows XP component file (mscomctl.ocx for those interested, which has been around since the Windows 95 days or before. Fun when that error shows up as it kills the entire EO application just for having a duplicate named item in basedata).

 

I daren't touch Options or Parent Booking modules for fear of what I'd find in there.

 

(And don't get me started on the Interface Jump!)

Edited by CAM
Jamman960

Jamman960

Posted
Posted (edited)

Our timetabler usually makes use of a few IT Suite machines to try out different options when running Nova T6 , he's said that once it goes past a certain level its unlikely to find a swap even if you left it on for ages... I've managed to stay well away

 

I'd like to see machine learning applied to a school timetable, you should be able to give it a rule book and leave it to it.

Edited by Jamman960
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DODICT

DODICT

Posted
Posted

Facility Scheduler always did a good job for me - I'm not sure how efficient the algorithms were but they seemed to find solutions you would never find manually. When used appropriately it was very powerful in what it could achieve and ultimately gave you a better timetable.

 

 

And there are still a lot of people using the single processor in their head to build a timetable so not sure there is the wholesale demand for better solutions.

 

Bit like options - why use a computer than can consider millions of options in seconds when I can work down a list highlighting stuff in excel . . .

 

Apologies to any old schoolers out there but there is a better way - your knowledge is needed but the computer can better apply it (given appropriate configuration) !

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bobsmith

bobsmith

Posted
Posted
Our timetabler usually makes use of a few IT Suite machines to try out different options when running Nova T6 , he's said that once it goes past a certain level its unlikely to find a swap even if you left it on for ages... I've managed to stay well away

 

I'd like to see machine learning applied to a school timetable, you should be able to give it a rule book and leave it to it.

 

Facility Scheduler wasn't quite at that level but it was so much more intuitive and capable than Nova.

 

I'm presuming that since TimeTabler can import and export to SIMS and Facility you could use it as a convertor from one to the other?

 

Or even just use timetabler itself as pretty much anything is better than Nova.

  • 3 weeks later...
kosullivan

kosullivan

Posted
Posted
It is definitely not accessing multiple cores, you can see it in the resource manager logs, only one core hits 100% at a time, although it does change which core. Does anyone have any experience of the Timetabler programme?
DrBeaker

DrBeaker

Posted
Posted

Like most replies already here - you could have an 8-core CPU. If the app is only written to use 1-core, it's only going to use 1-core.

 

Same as with the shutdown /i command is apparently single-threaded which is why it appears to lockup when it's processing tasks.

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