# BackgrounDRB alternative for Windows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [June 5, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008 "2007-06-05T16:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/1 "2007-06-05T16:24:26Z")
Is there an alternative to BackgrounDRB since it isn’t supported on Windows? ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/2 "2007-06-05T17:32:52Z")
Depending on what you want to do, you could use activemessaging ( [Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting.](http://code.google.com/p/activemessaging/)) to send messages to non-rails processes to work on asynchronously, and still get access in those asynch processes to all your rails environment godness… For example, I use it to asynchronously process audio submitted through our website - since the processing can take ~30 minutes. -Andrew K. [http://beginsinwonder.com](http://beginsinwonder.com) On 6/5/07, Jason C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > – Andrew K. ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/3 "2007-06-05T19:18:22Z")
> What about just creating a script (using runner to load the rails > environment) then kick off that script with Windows Schedules Task. > Since BackgrounDRB is just a fancy cron use the Window’s version of cron. > backgroundrb is not just a scheduler, it’s a way to delegate heavy/ > long running task to backgroundrb server, either local or remote (good > for scaling out, btw). for example - video processing. transcoding > video inside web server process cause browser to hung waiting for > response from server. Forking child process to work on video and > continuing execution (ie show “please, wait” page, checking for > delegated task completion) makes user experience much more pleasant. > archieving same effect with cron/runner hardly imaginable and pretty > well comparable to pulling out sick tooth through the ass (pardon my > french). ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/4 "2007-06-05T18:56:06Z")
Jason C. wrote: > Is there an alternative to BackgrounDRB since it isn’t supported on > Windows? What about just creating a script (using runner to load the rails environment) then kick off that script with Windows Schedules Task. Since BackgrounDRB is just a fancy cron use the Window’s version of cron. Eric ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/5 "2007-06-06T01:59:33Z")
On Jun 5, 9:56 pm, Eric A. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > liquidautumn wrote: > > > backgroundrb is not just a scheduler, it’s a way to delegate heavy/ > > That is why I called it a fancy scheduler. > What are you calling “fancy scheduler” is just a part of backgroundrb > and it is not that part that we talking about. > > response from server. Forking child process to work on video and > > continuing execution (ie show “please, wait” page, checking for > > delegated task completion) makes user experience much more pleasant. > > Add the requested task to a queue (directory, table, etc). Have a cron > task run on-demand/periodically reading from the queue and processing > the request. When the cron job has finished a task have it notify the > web server (update a table, move the file out of the directory, etc) > How would you raise an exception? How would you spec/test such > implementation, keeping in mind that “table updated” or “file moved” > is certainly not equal to “scheduled task successfully completed”. > Trying to answer these questions wouldn’t you end up reinventing some > limited and, likely, unstable bicycle, already invented and called > bdrb? ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/6 "2007-06-06T02:08:34Z")
> Same user experience. BackgrounDRB not needed. BackgroundDRB might make > it a /tad/ bit easier (maybe) but cron is no big deal also. And since > the scheduled task is available on Windows my suggestion provides a > solution on Windows while BackgroundDRB evidently does not. > And by the way, despite windows is pretty bad environment to work with > ruby/rails because of poor interpreter performance and lots of more or > less minor complications, it IS possible to run bdrb on windows. Just > not so easy as on linux/bsd and friends. Extra complication, once > forced me to start searching for better working environment. ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/7 "2007-06-05T21:18:54Z")
liquidautumn wrote: > backgroundrb is not just a scheduler, it’s a way to delegate heavy/ That is why I called it a fancy scheduler. > response from server. Forking child process to work on video and > continuing execution (ie show “please, wait” page, checking for > delegated task completion) makes user experience much more pleasant. Add the requested task to a queue (directory, table, etc). Have a cron task run on-demand/periodically reading from the queue and processing the request. When the cron job has finished a task have it notify the web server (update a table, move the file out of the directory, etc) so that the next request sees that it is done. Same user experience. BackgrounDRB not needed. BackgroundDRB might make it a /tad/ bit easier (maybe) but cron is no big deal also. And since the scheduled task is available on Windows my suggestion provides a solution on Windows while BackgroundDRB evidently does not. Eric ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 8:04am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/8 "2007-06-07T08:04:22Z")
I use WinXP + cygwin’s ruby and have no problems to use the latest backgroundrb. On Jun 5, 4:24 pm, Jason C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@inari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/inari)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backgroundrb-alternative-for-windows/106008/9 "2007-06-07T09:08:28Z")
I have used BackgrounDrb on my XP for some heavy tasks and I do not encounter any problem with it. The only problem that I have with it is when I ported my solution to use SQLite with concurrent approaches to the embedded data base, namely resource locking. But, that’s the SQLite problem not the BackgrounDrb’s.