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Job Execution Settings

Overview

The Job Execution Settings page allows administrators to configure how KrakenHashes executes and distributes password cracking jobs across agents. These settings control chunking behavior, agent coordination, job control, and rule splitting strategies.

Accessing Job Execution Settings

  1. Navigate to the Admin Panel
  2. Click on Settings in the navigation menu
  3. Select Job Execution Settings

The settings are organized into four main categories for easier management.

Settings Categories

Job Chunking

Job chunking divides large password cracking tasks into smaller, manageable pieces that can be distributed across multiple agents. This improves resource utilization and allows for better job scheduling.

Setting Description Default Range Notes
Default Chunk Duration How long each job chunk should run 15 minutes 1+ minutes Shorter chunks provide more flexibility but increase overhead
Chunk Fluctuation Percentage Allowed variance for the final chunk 10% 0-100% Prevents creating very small final chunks

Best Practices for Chunking

  • Short jobs (< 1 hour): Use 5-10 minute chunks for better distribution
  • Long jobs (> 24 hours): Use 30-60 minute chunks to reduce overhead
  • Mixed agent speeds: Shorter chunks help balance workload

Agent Configuration

These settings control how agents behave and interact with the backend server.

Setting Description Default Range Notes
Hashlist Retention How long agents keep hashlists after job completion 7 days 1+ days Reduces re-download for recurring jobs
Max Concurrent Jobs per Agent Maximum jobs an agent can run simultaneously 1 1-10 Higher values for powerful multi-GPU systems
Progress Reporting Interval How often agents send progress updates 30 seconds 1+ seconds Lower values increase server load
Benchmark Cache Duration How long to cache agent performance benchmarks 30 days 1+ days Reduces benchmark frequency
Speedtest Timeout Maximum time to wait for speedtest completion 30 seconds 60-600 seconds Increase for slower systems
Reconnect Grace Period Time to wait for agents to reconnect after server restart 5 minutes 1-60 minutes Prevents unnecessary task reassignment

Reconnect Grace Period Details

The Reconnect Grace Period is a critical setting for maintaining job continuity during server maintenance or unexpected restarts:

  • Purpose: Allows agents with running tasks to reconnect and continue their work without losing progress
  • How it works:
  • When the backend restarts, tasks transition to reconnect_pending state
  • Agents cache crack data locally and continue processing
  • Upon reconnection, agents report their current task status
  • If reconnected within the grace period, tasks resume automatically
  • Recommended values:
  • 5 minutes (default): Good for most environments
  • 10-15 minutes: For environments with slower network recovery
  • 1-3 minutes: For highly available setups with quick recovery

Job Control

Control job execution behavior and user interface settings.

Setting Description Default Range Notes
Allow Job Interruption Higher priority jobs can interrupt running jobs Enabled On/Off Ensures critical jobs run immediately
Real-time Crack Notifications Send notifications when hashes are cracked Enabled On/Off Can increase server load for large jobs
Job Refresh Interval How often the UI refreshes job status 5 seconds 1-60 seconds Lower values increase server load
Max Chunk Retry Attempts Number of times to retry failed chunks 3 0-10 Set to 0 to disable retries
Jobs Per Page Default pagination size for job lists 25 5-100 Adjust based on UI preferences

Job Interruption Behavior

When enabled, the system will: 1. Pause lower priority jobs when higher priority jobs arrive 2. Save the state of interrupted jobs 3. Resume interrupted jobs once higher priority jobs complete 4. Maintain crack progress for all interrupted jobs

Rule Splitting

Rule splitting automatically divides large rule files to improve distribution across agents. This is especially useful for rule files that would otherwise exceed the chunk duration.

Setting Description Default Range Notes
Enable Rule Splitting Automatically split large rule files Enabled On/Off Improves distribution for large rule sets
Rule Split Threshold Split when estimated time exceeds chunk duration by this factor 2.0× 1.1-10× Lower values create more chunks
Minimum Rules to Split Don't split files with fewer rules than this 100 10+ Prevents splitting small files
Maximum Rule Chunks Maximum chunks to create per rule file 100 2-10000 Limits memory usage
Rule Chunk Directory Directory for temporary rule chunks /tmp/rule_chunks Any valid path Must be writable by backend

Rule Splitting Algorithm

The system automatically: 1. Estimates job duration based on hashlist size and rule count 2. Compares estimated duration to chunk duration × threshold 3. If exceeding threshold, splits rules into appropriate chunks 4. Distributes chunks across available agents 5. Cleans up temporary chunks after job completion

Performance Considerations

Network Load

  • Progress Reporting Interval: Each update creates network traffic
  • Job Refresh Interval: Affects UI responsiveness and server load
  • Calculate: (Number of Agents × Active Jobs) / Reporting Interval = Updates per second

Storage Requirements

  • Hashlist Retention: Average Hashlist Size × Number of Unique Jobs × Retention Days
  • Rule Chunks: Original Rule File Size × Active Jobs using that rule
  • Benchmark Cache: Minimal, typically < 1MB per agent

Optimal Settings by Environment

Small Environment (1-5 agents)

  • Chunk Duration: 10-15 minutes
  • Progress Interval: 30 seconds
  • Max Concurrent Jobs: 1
  • Grace Period: 5 minutes

Medium Environment (5-20 agents)

  • Chunk Duration: 15-30 minutes
  • Progress Interval: 60 seconds
  • Max Concurrent Jobs: 1-2
  • Grace Period: 10 minutes

Large Environment (20+ agents)

  • Chunk Duration: 30-60 minutes
  • Progress Interval: 120 seconds
  • Max Concurrent Jobs: 2-3
  • Grace Period: 15 minutes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Agents Not Receiving Jobs

  • Check Max Concurrent Jobs per Agent setting
  • Verify agents are not at capacity
  • Review job priority settings

Poor Job Distribution

  • Reduce Default Chunk Duration for better granularity
  • Enable Rule Splitting for large rule files
  • Adjust Chunk Fluctuation Percentage to avoid tiny chunks

High Server Load

  • Increase Progress Reporting Interval
  • Increase Job Refresh Interval
  • Disable Real-time Crack Notifications for large jobs

Lost Progress After Server Restart

  • Increase Reconnect Grace Period
  • Ensure agents have stable network connections
  • Check agent logs for reconnection issues

Monitoring Settings Impact

Use the following metrics to evaluate settings effectiveness: - Average chunk completion time vs. configured duration - Number of retry attempts per job - Agent utilization percentage - Task reassignment frequency after restarts