[1] Slurm uses a best fit algorithm based on Hilbert curve scheduling or fat tree network topology in order to optimize locality of task assignments on parallel computers.

[2] Slurm began development as a collaborative effort primarily by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, SchedMD,[3] Linux NetworX, Hewlett-Packard, and Groupe Bull as a Free Software resource manager.

As of November 2021[update], TOP500 list of most powerful computers in the world indicates that Slurm is the workload manager on more than half of the top ten systems.

More sophisticated configurations provide database integration for accounting, management of resource limits and workload prioritization.

For a batch mode job, its stdout and stderr outputs are typically directed to text files for later inspection.