Preface

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This book provides an up-to-date treatment of the concepts and techniques applied to the performance evaluation of computer systems. Computer systems in this context include computer systems hardware and software components, computer architecture, computer networks, operating systems, database systems, and middleware. The motivation in writing this book comes from the inability to find one book that adequately covers analytical, simulation, and empirical testbed techniques applied to the evaluation of systems software and the computer systems that support them. The book can be used as a single- or multiple-semester book about computer systems performance evaluation or as a reference text for researchers and practitioners in the computer systems engineering and performance evaluation fields.

Over the last 10 to 25 years a vast body of knowledge has accumulated dealing with the performance evaluation of computer systems. Specialized measurement tools, both hardware and software, have become available to aid in the testing and monitoring of a computer system's performance, as have numerous simulation languages and tools aimed at specific components of a computer system or for generalized modeling studies. Analytical techniques and tools can be readily acquired and easily applied to the high-level analysis of computer systems and their applications. However, many of these efforts have resulted in disparate solutions whose results are difficult, if not impossible, for the computer engineer or analyst to easily apply to new problems. In addition, most realistic problems require the application of all of these techniques at some level to ascertain the performance of a system and all of its component elements to support rapid product design, development, and fielding.

To consider performance in the design and development stages of a system's inception, modeling must be used, since the intended product system is not yet available for instrumentation and empirical testing. Modeling is relatively well understood by practitioners in the field with the appropriate background; however, these techniques are not as easily transferred to the other members of a design team who could also benefit from such knowledge. The purpose of this book is to make analytical-, simulation-, and instrumentation-based modeling and performance evaluation of computer systems components possible and understandable to a wider audience of computer systems designers, developers, administrators, managers, and users. The book assumes the reader has a familiarity with concepts in computer systems architecture, computer systems software, computer networks, and elementary mathematics including calculus and linear algebra.

The thrust of this book is to investigate the tools for performance evaluation of computer systems and their components and provide an overview of some tools used in practice.

Chapter 1 discusses computer systems performance evaluation and prediction and why these techniques are necessary in today's world of ever decreasing computer systems cost.

In Chapter 2 the components making up computer systems are examined in further detail regarding their architectures, basic hardware elements construction, networks and topologies, operating systems control protocols and architecture, database management systems components and technologies, distributed systems, client/server systems, and other computer systems configurations.

Chapter 3 readdresses the modeling issue from the slant of modeling computer systems, how the various tools have been useful in past systems, and how they can be applied to future endeavors. The basic concepts of time, events, measurements, intervals, response, and independence as they pertain to computer systems are discussed.

Chapter 4 expands on the basic definitions outlined in Chapter 3. Concepts in general measurement processes, service time distributions, scheduling, and response time related to computer systems applications are presented.

Chapter 5 introduces the concepts of probability of events. The concept of sample space and its application to computing basic probability of event occurrence within a sample space are investigated. This is followed by discussions of randomness of events and the relation of this phenomenon to probability. Conditional and joint probability concepts are then presented, as is the concept of random variables and probability distributions.

Chapter 6 builds on the fundamentals of probability into stochastic processes. The basic definition of a stochastic process is provided and then its relationship to the Poisson process is presented. With these definitions, the concept of a pure birth and death process is developed, as are analysis techniques. The chapter then delves into the Markov process and Markov chains as they relate to the analysis of computer systems and their elements.

In Chapter 7, we introduce the concept of a queue and the analysis techniques required to evaluate single queues and networks of queues. These techniques are then developed into modeling techniques applied to computer systems evaluation.

Chapter 8 introduces the concept of simulation modeling. The methods for constructing simulation models from a description of an intended modeled system are presented. The concepts of simulation events and timekeeping are addressed, followed by the application of techniques to computer systems analysis.

Chapter 9 introduces another analysis technique: Petri nets. The basic elements comprising Petri nets are developed and then applied to modeling aspects of computer systems. Fundamental Petri nets are described, as are timed and general Petri nets.

Chapter 10 shows prospective designers or architects how to model future systems configurations using present systems information. The chapter shows how to instrument a system in order to extract and measure systems performance numbers. These measurements and data are then used in development of analysis processes for defining present performance and predicting future performance of computer systems and their components.

Chapter 11 aids the reader in determining what specific analysis tool is best used to evaluate a computer system or component of interest. The modeler is presented material to aid in determining when to use analytical techniques, which technique to use, and when to use it. If analytical techniques are not the best to use, the reader is advised how to select a simulation modeling tool and when to apply it in analyzing a computer system. Finally, the reader is given information regarding when and how to select the appropriate operational analysis tool for measuring and modeling existing computer systems and components.

Chapters 12 through 15 provide analysis examples for specific computer systems components. Computer architecture and component evaluation are provided, as are operating systems, database systems, and network systems modeling and analysis.



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Computer Systems Performance Evaluation and Prediction
Computer Systems Performance Evaluation and Prediction
ISBN: 1555582605
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 136

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