Performance Ponderings
Performance Ponderings
- A General Theory of Computational Scalability Based on Rational Functions (2008)
The main theorem in this
paper:
The
universal scalability law is equivalent to the synchronous
queueing bound on throughput in a linear, load-dependent, machine repairman model,
is the generalization of paper 24.
- Getting in the Zone for Successful Scalability (2008)
Jointly with J. Holtman. Accepted for CMG 2008, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Abstract: The
Universal Scalability Law
(USL) is an analytic function used to quantify application scaling. It is
universal because it subsumes Amdahl's law (AL) and linear scaling (LS) as
special cases. Using simulation, we show (1) that USL is equivalent to
synchronous queueing in a load-dependent machine repairman model, and (2)
how LS, AL and USL can be regarded as boundaries defining three performance
zones. Typical throughput measurements lie in all three zones. Simulation
scenarios provide insight into which application features should be tuned
to get into the optimal performance zone.
- Multidimensional
Visualization of Oracle Performance Using Barry007 (2008)
Jointly with T. Põder. Accepted for CMG 2008, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Abstract:
Most generic performance tools display only system-level
performance data using 2-dimensional plot or diagram, and this
limits the informational detail that can be displayed. A modern
relational database system like Oracle, however, can concurrently
serve thousands of client processes with different workload
characteristics and generic data displays inevitably hide important
information. Drawing on our previous work,
this paper demonstrates the application of Barry007 (See paper 6)
multidimensional visualization for analyzing Oracle end-user
session-level performance showing both collective trends and
individual performance anomalies.
- Eine Chance für Linux (2008)
Appears in the May 18 volume of
Linux Technical Review.
(in German)
Abstract (Translation):
Linux could be in a position to expand its presence in the server market by
looking to mainframe computer performance management as a role model and
adapting its instrumentation accordingly.
- Better Performance Management Through Better Visualization Tools (2008)
Invited presentation at the
Hotsos Symposium
in Dallas, Texas, March 2-6 2008.
- Seeing It All at Once with Barry (2007)
Jointly with M. F. Jauvin. Presented at CMG 2007, San Diego, California.
Paper (PDF),
Slides (PDF),
Animations (HTML),
Tools (HTML).
- Leistungsdiagnostik (Load Averages and Stretch Factors) (2007)
To appear in the July 2007 issue of Linux Magazin.
(in German)
- Moore's Law: More or Less? (2007)
Published in the May issue of the CMG
MeasureIT
e-zine.
- Visualizing Virtualization (2007)
Guest editorial for the March issue of the CMG e-zine called
MeasureIT.
- Berechenbare Performance (Predicting Performance) (2007)
Invited paper published in the
Linux Technical Review 02 Ð Monitoring.
(in German)
- Guerrilla Scalability: How to Do Virtual Load Testing (2007)
Invited presentation at the
Hotsos Symposium 2007,
March, Dallas, Texas.
- The Virtualization Spectrum from Hyperthreads to GRIDs (2006)
This
paper,
presented at CMG 2006, Reno, Nevada,
is based on the following observations:
- Disparate types of virtual machines lie on a discrete spectrum bounded
by hyperthreading at one extreme and hyperservices at the other,
- Poll-based scheduling is the common
architectural element in most virtual machine implementations.
The associated polling frequency (from GHz to μHz) positions each
virtual machine implementation into a region of the VM-spectrum. Several
case studies are analyzed to illustrate how this insight can make virtual machines
more visible to performance management techniques.
- Reconstructing the Future: Capacity Planning with Data That's Gone Troppo (2006)
Jointly with S. Jenkin.
Paper
presented at CMG-A 2006, Sydney, Australia.
- Benchmarking Blunders and Things That Go Bump in the Night (2006)
Published as
Part I
and
Part II
in the CMG MeasureIT online magazine.
- Unification of Amdahl's Law, LogP and Other Performance Models for Message-Passing
Architectures (2005)
This
paper
generalizes the theorem in paper 24 below and was presented at
PDCS 2005
VII International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing Systems
- (Numerical) Investigations into Physical Power-law Models of
Internet Traffic Using the Renormalization Group (2005)
Paper
presented at the
Triennial Conference of the International Federation of Operations Research Societies,
Honolulu, Hawaii, July 11-15, 2005.
Uses the real-space variant of the
renormalization group
to exclude certain models that have appeared in the literature to account for so-called
self-similar Internet traffic and further suggests that the claimed ramifications
for Internet capacity planning may have been over-emphasized.
Chapter 10 of
Guerrilla Capacity Planning
presents these conclusions in a less mathematical form.
- Millennium Performance Problem 1: Performance Visualization (2005)
Published in the CMG
MeasureIT
online magazine.
- Benchmarking Blunders and Things That Go Bump in the Night (2004)
Presented at WORP2 Workshop 2004
Available from
arXiv
server.
- How to Get Unbelievable Load Test Results (2004)
Featured at
TeamQuest Corporation
as an online capacity planning column.
- Performance Evaluation of Packet-to-Cell Segmentation Schemes in
Input Buffered Packet Switches (2003)
Jointly with K. J. Christensen, K. Yoshigoe and A. Roginsky
Presented at High-Speed Networks Symposium
of the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC 2004).
Available from
arXiv
server.
- Series on the UNIX Load Average Metric (2003-2004)
TeamQuest online performance column.
NOTE: The hyperlinked version of the Linux kernel is release 2.6.xx
This information, like everything else, can be found in the online files along with the
source code
(as cited in my writings).
It also appears as Chapter 4 in my book
Analyzing Computer System Performance with Perl::PDQ.
An updated paper on this topic was presented at CMG 2004.
- Series on Guerrilla Capacity Planning (2003)
These two articles:
were published in the CMG MeasureIT online magazine.
- Characterization of the Burst Stabilization Protocol for the RR/CICQ Switch (2003)
Jointly with K. J. Christensen and K. Yoshigoe
Accepted by IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks
Download as a PDF from
arXiv
server.
- A New Interpretation of Amdahl's Law and Geometric Scalability (2002)
Amongst other things, this paper presents the theorem:
Amdahl's law for parallel speedup is equivalent to the synchronous
queueing bound on throughput in the repairman model of a symmetric multiprocessor.
- Hit-and-Run Tactics Enable Guerrilla Capacity Planning (2002)
Published in
IEEE IT Professional
journal, pp. 40-46, July-August issue, 2002.
- Capacity Calculations: Handle with Care (2002)
TeamQuest
online column.
- Hypernets: Good (G)news for Gnutella! (2002)
Online
article responding to an earlier analysis of Gnutella written by Jordan Ritter in 2001.
Measurements of both Napster and Gnutella are also disussed in this 2003
paper.
I point out that hypernets like a 20-degree virtual hypertorus or hypercube are much more efficient than a tree.
I looks as though BitTorrent if fact does something like this.
This online article was
slashdotted
in Feb, 2002.
- Of Buses and Bunching: Strangeness in the Queue (2001)
TeamQuest
online column.
- Quantifying Application and Server Scalability (2001)
The following series of three articles:
were published as
TeamQuest
online columns.
- How to Write Application Probes (Updated 2001)
TeamQuest
performance column online.
- Scalability Models for a Hypergrowth e-Commerce Website (2000)
Published in the
Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science
series.
- BIRDS-I: A Benchmark for Image Retrieval on the Internet (2000)
Tech Report
published by HP Labs.
- Windows NT Scalability (1997-1998)
The following series of three papers:
were published in the
USENIX
journal.
- The MP Effect: Parallel Processing in Pictures (1996)
Received CMG 1996
Best Paper
award.
- A Simple Capacity Model of Massively Parallel Transaction Systems (1993)
This is the
original paper
that forms the basis of the
Universal Law of Computational Scaling,
and was presented at CMG 1993, San Diego, California.
- The Collapse of Internet Performance (1988)
Online
article.
Copyright © 1996-2007 Performance Dynamics Company. All Rights Reserved.
File translated from
TEX
by
TTH,
version 3.38.
On 19 Aug 2008, 19:50.