Performance Modeling for Computer Architects
Systems
1. Edition September 1995
404 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
As computers become more complex, the number and complexity of the
tasks facing the computer architect have increased. Computer
performance often depends in complex way on the design parameters
and intuition that must be supplemented by performance studies to
enhance design productivity.
This book introduces computer architects to computer system
performance models and shows how they are relatively simple,
inexpensive to implement, and sufficiently accurate for most
purposes. It discusses the development of performance models based
on queuing theory and probability. The text also shows how they are
used to provide quick approximate calculations to indicate basic
performance tradeoffs and narrow the range of parameters to
consider when determining system configurations. It illustrates how
performance models can demonstrate how a memory system is to be
configured, what the cache structure should be, and what
incremental changes in cache size can have on the miss rate. A
particularly deep knowledge of probability theory or any other
mathematical field to understand the papers in this volume is not
required.
Computer Performance Evaluation Methodology.
An Instruction Timing Model of CPU Performance.
On Parallel Processing Systems: Amdahl's Law Generalized and Some
Results on Optimal Design.
The Nonuniform Distribution of Instruction-Level and Machine
Parallelism and Its Effect on Performance.
Classification and Performance Evaluation of Instruction Buffering
Techniques.
Characterization of Branch and Data Dependencies in Programs for
Evaluating Pipeline Performance.
Optimal Pipelining.
Branch Strategies: Modeling and Optimization.
Footprints in the Cache.
An Analytical Cache Model.
Modeling Live and Dead Lines in Cache Memory Systems.
Optimal Partitioning of Cache Memory.
An Accurate and Efficient Performance Analysis Technique for
Multiprocessor Snooping Cache-Consistency Protocols.
Analyzing Multiprocessor Cache Behavior Through Data Reference
Modeling.
Analysis of Multiprocessors with Private Cache Memories.
Vector Access Performance in Parallel Memories Using a Skewed
Storage Scheme.
Performance of Processor-Memory Interconnections for
Multiprocessors.
General Model for Memory Interference in Multiprocessors and Mean
Value Analysis.
Equilibrium Point Analysis of Memory Interference in Multiprocessor
Systems.
Scalar Memory References in Pipelined Multiprocessors: A
Performance Study.
Performance Measurement and Modeling to Evaluate Various Effects on
a Shared Memory Multiprocessor.
Optimal Design of Multilevel Storage Hierarchies.
Analysis of the Periodic Update Write Policy for Disk Cache.
Models of DASD Subsystems with Multiple Access Paths: A
Throughput-Driven Approach.
Synchronized Disk Interleaving.
Asynchronous Disk Interleaving: Approximating Access Delays.
An Analytic Performance Model of Disk Arrays.
About the Author.