Computer Performance:
Cost Op miza on: Performance evalua on helps iden fy
Is the efficiency of a given computer system, or how well the
computer performs, when taking aspects into account.
Computer performance evalua on:
Is defined as the process by which a computer system’s
resources and outputs are assessed to determine whether
the system is performing at an op mal level.
Objec ves of performance study:
 Evalua ng design alterna ves (system design)
 Comparing two or more systems (system selec on)
 Determining the op mal value of a parameter (system
tuning)
 Finding the performance bo leneck (bo leneck
iden fica on)
 Characterizing the load on the system (workload
characteriza on)
 Determining the number and sizes of components
(capacity planning)
 Predic ng the performance at future loads (forecas ng).
BASIC TERMS:
System: Any collec on of hardware, so ware, and network.
Metrics: Criteria used to analysis the performance of the
system or components.
Workloads: The requests made by the users of the system.
Importance of Performance evalua on in computer system:
1. Op miza on: Performance evalua on helps iden fy
bo lenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement within
a computer system.
2. Capacity Planning: Performance evalua on provides
insights into the capacity and scalability of computer
systems.
3. Resource Alloca on: Performance evalua on helps
allocate resources effec vely to ensure equitable access and
op mal u liza on of compu ng resources such as CPU,
memory, disk 1/O, and network bandwidth.
4. Quality of Service (OS) Assurance: Performance
evalua on ensures that computer systems meet specified
quality of service objec ves, such as response me,
throughput, and availability.
5.
opportuni es for cost op miza on by op mizing resource
usage, reducing energy consump on, and improving
hardware efficiency.
Goals and Objec ves of Performance Evalua on:
1. Measure Performance: Quan fy and measure various
performance metrics, such as response me, throughput,
u liza on, and scalability, to assess the effec veness and
efficiency of the system.
2. Iden fy Bo lenecks: Iden fy performance bo lenecks,
resource constraints, and limi ng factors that impede system
performance and scalability.
3. Op mize Performance: Op mize system performance by
iden fying opportuni es for improvement, such as tuning
configura on parameters, op mizing algorithms, and
enhancing resource u liza on.
4. Predict Performance: Predict system performance under
different workloads, scenarios, and opera ng condi ons to
support capacity planning, resource alloca on, and decision-
making.
5. Validate Design Decisions: Validate design decisions,
architectural choices, and performance trade-offs to ensure
that they align with performance objec ves and user
requirements.
Metrics for Performance Evalua on:
1. Throughput:
Throughput measures the rate at which a system processes
or completes tasks within a given me period.
2. Response Time:
Response me, also known as latency, measures the me
taken for a system to respond to a user request or complete
a task.
3. U liza on:
U liza on measures the degree to which system resources
(such as CPU, memory, disk, or network) are being used or
occupied over me.
4. Scalability:
Scalability measures a system's ability to handle increasing
workload or user demand by adding resources or scaling
horizontally.
 5. Efficiency:
Efficiency measures the effec veness of resource u liza on
in achieving desired system outcomes or goals.
Measurement techniques in performance evalua on
1. Instrumenta on:
Involve adding code to so ware or hardware
component of a system to collect performance data
during execu on.
2. Profiling:
Collect informa on about the execu on me and
resource usage of various components of a system,
helping iden fying performance bo lenecks.
3. Tracing:
Captures and records the sequence of events,
func on calls, and system interac ons during the
execu on of a program or system.
4. Simula on:
Uses mathema cal models and simula ons to
predict system behavior and performance under
different workload scenarios.
5. Benchmarking:
Involves running standardized tests or benchmarks
on a system to evaluate its performance rela ve to
other systems or industry standards.
Performance Metrics in Different Layers of Computer
Systems:
1. Hardware Layer:
Performance metrics: CPU u liza on, memory bandwidth,
disk I/O throughput, network latency, power consump on.
Etc.
2. Opera ng System Layer:
Performance metrics: Process scheduling latency, context
switch me, memory usage, file system throughput, kernel
overhead, etc.
3. Network Layer:
Performance metrics: Bandwidth, latency, packet loss rate,
throughput, ji er, network conges on, etc.
4. Database Layer:
Performance metrics: Query response me, transac on
throughput, concurrency, disk I/O latency, lock conten on,
index efficiency, etc.
5. Applica on Layer:
Performance metrics: Response me, throughput, user
sa sfac on, error rate, scalability, resource consump on,
etc.
PERFORMANCE MODELLING
What is a model?
In the context of performance modeling and beyond, a
model is a simplified representa on of a real-world system,
process, or phenomenon.
Reasons for using models:
1. Understanding Complexity: Real-world systems and
phenomena can be complex and difficult to
comprehend.
2. Predic on and Forecas ng: Models enable
predic on and forecas ng of future outcomes or
behavior based on current data and assump ons.
3. Problem-solving and Decision-making: Models
serve as tools for problem-solving and decision-
making by providing a structured framework for
analyzing problems, evalua ng alterna ve solu ons,
and assessing their poten al impacts.
4. Hypothesis Tes ng: Models facilitate hypothesis
tes ng by allowing researchers to formulate
hypothesis about the underlying mechanisms or
rela onships in a system and test them against
empirical data or observa ons.
5. Design and op miza on: models aid in system
design and op miza on by exploring different
design alterna ves, assessing their performance,
and iden fying op mal configura ons or parameters
to achieve desired objec ves.
6. Communica on and Visualiza on: Models provide a
means of communica on and visualiza on, allowing
stakeholders to share and discuss complex ideas,
concepts, and insights in a clear and intui ve
manner.
7. Educa on and Training: Models are valuable
educa onal tools for teaching and learning about
complex systems, processes, and concepts.
8. Resource Efficiency: Models can be used to conduct
virtual experiments or simula ons that are less
costly, me-consuming, or risky than real-world
experiments.
Performance Modeling: adapt and improve over me based on new
observa ons.
Performance modeling involves crea ng mathema cal or
i. The clock signal in a digital circuit serves as a ming
computa onal models to analyze and predict the
reference, synchronizing the opera on of various
performance of computer systems, so ware applica ons, or
components.
networks under various condi ons.
ii. CPU Execu on me: the execu on me or CPU
Components of performance modeling: Time which we called Ci, is the total amount of me
that the process execute; that me is generally
1. System Descrip on: Defining the components,
independent of the imita on me but o en
structure, and behavior of the system being modeled,
depends on the input data.
including hardware, so ware, network topology, and
iii. CPU Clock cycle: it is a single increment of the
workload characteris cs.
central processing unit (CPU clock during which the
2. Performance Metrics: Iden fying performance metrics
smallest unit or processor ac vity is carried out.
to measure and analyze, such as response me,
iv. Clock Period: the clock period or cycle me, Tc is the
throughput, resource u liza on, scalability, reliability,
me between rising edges of a repe ve clock
and availability.
signal.
3. Workload Characteriza on: Analyzing the workload
pa erns, arrival rates, service demands, and Steps involved in model formula on for computer systems
concurrency levels to represent the behavior of system performance evalua on:
users or applica ons.
1. Define the problem
4. Resource Modeling: Modeling the resources (e.g.,
2. Collect data
CPUs, memory, disks, network bandwidth) and their
3. Iden fy variables
interac ons within the system, including queuing
4. Formulate hypotheses
delays, conten on, and resource sharing.
5. Choose a model type
5. Concurrency and Synchroniza on: Modeling the
6. Develop the model
concurrency and synchroniza on mechanisms used in
7. Validate the model
the system, such as locks, semaphores, and
8. Analyze the model
transac ons, to analyze the impact on system
9. Refine the model
performance.
10. Interpret results
Four key techniques in performance modeling:

1. Analy cal Modeling: Using mathema cal

techniques, such as queuing theory, stochas c
processes, and probability theory, to develop
analy cal models that describe system behavior and
performance characteris cs.
2. Simula on: Building computer-based simula ons to
replicate the behavior of the system over me,
enabling the study of complex interac ons and
dynamic behavior under different scenarios.
3. Sta s cal Modeling: Applying sta s cal techniques,
such as regression analysis, me series analysis, and
hypothesis tes ng, to analyze performance data,
iden fy pa erns, and make predic ons about future
behavior.
4. Machine Learning: U lizing machine learning
algorithms to analyze performance data, discover
pa erns, and develop predic ve models that can