Trace-based load characterization for the automated development of software performance models.
Curtis E. Hrischuk · 1998
Performance models of software designs can give early warnings of problems such as resource saturation or excessive delays. However models are seldom used because of the considerable effort needed to construct them. Trace-based Load Characterization (TLC) is a model building technique that gathers the necessary information from an executable design to develop a Layered Queueing Network model in an automated fashion. It uses two formal models for this purpose: the angio trace and proper time. Proper time characterizes the execution of a distributed operation by cause-and-effect event relationships, as well as identifying blocking, non-blocking, and synchronization interactions between tasks. A proper time model is a Task and Operation Event Graph (TOEG) which is a new graph grammar. An angio trace is an instrumentation specification for generating a TOEG and it is a new, causal logical clock. The LQN sub-model is a third model type that is used to assemble several scenarios into an LQN. TLC is appropriate for a message passing distributed system where tasks interact by point-to-point communication. The TLC technique can be applied throughout the software life-cycle, even after deployment. With TLC, the performance analyst can focus on the principles of software performance analysis rather than model building.