Parametric instabilities in computer system performance prediction
Lawrence W. Dowdy, Ashok K. Agrawala · afips · 1899
A typical computer system undergoes continual upgrading. Unfortunately, this upgrading is not always synonymous with system improvement. For example, allowing more users to simultaneously access the system (i.e., increasing the degree of multiprogramming) increases the utilization and throughput of the computer system. However, extra system overhead (e.g., swapping) is required to properly manage the extra load. In some cases, 4 this overhead offsets the potential throughput improvement. Because interactions between the components of a modern computer system are so complex, there is a critical need for system models which accurately predict performance.