2. Budget:
The necessary hardware and
programming environment is available in the department.
With the salary support of $ 3000.00 the project
will be completed during Summer 1999.
3. Description of the Proposal:
3.1 Need for the Project in the Department:
At present, discussion of topics in performance evaluation
of systems within the computer science courses
is purely theoretical in nature.
This is partly due to the fact that there is no testbed software
environment where students can experiment with simulation models and
visualize system performance.
The Department of Computer Science has recently acquired licenses for the object oriented simulation programming language environment Modsim III. The programming environment Modsim III is suitable for the construction of simulation models and for the construction of graphic user interfaces to the models. Domain specific models, however, need to be developed at this time to harvest the benefits from the new environment.
3.2 Purpose and Primary Objective:
The study of factors that influence performance of
computer systems is significant for practicing computer scientists.
Performance is an important issue during the design at the level of
individual computer hardware (computer architecture),
computer software (operating systems),
and at the level of systems of computers (computer networks).
The objective of this project is to provide access to simulation models
which students can experiment with in order to gain insight into the
factors that
affect system performance at different levels of design.
These simulation models will form a scientific basis for understanding
and
analysis of systems which are either too difficult or impossible
to capture in pure mathematical models.
3.3 Innovative Features of the proposal:
At present, typical textbooks in Computer Networks [],
[], [],
Operating Systems [], [], [],
and Computer Architecture [], []
present topics in performance evaluation from a theoretical
perspective only.
On the other hand, texts on simulation language [] and
modeling focus on the language syntax or on the statistical methods.
The proposed project is intended to synthesize theory and implementation by presenting them together in case specific situations. Software implementations of models will be included with the relevant theory and it is expected that students will gain insight into each situation through experiments which accompany the case studies.
3.4 Scope of Work:
About eight case studies will be developed to cover core techniques in
performance modeling.
Three example case studies are outlined below to illustrate the
nature of case studies.
The example case studies are drawn from topics in
Operating Systems,
Computer Networks, and Computer Architecture respectively.
Each case study will contain sections on: (a). Case Description;
(b). Theoretical Tools; (c). Software Model Implementation in
Modsim-III and Documentation;
and (d). Experiments with model.
The case studies will be selected to enhance instruction
in the following four courses.
(i). Operating Systems (csc342);
(ii). Computer Networks (csc344);
(iii). Computer Architecture (csc442); and
(iv). Performance Evaluation of Computer Systems (csc422).
Example Case Study 1: Multiple File Server
Given a group of diskless workstations serviced by several file servers,
and given that the file requests are not uniformly distributed across the servers,
how can we estimate the waiting time for a file access. Examine the performance
as more file servers are added, the rate of access requests is changed.
Example Case Study 2: Packet Switched Network
Given the rate of message origination in a network
of computers, find
average delay as seen by a message as it traverses the network.
Examine the performance as the number of links in the network are changed,
the link speeds are changed.
Example Case Study 3: Arithmetic Logic Unit-Cache Memory Traffic
Given a collection of memory modules each with its own cycle time, and
access time, and given a certain processor to memory request rate, determine the
bandwidth available from these memory modules.
Examine the effect of placing high speed cache memory on the bandwidth.
4. Applicant's Preparation for the Project:
The applicant regularly teaches the Computer Architecture (csc442)
and Operating System (csc342) courses and is scheduled to teach
Performance Evaluation of Computer Systems (csc422) during Spring 1999.
The later course is being offered for the first time at UNCW.
5. Dissemination, Benefits :
The software models built in this project along with
documentation of models will be ready
for inclusion in computer science courses beginning with Fall 1999 semester.
At the end of the project
the case studies will be compiled in the form of a Technical Report
and demonstration version of software will be placed on the
University web site for access by students and faculty.
William Stallings, High Speed Networks, TCP/IP and ATM Design Principles, pp. 126-207, 1998, Prentice Hall Pub.
Silberschatz, and Galvin, Operating Systems Concepts, 1998, Addison Wesley Pub.
Michael J. Flynn, Computer Architecture, Pipelines and Parallel Processor Design, pp. 368-418, 1995, Jones and Bartlett Pub.
Coulouris, Dollimore, Kindberg, Distributed Systems Concepts and Design, Addison Wesley Pub.
Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Distributed Operating Systems, 1995, Prentice Hall Pub.
Patterson, and Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design, 1997, Morgan Kaufmann Pub.
William Stallings, Data and Computer Communications, 1988, Macmillan Pub.
Ron Belanger, Modeling and Simulation using Modsim III. CACI.