Performance analysis of the Alliant FX/8 multiprocessor using statistical clustering

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6508882

Dimpsey, R T

Results for two distinct, real, scientific workloads executed on an Alliant FX/8 are discussed. A combination of user concurrency and system overhead measurements was taken for both workloads. Preliminary analysis shows that the first sampled workload is comprised of consistently high user concurrency, low system overhead, and little paging. The second sample has much less user concurrency, but significant paging and system overhead. Statistical cluster analysis is used to extract a state transition model to jointly characterize user concurrency and system overhead. A skewness factor is introduced and used to bring out the effects of unbalanced clustering when determining states with important transitions. The results from the models show that during the collection of the first sample, the system was operating in states of high user concurrency approximately 75 percent of the time. The second workload sample shows the system in high user concurrency states only 26 percent of the time. In addition, it is ascertained that high system overhead is usually accompanied by low user concurrency. The analysis also shows a high predictability of system behavior for both workloads.

• Research Organization: Illinois Univ., Urbana (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6508882
• Report Number(s): N-89-13145; NASA-CR-183221; NAS-1.26:183221; UILU-ENG-88-2255; CSG-91
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990210* -- Supercomputers-- (1987-1989)
ARRAY PROCESSORS
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
COMPUTERS
DIGITAL COMPUTERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PERFORMANCE
SUPERCOMPUTERS