A performance experiment on a unix system

A performance experiment on a PDP 11/45 running under UNIX is described. The purpose is to discover the major influences in the system and their relationships in an attempt to analyze the performance of the system and predict the effect on performance of possible hardware and workload changes. A suitable performance parameter is developed and the workload, hardware and internal system parameters are determined. Tools are constructed to record these parameters. A controlled experiment, using a synthetic workload is then conducted. The results are analyzed using regression analysis and suitable equations are obtained. Sample applications are given. The merits of the relationships, as well as the suitability of the tools developed and methods used, are discussed.Science, Faculty ofComputer Science, Department ofGraduat