Computer system performance

Assessing the performance of complex, expensive computer systems is a practical necessity and technical challenge. Performance parameters are a set of precisely defined descriptors of efficiency, helping operators to determine if the system is meeting stated objectives. It is important to understand the descriptors, the relationships between them, and how they are influenced by choices in system architecture, design, and operations. This book is concerned with performance as opposed to function, and the reader is assumed to be familiar with functional aspects of machine organization and programming. Performance evaluation brings together considerations of hardware, software, human, and management factors. This book is intended for senior undergraduates, graduate students, and computer professionals.