Performance Analysis of Future Shared Storage Systems

This paper deals with the analysis and design of two important classes of computer systems: BIP (Billion Instructions Per Second) systems consisting of a few very high performance processors and KMIP (K Million Instructions Per Second) systems with hundreds of low speed processors. Each system has large, shared semiconductor memories. Simple analytic models are developed for estimating the performance of such systems. The models are validated using simulation. They can be utilized to quickly reduce the design space and study various trade-offs. The models are applied to BIP and KMIP systems and their use is illustrated using examples.