Permabase: predicting the performance of distributed systems at the design stage

The paper describes the Permabase project, funded by BT, which produced prototypes to predict software performance automatically at the systems design stage. It discusses the Permabase rationale and describes the architecture and details of the prototype systems and its validation using case studies. It discusses the use of UML as a mechanism for capturing the information needed for performance prediction modelling, and shows how translation makes it possible to produce simulation models. It reviews the achievements of the project and looks forward to ways in which the work could be enhanced and built on to encompass a greater range of systems