Fine-Grained Profiling for Data-Intensive Workflows

Profiling is an effective dynamic analysis approach to investigate complex applications. ParaTrac is a user-level profiler using file system and process tracing techniques for data-intensive workflow applications. In two respects ParaTrac helps users refine the orchestration of workflows. First, the profiles of I/O characteristics enable users to quickly identify bottlenecks of underlying I/O subsystems. Second, ParaTrac can exploit fine-grained data-processes interactions in workflow execution to help users understand, characterize, and manage realistic data-intensive workflows. Experiments on thoroughly profiling Montage workflow demonstrate that ParaTrac is scalable to tracing events of thousands of processes and effective in guiding fine-grained workflow scheduling or workflow management systems improvements.