Author_Institution :
AT&T Bell Labs., Naperville, IL, USA
Abstract :
The performance of a network based computing system that consists of a number of clients and a server, interconnected by a local area network, is studied. Each client represents a diskless or swapful workstation, or an X terminal, and generates application workload using either a conventional UNIX file system or the Network File System (NFS). To characterize the application workload and the effect of the protocol (login, rlogin, NFS), the user interface (workstation, X terminal) and its configuration (memory size, disk storage), a series of measurement experiments was performed in a controlled environment. During each experiment the traffic on the network and the activity on the various system resources were monitored. The measurements obtained are used to parameterize a queuing network model of the system, which is then used to project the performance of the system under various load conditions, to identify system bottlenecks, and to compare design alternatives
Keywords :
interactive terminals; local area networks; performance evaluation; queueing theory; workstations; NFS; Network File System; UNIX file system; X terminals; clients; disk storage; diskless workstation; load conditions; local computer network; login; memory size; network based computing system; network performance; network traffic; protocol; queuing network model; rlogin; server; swapful workstation; system bottlenecks; system resources; user interface; Application software; Computer networks; File systems; LAN interconnection; Local area networks; Network servers; Performance analysis; Protocols; User interfaces; Workstations;
