Introduction to the theme issue on performance modeling

Abstract

The increasing complexity of modern computer systems demands new and efficient performance modeling techniques to aid developers in producing the most efficient system for a desired task. Performance evaluation seeks to understand and explain system performance. It should be an integral component of the development process from the beginning to reduce the costs required to fix problems late in the development cycle. Indeed, decisions made early in the process will directly impact the quality of the final product. The model-based development paradigm, in contrast, advocates developing systems starting from models—at multiple levels of abstraction—that express domain-specific concepts precisely and intuitively while supporting automated manipulation and transformation. The goal of this theme issue is to illuminate the deep relationship between computer systems performance evaluation and system modeling. The papers presented in this issue help to answer such questions as—How can model-driven techniques that are used to understand a system’s behavior be used to improve its performance? Can modeling languages and tools be adapted for improving performance? What are the connections between modeling tool environments and performance evaluation tools and environments? The papers in this theme issue are a step towards bridging the gap between the theory and practice of performance evaluation and system modeling.