Performance evaluation is the process of determining how well an existing or future computer system meets a set of alternative performance objectives. Arbitrarily selecting performance metrics, evaluation techniques, and workloads often leads to inaccurate conclusions.
How should one carry out a performance evaluation study? The answer is to follow a systematic approach. The methodology proposed here involves six steps:
- Understand the current environment and define goals for analysis.
- Identify and gather relevant performance metrics.
- Select the appropriate evaluation technique.
- Define characteristic workloads.
- Analyze and interpret the data.
- Present the results.
The purpose of this article is to provide IT staff and system administrators with a systematic approach to performance evaluation and point out some common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid