Tailor

Tailor, an atomic model of the Tandem/16 multiple-computer system, was able to predict the equipment needed to handle the workloads to within 5 percent and was tested under two very different workloads.

Abstract

Tailor is an atomic model of the Tandem/16 multiple-computer system. Atomic modeling is based on operational analysis and general considerations from queueing theory. Measurements of system atoms define the underlying components of processor usage. The workload is described to the model through a separate set of measurable parameters that comprise the workload atoms. Simple formulae from operational analysis are then applied to predict the amount of equipment necessary to support the projected application. Tailor's accuracy was tested under two very different workloads. For both a large backend database application and a program development system, Tailor was able to predict the equipment needed to handle the workloads to within 5 percent.