Workload Modeling for Computer Networks

Workload analysis and modeling for distributed systems are getting very important due to the increasing diffusion of computer networks and to the evolution of system architectures. The large number of hardware and software components interacting together makes the performance of such systems heavily dependent on the characteristics of the load. A layered structure is adopted as a general framework for workload modeling in computer networks. The various components, such as user terminals, processing nodes., and communication subsystem, are taken into account. Workload characterization at each layer is described and the fundamental steps for a global workload modeling procedure are given. An experimental application of the proposed methodology for a local area network is presented.

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