bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The architecture and operational characteristics of the VMX host machine
Authors: Frieder Gideon
Published: January 2007

The VMX host machine is a hardware-firmware environment for implementation of actual computer systems with a favorable price performance ratio. The article presents the host framework architecture, together with all units which are used to build actual systems. The advantages and future potential of the architecture is briefly discussed. The notion of memory directives within the frame-work of an active (or “intelligent”) memory unit is introduced. This notion serves as one example of the possibilities that are built into the architecture of the VMX host.
A microprogramming language-directed microarchitecture
Authors: Guffin Ronald M.
Published: January 2007

A microarchitecture designed for high performance, control store efficiency, and ease of microprogramming is described. These objectives were achieved by orienting the design to support the requirements of a powerful higher-level-like microprogramming language. 1, 2 The language is machine dependent and achieves efficiency of execution and space, as well as compactness of expression through relatively powerful constructs such as partial field operations and by permitting appropriate suboptions to be coupled with each of the various constructs. The relative utility of the various constructs is indicated by a statistical analysis of an actual emulator.
PACE - a microprogram evaluation system
Authors: Skibbe Robert E.
Published: January 2007

This paper describes PACE (Product Assurance Code Evaluation) System, a tool for evaluating microprograms. PACE incorporates both static analysis and dynamic analysis capabilities and it provides features that enable systematic and comprehensive evaluations of large-scale microcoded systems.

The PACE static analysis capability performs a control flow analysis of the code being evaluated, reports various anomalous program constructs, and generates a program flow graph that is subsequently employed by PACE's dynamic analysis procedures.

The PACE dynamic analysis capability uses encoded execution trace data to produce microcode test-coverage reports and formatted code-execution traces. The dynamic analysis capability provides quantitative code execution coverage data that enables an assessment of testing thoroughness and is useful in the identification of effective regression test cases.
The PRIM system
Authors: Goldberg Joel , Cooperband Alvin , Gallenson Louis
Published: January 2007

The architecture of PRIM is unique in coupling a powerful microprogrammable machine (the Standard Computer Corporation MLP-900) to a modern general-purpose computing system (the DEC PDP-10). The TENEX timesharing system running in the PDP-10 is responsible for scheduling use of the MLP-900. Emulator microcode runs in the MLP-900 under the control of a small resident executive that swaps its users and mediates references to PDP-10 services and shared memory. The PRIM system in the PDP-10 (also running under control of TENEX) provides emulators with access to the TENEX file system and peripherals. PRIM also permits on-line user control of an emulation and supports interactive symbolic debugging of both emulator microcode and target code for the various emulated machines. The resulting sharable system, accessible via the ARPANET to users anywhere, supports both emulator developers and users. This architecture has allowed the development of a more powerful and convenient tool with less effort than would have been possible on a stand-alone microprogrammable host. The hardware and software components of the PRIM system are described and the operation of PRIM is outlined from the user's viewpoint. Requirements for creating PRIM-like systems are discussed, and the PRIM approach is compared with other, more conventional approaches.
An analysis of code density for the two level programmable control of the Nanodata QM-1
Authors: Frieder Gideon , Miller Jill
Published: January 2007

Several microinstruction formats which utilize hybrid combinations of horizontal and vertical formats are described. The microinstruction plus nanoinstruction format of two machines is described, and the existing nanocode of the Nanodata QM-1 is statistically analyzed. This analysis shows that the present encoding of these instructions is optimal for the flexible machine architecture.
The LASS hardware processor
Authors: Kunz Paul F. , Fall Richard N. , F. Michael , Brafman Hanoch
Published: January 2007

The problems of data analysis with hardware processors are reviewed and a description is given for a programmable processor. This processor, the 168/E, has been designed for use in the LASS multi-processor system; it has an execution speed comparable to that of the IBM 370/168 and uses the subset of IBM 370 instructions appropriate to the LASS analysis task.
PASC-HLL
Authors: Schoellkopf J. P.
Published: January 2007

PASC-HLL design started from a study of the high-level language PASCAL which allowed the definition of a special purpose intermediate language. A new mechanism for pipe-lined execution of polish strings using a FIFO queue instead of a push-down stack [1] made possible the design of a pipe-lined architecture bit-slice computer for high level language called PASC-HLL [2]. That computer consists in five special purpose microprogrammed processors, each being involved in a special function (instruction fetch, operand fetch, execution of operators, local storage management, and memory access).
Automatic synthesis of microcontrollers
Authors: Nagle Andrew W.
Published: January 2007

A method is proposed for automating the design of a microcontroller from a register transfer level description of a digital system. This method designs the format of the control word, determines the timing of branch decisions, and specifies the content of the microprogram. A data structure is introduced which supports some heuristic optimization of the design. The goal of the design method is to produce correct designs that are partially optimized with a practical amount of computing effort. An example is given to show how the method works.
Towards a microprogramming language schema
Authors: Dasgupta Subrata
Published: January 2007

A
microprogramming language schema
S denotes a language whose semantics is partially defined. A particular language S(M
1
), corresponding to some specific microprogrammable host machine M
1
, is obtained when S's semantics is completed using the properties of M
1
. In this paper, the design of a PASCAL-influenced language schema S* is developed. The principal characteristics of S* are facilities for constructing well-structured, verifiable microprograms that can either be optimized at the source program level or can be subject to mechanical (compiler) optimization.
A measure of program locality and its application
Authors: Bunt Richard B. , Murphy Jennifer M. , Majumdar Shikharesh
Published: January 2007

Although the phenomenon of locality has long been recognized as the single most important characteristic of program behaviour, relatively little work has been done in attempting to measure it. Recent work has led to the development of an intrinsic measure of program locality based on the Bradford-Zipf distribution. Potential applications for such a measure are many, and include the evaluation of program restructuring methods (manual and automatic), the prediction of system performance, the validation of program behaviour models, and the enhanced understanding of the phenomena that characterize program behaviour. A consideration of each of these areas is given in connection with the proposed measure, both to increase confidence in the validity of the measure and to illustrate a methodology for dealing with such problems.
Response Time Preservation
Authors: Agrawal Subhash C. , Buzen Jeffrey P. , Shum Annie W.
Published: January 2007

Response Time Preservation (RTP) is introduced as a general technique for developing approximate analysis procedures for queueing networks. The underlying idea is to replace a subsystem by an equivalent server whose response time in isolation equals that of the entire subsystem in isolation. The RTP based approximations, which belong to the class of decomposition approximations, can be viewed as a dual of the Norton's Theorem approach for solving queueing networks since it matches response times rather than throughputs. The generality of the RTP technique is illustrated by developing solution procedures for several important queueing systems which violate product form assumptions. Examples include FCFS servers with general service times, FCFS servers with different service times for multiple classes, priority scheduling, and distributed systems.
Throughput-delay characteristics and stability considerations of the access channel in a mobile telephone system
Authors: Stavenow Bengt
Published: January 2007

In this paper a performance study of the access channel in a cellular mobile telephone system /1/ is presented. The method used in the Cellular System for multiplexing the population of mobile terminals over the access channel is a hybrid between the methods known as CSMA/CD and BTMA. In the paper we extend an analysis of CSMA/CD to accomodate the function of the particular random multiaccess protocol. Results are shown which illustrate the equilibrium channel performance and the approximate stability-througput-delay tradeoff. Finally an estimate of the average message delay is given.
A simple analysis of exclusive and shared lock contention in a database system
Authors: Lavenberg Stephen S.
Published: January 2007

We consider a probabilistic model of locking in a database system in which an arriving transaction is blocked and lost when its lock requests conflict with the locks held by currently executing transactions. Both exclusive and shared locks are considered. We derive a simple asymptotic expression for the probability of blocking which is exact to order 1/
N
where
N
is the number of lockable items in the database. This expression reduces to one recently derived by Mitra and Weinberger for the special case where all locks are exclusive.
Guest editors' preface
Authors: Banerjee Sujata , Chrysanthis Panos K.
Published: January 2007

This special issue is on the recent trends in mobile data management. Our goal was to highlight recent work that examines multiple facets of the overall mobile data management area. Research on the topic of mobile data management is still very actively pursued. In the last 12 months, we could identify more than 20 workshops and conferences that have dealt with this topic, and some of them exclusively. Ultimately, we picked five papers from two workshops and one conference and invited the authors to submit extended versions of their papers and include their recent results. The conference was Mobile Data Management (MDM) (January 2004), and the workshops were Data Engineering for Wireless and Mobile Access (MobiDE) (September 2003), and Mobility in Databases and Distributed Systems (MDDS) (September 2003).
Effect of vertical handovers on performance of TCP-friendly rate control
Authors: Gurtov Andrei , Korhonen Jouni
Published: January 2007

An intersystem or vertical handover is a key enabling mechanism for next generations of mobile communication systems. A vertical handover can cause an abrupt change of up to two orders of magnitude in link bandwidth and latency. It is hard for end-to-end congestion control to adapt promptly to such changes. This is especially a concern for slowly responsive congestion control algorithms, such as TCP-Friendly Rate Control (TFRC). TFRC is designed to provide a smooth transmission rate for real-time applications and, therefore, is less responsive to changes in network conditions than TCP. Using measurements and simulation, we show that TFRC has significant difficulties adapting after a vertical handover. TFRC receives only a fraction of TCP throughput over a fast link, but can be grossly unfair to concurrent TCP flows after handover to a slow link. We show that two proposals based on overbuffering and an explicit handover notification are effective solutions to these problems. Using them, TFRC can quickly adapt to new link characteristics after a handover, while otherwise maintaining a smooth transmission rate.
Optimal control of thrashing
Authors: Blake Russ
Published: January 2007

The method of discrete optimal control is applied to control thrashing in a virtual memory. Certain difficulties with several previous approaches are discussed. The mechanism of optimal control is presented as an effective, inexpensive alternative. A simple, ideal policy is devised to illustrate the method. A new feedback parameter, the thrashing level, is found to be a positive and robust indicator of thrashing. When applied to a real system, the idealized policy effectively controlled the virtual memory.
Hierarchical replacement decisions in hierarchical stores
Authors: Babaoǧlu Özalp
Published: January 2007

One of the primary motivations for implementing virtual memory is its ability to automatically manage a hierarchy of storage systems with different characteristics. The composite system behaves as if it were a single-level system having the more desirable characteristics of each of its constituent levels. In this paper we extend the virtual memory concept to within each of the levels of the hierarchy. Each level is thought of as containing two additional levels within it. This hierarchy is not a physical one, but rather an artificial one arising from the employment of two different replacement algorithms. Given two replacement algorithms, one of which has good performance but high implementation cost and the other poor performance but low implementation cost, we propose and analyze schemes that result in an overall algorithm having the performance characteristics of the former and the cost characteristics of the latter. We discuss the suitability of such schemes in the management of storage hierarchies that lack page reference bits.
On state-dependent workload characterization by software resources
Authors: Haring Günter
Published: January 2007

A method for the characterization of computer workload at the task level is presented. After having divided the workload into different classes using a cluster technique, each cluster is further analysed by state dependent transition matrices. Thus it is possible to derive the most probable task sequences in each cluster. This information can be used to construct synthetic scripts at the task level rather than the usual description at the hardware resource level.
Measuring simultaneous events in a multiprocessor system
Authors: Hercksen Uwe , Klar Rainer , Kleinöder Wolfgang , Kneißl Franz
Published: January 2007

In the hierarchically organized multiprocessor system EGPA, which has the structure of a pyramid, the performance of concurrent programs is studied. These studies are assisted by a hardware monitor (ZÄHLMONITOR III), which measures not only the activity and idle states of CPU and channels, but records the complete history of processes in the CPU and interleaved I/O activities. The applied method is distinguished from usual hardware measurements for two reasons: it puts together the a priori independent event-streams coming from the different processors to a well ordered single event stream and it records not only hardware but also software events. Most useful have been traces of software events, which give the programmer insight into the dynamic cooperation of distributed subtasks of his program. This paper describes the measurement method and its application to the analysis of the behaviour of a highly asynchronous parallel algorithm: the projection of contour lines from a given point of view and the elimination of hidden lines.

This work is sponsored by the Bundesminister für Forschung und Technologie (German Federal Minister of Research and Technology).
The aggregate server method for analyzing serialization delays in computer systems
Authors: Agrawal Subhash C. , Buzen Jeffrey P.
Published: January 2007

The aggregate server method is an approximate, iterative technique for analyzing the delays programs encounter while waiting for entry into critical sections, non-reentrant subroutines, and similar software structures that cause processing to become serialized. The method employs a conventional product form queueing network comprised of servers that represent actual I/O devices and processors, plus additional aggregate servers that represent serialized processing activity. The parameters of the product form network are adjusted iteratively to account for contention among serialized and non-serialized customers at each physical device.
Extensions and computational aspects of an iterative method
Authors: Marie Raymond A. , Snyder Patricia M. , Stewart William J.
Published: January 2007

The so-called iterative methods are among a class of methods that have recently been applied to obtain approximate solutions to general queueing networks. In this paper it is shown that if the network contains feedback loops, then it is more advantageous to incorporate these loops into the analysis of the station itself rather than into the analysis of the complement of the station. We show how this analysis may be performed for a simple two-phase Coxian server. Additionally, it is shown that the number of iterations required to achieve a specified degree of accuracy may be considerably reduced by using a continuous updating procedure in which the computed throughputs are incorporated as soon as they are available, rather than at the end of an iteration. An efficient computational scheme is presented to accompany this continuous updating. Finally a number of examples are provided to illustrate these features.
Control policies in CSMA local area networks
Authors: Gelenbe Erol , Mitrani Isi
Published: January 2007

An analysis of the random carrier sense multiple access channel is presented in terms of the behaviour of each participating station. A detailed model of the station protocol, including the control policy used in case collisions, is used to derive the traffic and throughput of each station. The channel traffic characteristics are derived from this model and used, in turn, to derive the traffic parameters entering into the station model. This provides a solution method for complete system characteristics for a finite prespecified set of stations. The approach is then used to analyse control policies of the type used in ETHERNET. We show, in particular, that as the propagation delay becomes small, the specific form of the control policy tends to have a marginal effect on network performance. The approach also applies to the DANUBE and XANTHOS networks.
Modelling the Cambridge Ring
Authors: King P. J. B. , Mitrani I.
Published: January 2007

Models for the local area computer network known as the Cambridge Ring are developed and evaluated. Two different levels of protocol are considered: the hardware and the Basic Block. These require different approaches and, in the second case, an approximate solution method. A limited comparison between the Cambridge Ring and another ring architecture - the token ring - is carried out.
A knowledge plane as a pricing mechanism for aggregate, user-centric utility maximization
Authors: Marbukh Vladimir
Published: January 2007

This paper proposes pricing user centric requirements as a potential role for the Knowledge Plane. Assuming elastic users capable of modifying their behavior in response to the pricing signals, this approach may result in optimal resource allocation without necessity for the users to acquire detailed information on the network state as well as advanced knowledge of the user requirements by the network.
An asymptotic optimality of the transposition rule for linear lists
Authors: Gamarnik David , Momčilović Petar
Published: January 2007

The linear list is one of basic data structures in computer science with search being a primary operation defined on it. Items are located in the list by sequentially examining them from the beginning of the list. Intuitively one would like to place items that are frequently requested at the front of the list in order to minimize the number of items being examined. Given the properties of the request sequence one could place items in an order that minimizes the search cost. Yet often properties of the request sequence are either not known in advance or time dependent. Hence, it is desirable to employ self-organizing algorithms. The two best known such rules are the move-to-front and transposition rule [9, Section 6]. In addition to being simple these rules are memory-free, i.e., require no memory for their operation.
Self assembly times in DNA-based computation
Authors: Baryshnikov Yuliy , Coffman Ed , Momčilović Petar
Published: January 2007

Speed of computation and power consumption are the two main parameters of conventional computing devices implemented in microelectronic circuits. As performance of such devices approaches physical limits, new computing paradigms are emerging. Two paradigms receiving great attention are quantum and DNA-based molecular computing.

This paper focuses on DNA-based computing. This concept can be abstracted to growth models where computational elements called tiles are self-assembled one by one, subject to some simple hierarchical rules, to fill a given template encoding a Boolean formula. While DNA-based computational devices are known to be extremely energy efficient, little is known concerning the fundamental question of computation times. In particular, given a function, we study the time required to determine its value for a given input. In the simplest instance, the analysis has interesting connections with interacting particle systems and variational problems.
Another look at motivating data processing professionals
Authors: Mata Toledo Ramon A. , Unger Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2007

Motivation is a crucial management issue. The productivity of the U.S. worker is still dropping in the 1980's. The industrial revolution (automation of labor intensive industries) maintained productivity and increased standards of living earlier in this century. The computer revolution has a similar potential for the U.S. and the world. Another look at motivation thus appears indicated. Analysis of the data processing professional's personality profile as developed by recent studies (COU78, COU80, FIT78, LED80) in light of established theories of behavior results in several suggestions for managing computer personnel.
An investigation into the recruitment and training of the disadvantaged for staffing the MIS function
Authors: Brown Cecil Page
Published: January 2007

The purpose and intent of this paper is to investigate and explore the staffing of operative level management information systems (MIS) functions with the disadvantaged. This intent is focused around two principle targets: the MIS functions and the disadvantaged. The primary reason for focusing on the disadvantaged (which will be defined at a later point) is that the months following the periods from Summer, 1964 - Summer, 1967, in which this country experienced its gravest civil disorders in modern times, found the business world scurrying in efforts to initiate training programs and offer employment opportunities for a segment of society which has traditionally known either unemployment or underemployment. In a "last ditch effort to save the country," the public and private sectors of our economy set out to alleviate some of the frustrations and conditions which had generated an indelible scar on their records as socially responsible institutions. In short, jobs and employment opportunities were being offered to the disadvantaged as a step toward curing social ills.
An interim validation report on the Wolfe
Authors: Wolfe Jack M.
Published: January 2007

An earlier version of this test, Experimental Form A, was administered to 295 programming students in 7 participating schools. The test books were then returned to the author for grading. The results showed Pearson coefficients of correlation between the test rankings and the grades in the programming courses ranging from .14 to .69 for the 192 men students and from .54 to .95 for the 103 women students. For all men combined as a single group the correlation was .45 and for all women combined as a single group it was .70. Programming aptitude tests usually show correlations in the .30's or .40's and occasionally in the .50's or higher.
An assessment of organizational practices in data processing environments
Authors: Woodruff Charles K.
Published: January 2007

The results of an empirical study of 202 business data processing subjects from twelve computer centers in metropolitan Atlanta are reported. Perceptions of organizational practices were measured and then subjected to factor analysis and reliability criteria. Ten factors were used in the data analysis. Management Ability to Make Decisions and Select Personnel emerged as the most significant single factor. People oriented factors appeared to offer the greatest potential pay-offs. Implications for data processing management are discussed.
Development of computer-based information systems
Authors: Bostrom Robert P.
Published: January 2007

It is still too often the case that Computer-Based Information Systems (CIS) are developed behind schedule, over cost, do not do as much as promised, and do not satisfy their users. After 25 years of experience building these systems, why do these troubles continue to arise? A good part of the answer is that the requirements for these systems were never stated accurately and/or completely in the first place. If the requirement statements are erroneous or incomplete, how can the resulting system be expected to perform satisfactorily? In addition, errors caught or requirements discovered in later phases of the system development process can have very adverse affects on cost targets and meeting time deadlines.
Security considerations for computer personnel
Authors: Richards Tom , Guynes Steve , Spence Wayne
Published: January 2007

White collar crime involving the use of computers is becoming a serious problem in today's business world, with losses estimated in the billions of dollars. In an attempt to combat computerized crime, a company must take into consideration a large number of potential risk areas and combat them with well designed security procedures and control systems. These areas include the computer software systems, the hardware, the physical environment in which the computer resides, the communication systems used by the computer, administrative procedures, and personnel policies. Most of these topics have been discussed in a number of recent journal articles and in computer security texts. One area which has not received the attention which it deserves is the relationship between computer crime and employee management.
Short INTEGERS in standard Fortran 77
Authors: Wagener Jerrold L.
Published: January 2007

Standard Fortran 77 has an INTEGER data type, but only one size of integers. On a 32-bit word-size machine an INTEGER will normally occupy 32 bits, or four 8-bit bytes, and can contain an integer magnitude in excess of 2 billion. Often an application deals with integer values of far less magnitude than this, and in such cases, especially where memory is not abundant, it is advantageous to use smaller storage units for integer values. The most common situation is when the integer values are not greater than 32767 in magnitude, in which case two bytes (16 bits) of storage are sufficient. Many Fortran compilers allow short integer declarations, in the form of INTEGER*2, to provide for two-byte integer storage. In some cases even one byte is sufficient (for example when the integer magnitude is not greater than 127), and INTEGER*1 is provided by an occasional compiler.
A program for the analysis of speech error data
Authors: Silva Georgette , Fromkin Victoria A. , Heath Frank
Published: January 2007

The first extensive investigation of speech errors, i.e., utterances which in some way deviate from the intended or target utterances, is probably that of Rudolf Meringer (1,2), whose published collection of over eight thousand German speech, reading, hearing, and writing errors has been a rich source of data for several subsequent generations of researchers. Over the years, speech error data have come to be regarded as a kind of "window" into linguistic mental processes which can provide the investigator with empirical evidence for testing hypotheses about language and language behavior. Current interest in errors of speech is reflected in Speech Errors as Linguistic Evidence, where the subject is approached from widely varying theoretical angles (3).
A computer-aided analysis of Anglo-Canadian folktunes
Authors: Wenker Jerome
Published: January 2007

This study contains an analysis of the music of ninety-two English-language folksongs collected in Ontario, Canada. The major problems are: 1) selecting a suitable set of techniques for folksong analysis; 2) finding a feasible method of applying them to the data; 3) performing the analysis; 4) evaluating the method, the analysis techniques and the results (including some statistical analysis); and 5) making recommendations for future analysis of folksongs and other forms of music.
Lexical analysis of German texts
Authors: Steinacker Ingeborg , Trost Harald
Published: January 2007

We present a computerized method for reducing inflected German words to their stem. The German language has many possibilities of inflecting words (nouns have case endings, endings of adjectives depend on case and gender of the noun they belong to, . . .) Therefore it frequently happens, that an inflected word can be reduced to more than one stem. In this case all possible dictionary entries, to which the word can be reduced, are stored and the final selection can only be done by semantic means. The program is written in PASCAL and runs on a 16 bit machine.
SIGIR 2003 workshop on text analysis and search for bioinformatics
Authors: Brown Eric W. , Hersh William , Valencia Alfonso
Published: January 2007

Bioinformatics is generally defined as the application of information technology to help solve problems in cellular and molecular biology. This covers a broad range of topics from computational models of protein folding to the storage, search, and retrieval of gene sequence data. An emerging topic of interest in this area is automatic analysis of the bio-medical scientific literature. The goals in this area generally include providing easy access to specific textual information from a potentially very large corpus, and automatically extracting information from the text in a form amenable to further, possibly more structured analysis.
Information retrieval for question answering a SIGIR 2004 workshop
Authors: Gaizauskas Robert , Hepple Mark , Greenwood Mark
Published: January 2007

Open domain question answering has become a very active research area over the past few years, due in large measure to the stimulus of the TREC Question Answering track. This track addresses the task of finding
answers
to natural language (NL) questions (e.g.
How tall is the Eiffel Tower? Who is Aaron Copland?
) from large text collections. This task stands in contrast to the more conventional IR task of retrieving
documents
relevant to a query, where the query may be simply a collection of keywords (e.g.
Eiffel Tower, American composer, born Brooklyn NY 1900
, ...).
Some steps toward an information system performance theory
Authors: Johnson Robert R.
Published: January 2007

A means for representing information handling systems at the problem, program, and computer level is presented. This means, Petri Nets, coupled with classical information theory, provides quantitative measures of system capacity and thruput as well measures of "the work done." Concepts of information-capacity and of information-work are derived from these probabilistically labeled Petri Nets based on analogies to thermodynamics. Thruput is measured as information-gain. Comments are made about the possible significance of these concepts, their relationship to classical thermodynamics, and the directions of continuing thought stimulated by these concepts.
The software empiricist experimental disciplines & computer measurements
Authors: Kolence Ken
Published: January 2007

The introduction and use of the capability for quantitative measurements into the field of computer science must inexorably lead to the development and use of experimental approaches and techniques to discover, understand, and verify relationships between the observables of what is today loosely called computer performance. The reason for this column appearing as a regular feature in PER is to assist in the process of bridging the gap in both directions between the practitioners and theorists of the field. In the first column in this series, we introduced the concepts of empiricism and the initial discoveries of invariances of values as foundations of this new aspect of computer science. With this issue, we shall begin to investigate the requirements and methodologies by which this approach can be applied to the common benefit of both the practical and theoretical orientations. When a particular topic can be demonstrated with actual data or equivalent means, it will be the topic of a separate article.
Kiviat graphs
Authors: Morris Michael F.
Published: January 2007

Once in a very great while an idea comes along that quickly captures many imaginations. The circular graphic technique proposed nearly two years ago by Phil Kiviat, our illustrious Chairman, and very appropriately named "Kiviat Graphs" by our erst-while (and sorely missed) "Software Empiricist," Ken Kolence, is one of these ideas.
A note on figure of merit
Authors: Stevens Barry A.
Published: January 2007

Since Merrill proposed a Figure of Merit (FOM) for use in interpretation of the Kiviat Graph (KG), the FOM has found its way into at least one computer program to plot those graphs, and has been the subject of further discussion and amplification and has had alternate computation methods proposed and rebutted.
How fast is "real-time"?
Authors: Estell Robert G.
Published: January 2007

A single bench mark test was compiled and run on the AN/UYK-7 computer, and on a number of commercial computers, in order to measure the relative thruput of the UYK-7, which is the Navy's large scale real-time computer. The results indicate the speeds and accuracies of each host; however, general conclusions can be drawn only with some risk.
A brief review of the GAO task group's recommendations on management guidelines for pricing computer services in the federal government
Authors: Kiviat Philip J.
Published: January 2007

Computer systems and software applications in the Federal government have provided many wide-ranging benefits. Data processing activities and systems presently consume over $10 billion - about $3 out of every $100 in the Federal budget. All indications are pointing to even greater utilization of data processing systems in the future to:--conserve other resources,--maintain and improve the quality of services, and--enable more efficient and effective delivery of services.
Problems in implementing and processing computer charging schemes
Authors: Morris Michael F
Published: January 2007

It is important to point out at the beginning of this presentation that we have strayed quite far from the titled topic of our workshop -- "Pricing Computer Services." This makes my task much easier because I'm not at all sure what "service" we get from computers and "pricing" is seldom related in any economic sense with the cost of production. Here we have really been discussing "Charging for Computer Resource Usage." I will stay with the topic as we've been discussing it rather than with the topic as I thought it should be. To make to distinction clear between pricing services and charging for resource usage I will relate a very simple story from a recent newspaper.
Charging problems in mixed time-sharing/batch systems
Authors: Luderer Gottfried W. R.
Published: January 2007

This paper discusses two topics related to charging for computing services in mixed timesharing/batch systems. The first one is the problem of cross subsidization between time-sharing and batch service. A method is proposed which helps to avoid this phenomenon. The second topic deals with the question of helping the user to divide his work between time-sharing and batch service based on charging information. Basically, the approach is to define a service-invariant computing work unit, which is priced differently according to grade of service. Time-sharing and batch are considered to be different grades of service. The cost impact of moving work between services can thus be more easily estimated. A method for calculating grade-of-service factors from cost and workload estimates is presented.
Sigmetrics technical meeting on pricing computer services
Authors: Oatey David J.
Published: January 2007

This presentation will show how one large installation actually does pricing of several on-line systems. This is a "pricing in practice" example with the resultant procedures, measures, and pricing determined by the blending of several practical, political, and theoretical influences.
A simulation study of adaptive scheduling policies in interactive computer systems
Authors: Chanson Samuel T. , Bishop Craig D.
Published: January 2007

Recently, some work has been done in the area of dynamically adaptive scheduling in operating systems (i.e., policies that will adjust to varying workload conditions so as to maximize performance) [4],[5], [10], [11]. However, most studies deal with batch-oriented systems only. The University of British Columbia operates an IBM 370/168 running under MTS (Michigan Terminal System) which is principally used interactively. It has been known for some time that the system is Input/Output bound. The main goal of this work is to determine to what extent adeptive control, particularly as related to processor scheduling, can improve performance in a system similar to U. B. C.'s. Simulation is used throughout the study and because of this, the simulator and the workload are described in some detail. The target machine is a somewhat simplified version of the U.B.C. System.
A data sharing tutorial
Authors: Ziegler Kurt
Published: January 2007

This tutorial is intended to acquaint the reader with the issues of DATA SHARING and to develop an understanding for the implications of such facilities in the topic of integrity, performance, and recovery. Some future concerns are also discussed.
A new methodology for computer system data gathering
Authors: Orchard R. A.
Published: January 2007

Many computer system monitoring, data gathering, and reduction efforts ignore unbiased sampling techniques. The approaches generally taken are expensive and can make no scientifically based statement about the accuracy of the data gathered or consequent data reduction. The approach outlined in this paper attempts to correct these inadequacies by using the theory of random sampling.Several new techniques are introduced for obtaining optimal error bounds for estimates of computer system quantities obtained from random samples. A point of view is taken (boolean variable random sampling) which makes it unnecessary to have any a priori knowledge of the population parameters of the phenomena being sampled. It is expected that the techniques introduced will significantly reduce monitoring overhead for computer systems while increasing the quality of the data gathered.
Workload characterization for trend analysis
Authors: Esposito A. , Mazzeo A. , Costa P.
Published: January 2007

The methodology of analysis proposed in this paper aims at predicting the workload of a computer. This methodology consists of applying an algorithm of clustering to the workload, its jobs being identified by a pair (X,P), where X is the resource-vector of the job and P stands for the priority given to the job by the user.The hereby obtained clusters are then associated to the a
i
activities developed in the system and determine the influence of each a
i
to the overall workload. By repeating this operation at different times, either the periodicity or the monotonic changes that may occur in each activity are determined. This makes it possible to predict the evolution of the overall workload and consequently to evaluate changes to be carried out in the system.The above methodology is applied to a specific case and is illustrated in its various phases. The results obtained have validated the method. The study is still going on, with continuous periodical observations in order to update the data.
A comparison of two different program complexity measures
Authors: Comer J. R. , Rinewalt J. R. , Tanik M. M.
Published: January 2007

In recent years, a number of program complexity metrics have been developed to measure various characteristics of computer programs [1, 3]. Included among these metrics are Zolnowski's composite measure of program complexity [4, 5] and McCade's cyclomatic measure of program complexity [2]. The present paper examines these two metrics and attempts to measure their correlation with a third metric assigned by the program's author. This metric has been called the psychological complexity or the intuitive complexity of a program.
RTE's
Authors: Spiegel Mitchell G.
Published: January 2007

This paper surveys the evolution of Remote Terminal Emulators (RTEs). Major developments in RTE technology are separated into three "generations" of products. Each generation's unique applications and features are highlighted. Recent developments are noted and a prediction of future use for RTEs is provided.
Queueing networks with blocking
Authors: Perros H. G.
Published: January 2007

In recent years, queueing networks with blocking have been studied by researchers from various research communities such as Computer Performance Modelling, Operations Research, and Industrial Engineering. In view of this, related results are scattered throughout various journals. The bibliography given below is the result of a first attempt to compile an exhaustive list of related papers in which analytic investigations (exact or approximate) or numerical investigations of queueing networks with blocking have been reported.
The PEEK measurement program
Authors: Elshoff James L.
Published: January 2007

A computer program called PEEK has been written to measure PL/I computer programs. The PEEK system makes three types of measurements of PL/I programs. PEEK measures (1) basic statistics, (2) cyclomatic complexity, and (3) software science metrics. Each of these types of measures gives a different insight into the nature of the particular computer program that is measured. The PEEK program has been developed as the central tool for doing a set of experiments in program measurement. Future versions of PEEK may be tailored as tools for developing and maintaining computer programs.
An analytic model of a file server for bulk file transfers
Authors: Perros H. G. , Mirchandani D.
Published: January 2007

An analytic model of a file server is presented. The file server was an experimental system designed to provide an environment for storage and retrieval of bulk files. The file server was envisaged to be accessed by single-user workstations, equipped with limited secondary storage, via a local area network. The analytic model is a hierarchical model involving an open/closed queueing network of the BCMP type and an open queueing network with blocking. These two models were combined together through the means of an iterative scheme. The results obtained from the analytic model were in close agreement with simulation data.
Three simple algorithms for the N/I/F Problem
Authors: Sharma Ravi S.
Published: January 2007

In this paper, various techniques such as Divide and Conquer, Greedy, and Dynamic Programming are used to solve the N/1/F problem. [4]The algorithms are presented and proven theoretically. They are also tested with an example. Complexity analysis is then performed.These algorithms are different from the previous ones that solve the same problem in that they use the basic techniques of Operations Research in isolation. This simplicity is an attractive feature not only for purposes of implementation but also in understanding the problem and its solution.
Measuring and evaluating performance
Authors: Spiegel Mitchell G.
Published: January 2007

The subject of system performance measurement and evaluation has undergone as many generations of changes as the systems themselves. The problem of what to measure and evaluate is complicated by the fact that computing and communications, having become technically similar (digital), will undergo further fusion. Because the technologies are merging, a comparision of their respective origins is instructive. Communications and computing do not share a common history. Communications performance evalution began as a turn-of-the-century issue. Important performance attributes of voice communications systems were accessability and reliability. The general public and communications system analysts always viewed the voice communications systems as a bundled service, with little emphasis on the characteristics of its individual components. Performance was "engineered" into communications systems for given workload capacity levels (traffic). A reliable service offering evolved over two decades (1920's and 1930's) and was expanded to include data as well as voice communications. The voice network used primarily analog transmission techniques, because voice traffic grew far more rapidly than data. Pulse code modulation (PCM) techniques, employing digital transmission, reversed the trend of analog circuitry. In the future, communications transmission, switching, and integrated services networks (voice, data, facsimile, picture) will be implemented exclusively with digital techniques.
Planning MIS investment and expense levels
Authors: Dixon P. J.
Published: January 2007

Asking for capital for data processing and telecommunications equipment in not exactly popular with most Boards of Directors in most companies.
Communications systems management
Authors: Giles Howard L.
Published: January 2007

As data processing systems have grown from primarily batch-oriented applications to today's fairly extensive on-line systems, the management system required to control these resources has changed. This system evolution is forcing management to focus their attention on controlling the distribution of information to various users performing many diverse applications. Communications Systems Management is the process used to manage and control the distribution of information in an on-line system for maximum performance and productivity. It consists of those techniques and tools needed to operate, maintain, repair, install and plan for the continuous operation of a communications-oriented information system. The following pages describe the management functions needed to ensure that on-line system operation will be successful.
Benchmarks and watermarks
Authors: Estell Robert G.
Published: January 2007

Historically, benchmark tests have been one of several ways to size a computer system, and measure its performance. Today, it is more important to test the System Software than the machine hardware. (Thus the term "watermark" (as on bond paper) for software tests.) Watermarks of software suffer the same limitations and risks as benchmarks of hardware: e.a., they should be supplemented with simulations, models, and other analysis and design tools of our trade. Perhaps most significantly, watermarks, like benchmarks, can be biased by their creators.