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From: bzs@bu-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.sys.misc
Subject: Re: 01/31/87 Dhrystone Results and Source
Message-ID: <4765@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: Sun, 1-Mar-87 15:03:31 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.4765
Posted: Sun Mar  1 15:03:31 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 2-Mar-87 22:25:34 EST
Organization: Boston U. Comp. Sci.
Lines: 23
Xref: utgpu comp.arch:488 comp.sys.misc:403


Eugene Miya writes
>You want to set something up called a CONTROL or CONTROL condition for
>comparison purposes.  Pre-test conditions include flushing caches or
>page tables before hand.  During test: avoid repetition, especially on
>machines which page.

Nothing wrong with this, but what's most important is that you agree
on what are the intended methodology and hypotheses.

Yours seems to be that the machines be compared with factors like
caches, page tables and paging performance eliminated.

There's nothing wrong with that. But there's nothing wrong in just
plunking it down in a (reasonably zero-loaded, oops, another
assumption) machine and just seeing how it runs.

For example, I don't often 'ls' a directory twice in succession
because I know the second one will be faster. Some of this may not be
as problematic to the result as it first appears to one accustomed to
purity in controls. It might be reality creeping in.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University