Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tektronix!reed!percival!nerd From: nerd@percival.UUCP (Michael Galassi) Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.org.usenix Subject: Benchmarking Message-ID: <642@percival.UUCP> Date: Sun, 24-May-87 19:55:21 EDT Article-I.D.: percival.642 Posted: Sun May 24 19:55:21 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 26-May-87 04:36:13 EDT References: <415@winchester.UUCP> Reply-To: nerd@percival.UUCP (Michael Galassi) Organization: Percy's UNIX, Portland, OR. Lines: 31 Xref: mnetor comp.arch:1392 comp.org.usenix:210 In article <415@winchester.UUCP> mash@winchester.UUCP (John Mashey) writes: >As larry says, real page-thrashers are highly dependent on a lot of attributes. >That doesn't mean they're bad tests, merely that they're extremely hard >to do in a controlled way. In particular, you often see radically different >results according to buffer cache sizes, for example. > >-john mashey DISCLAIMER: I've not seen this stated around here so I'll do it. Benchmarks can be divided into two major categories: Those which exercise the processor (CPU FPU MMU etc...) and those which exercise the WHOLE computer (i.e. i/o system too). For the person who is evaluating a CPU family for a new design I can see where the first class of benchmarks comes in VERY handy, but the rest of us (those who want to buy a computer, install UNIX, and generate accounts) the MIPS, FLOPS, *stones, etc that the cpu will do are rarely of much interest. I care much more about how the system will handle with a dozen users all doing real tasks (vi, cc, f77, rn, rogue, or whatever) than I do about the the time it takes the cpu to find the first X primes when it is not installed in its cardcage where god wanted it to be. I guess I don't care much about the "a lot of attributes" individualy, but rather how they all work together. Give me anything that overall preforms well (so long as there is no intel cpu in it) and I'll be pleased as pie. -michael -- If my employer knew my opinions he would probably look for another engineer. Michael Galassi, Frye Electronics, Tigard, OR ..!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4,seismo}!tektronix!reed!percival!nerd