Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ut-sally!im4u!rajiv
From: rajiv@im4u.UUCP (Rajiv N. Patel)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Cache Evaluation Benchmarks.
Message-ID: <2475@im4u.UUCP>
Date: 28 Dec 87 20:35:49 GMT
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 29
Keywords: cache, benchmarks, RISC .

Lots of performance results have been posted for various processors
in this newsgroup. Most of them, I suppose assume some size of cache
for there performance evaluations. I am looking for some programs,
benchmarks used to evaluate cache performance rather than CPU performance.
I understand it is impossible to separate the evaluations of the Cache and
CPU totally but still, I was wondering if any one has been involved in
doing performance evaluations for caches with regard to some CPU architecture.
If so what programs did they use?

I am involved in a computer architecture project and am responsible for the
cache design (mainly instruction cache). As every CPU architecture generally
lends some of its effects on the cache set/block sizes and fetch/replacement
policies , my goal is cache design simulation for this architecture.

Is the CPU performance benchmarks sufficient to be used for cache evaluations?
Also what type of programs are best suited for this evaluation procedures,
especially for RISC type architectures. I understand small programs like
Dhrystone are no good because any reasonable cache would be able to save
the entire program during its execution.

I would appreciate programs based on C language though any other language is
fine. 


Thanks in advance.


Rajiv.
(rajiv@im4u.utexas.edu)