iSimulative Performance Evaluation for the Design of Distributed Systems
Dissertation ¨ Der Wirschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultat der ¨ ¨ Universitat Zurich zur Erlangung der Wurde eines Doktors der Informatik ¨

vorgelegt von

Peter Lukas Weibel von Gelterkinden BL und Schongau LU

genehmigt auf Antrag von

Prof. Dr. Lutz H. Richter Dr. Reinhard Riedl

Dezember 2004

Die Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakult¨t der Universit¨t Z¨rich, Lehrberea a u ich Informatik, gestattet hierdurch die Drucklegung der vorliegenden Dissertation, ohne damit zu den darin ausgesprochenen Anschauungen Stellung zu nehmen. Z¨rich, den 8. Dezember 2004* u Der Lehrbereichsvorsteher: Prof. Dr. Martin Glinz

* Datum der Promotionsfeier

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Abstract
Performance evaluations have mostly been measurements to determine the processing speed of a system or component. For the case of distributed systems the performance is often only tested when the system is used in either a test environment or even in the productive environment. It is only then that real usage scenarios, real amounts of data, and real effects of work load and disturbances are present and thus measurements realistic. Many modern approaches allow the realization of all kinds of design conceptions for distributed systems. Only few of them seriously consider the performance aspect. In this thesis we present an approach that allows statements about usefulness and consequences of design conceptions for a system from the performance perspective even before the system has been realized or changed. The intention is a complement for systems design, not an examination after completion of a system’s realization. The core of our approach is an evaluation process that is closely integrated with the design process for a distributed system. The design model created there is translated into an evaluation model to be examined. The aim is to allow statements about resource usage, response time, and other performance indicators