Check out the new USENIX Web site.

Home About USENIX Events Membership Publications Students
USITS '03 Abstract

Using Fault Injection and Modeling to Evaluate the Performability of Cluster-Based Services

Kiran Nagaraja, Xiaoyan Li, Ricardo Bianchini, Richard P. Martin, and Thu D. Nguyen, Rutgers University

Abstract

We propose a two-phase methodology for quantifying the performability (performance and availability) of cluster-based Internet services. In the first phase, evaluators use a fault-injection infrastructure to measure the impact of faults on the server's performance. In the second phase, evaluators use an analytical model to combine an expected fault load with measurements from the first phase to assess the server's performability. Using this model, evaluators can study the server's sensitivity to different design decisions, fault rates, and environmental factors. To demonstrate our methodology, we study the performability of 4 versions of the PRESS Web server against 5 classes of faults, quantifying the effects of different design decisions on performance and availability. Finally, to further show the utility of our model, we also quantify the impact of two hypothetical changes, reduced human operator response time and the use of RAIDs.
  • View the full text of this paper in HTML or PDF.
    Click here if you have forgotten your password Until March 2004, you will need your USENIX membership identification in order to access the full papers. The Proceedings are published as a collective work, © 2003 by the USENIX Association. All Rights Reserved. Rights to individual papers remain with the author or the author's employer. Permission is granted for the noncommercial reproduction of the complete work for educational or research purposes. USENIX acknowledges all trademarks within this paper.

  • If you need the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it from Adobe's site.
To become a USENIX Member, please see our Membership Information.

?Need help? Use our Contacts page.

Last changed: 10 Nov. 2003 jel
Technical Program
USITS '03 Home
USENIX home