Independent general principles for constructing responsive software systems

ABSTRACT

Three general principles are presented that can be applied in early software life cycle stages for the definition of software requirements and designs with acceptable performance. They are genuine high-level considerations for meeting responsiveness goals without sacrificing understandability and maintainability, and without increasing development time and cost. The principles are derived from the interrelationships of two performance models: a queueing network based on computer system model and an execution graph software model. The performance effect of each of the principles is quantified using the models. Examples are given that illustrate how they can be applied to software systems.

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INDEX TERMS

Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.4 PERFORMANCE OF SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Design studies; Performance attributes

  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.9 Management
          Subjects: Life cycle
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.8 Performance
          Subjects: Modeling and prediction; Operational analysis

General Terms:
Design, Performance