Realistic Parallel Performance Estimation

This paper presents an account of two tools which enable realistic parallel performance estimates to be obtained in reasonable time. The first tool, PERFORM (performance estimator for RISC microprocessors), is a general purpose package for sequential program performance estimation on modem RISC microprocessor nodes with complex memory hierarchies. The novelty of the tool is that we have chosen an intermediate level of abstraction between simple statement counting and full simulation of the node architecture. The second tool, LEBEP, generates synthetic parallel programs from a simple communication specification. In particular, it can generate communication operations that incurs typical communication overhead, including data movements across different levels in the memory hierarchy. Keywods: Performance tools; Benchmarks; Communication; Message-passing; Memory hierarchy