> This sounds somewhat similar to Solaris dtrace stuff? Dtrace can be a (very useful) component for collecting performance metrics. What I am talking about is a framework where you'd apply dtrace or other micro/system level performance tests or benchmarks on a regular basis for a variety of machines, loads etc. and collate results in a usable form.
The purpose is to provide an ongoing view of how performance of various subsystems and the system as a whole changes for various loads and configurations as the codebase evolves. This gives an early warning of performance loss (as seen in -5.x versus -4.x releases) as well as early confirmation of improvements (as seen in -6.x versus -5.x). Users can provide early feedback witout having to wait for a release. It is difficult and time consuming for developers to measure the impact of their changes across a variety of systems, configurations and loads. A centralized performance measuring system can be very valuable here. If you see that e.g. a new scheduler has a terrible impact on some systems or loads, you'd either come up with something better or provide a knob. If you see that a nifty new feature has a significant performance cost, you'd be less tempted to make it the default (or at least others get a chance to scream early on). _______________________________________________ freebsd-performance@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-performance To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
