COMP 528 Course Information

COMP 528

Computer Systems Performance Analysis

Spring 2005

Course Information

Course Title: Computer Systems Performance Analysis

Time and Place: TTh 10:50am-12:05pm, 117 Herzstein Hall

Instructor: Dr. John Mellor-Crummey (johnmc@cs.rice.edu)

Office: 3082 Duncan Hall

Office Hours: TTh 1:00pm-2:00pm or by appointment

Class Website: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~johnmc/comp528

Textbook: The Art of Computer Systems Performance Analysis: Techniques for Experimental Design, Measurement, Simulation, and Modeling, Raj Jain, Wiley, ISBN: 0-471-50336-3.

Goal: COMP 528 will teach a teach you a broad range of techniques for designing effective performance experiments, collecting performance measurements and analyzing experimental results. The course will also introduce simulation and analytical modeling techniques for analyzing performance.

Evaluation: Coursework will be weighted as follows:
- Homework 50%
- Class Participation 5%
- Final Project 45%

Homework and Projects
You may collaborate on homework assignments, but you must submit solutions written up in your own words. Indicate clearly the name(s) of student(s) you collaborated with, if any. Although homework assignments will not be pledged, per se, the submitted solutions must be your work and not copied from other students' assignments or other sources. If you are unsure of what is allowed, please ask the instructor.

COMP 528 includes a written final project and a companion oral presentation of the project during class. Projects may be done individually or in pairs, with instructor permission. Projects done in pairs will have a single writeup and presentation. Various types of projects are acceptable: writing a literature survey of recent advances in a research area of performance analysis; applying methods discussed in the course to design, perform and analyze experiments of your choosing; analyzing a problem of your choice using simulation; building a tool for measuring an aspect of hardware or software performance, etc.
The final project is subject to the honor code in that students should produce their own work and not directly copy written material or programs from the text or other sources.
Accommodations
If you have a documented disability that will impact your work in this class, please contact me during the first two weeks of the semester to discuss your needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
Additionally, you will need to register with Disability Support Services in the Ley Student Center.