Distributed Computing Feasibility in a Non-Dedicated Homogeneous Distributed System
Abstract
The low cost and availability of clusters of workstations have lead researchers to re-explore distributed computing using independent workstations. This approach may provide better cost/performance than tightly coupled multiprocessors. In practice, this approach often utilizes wasted cycles to run parallel jobs. In this paper we address the feasibility of such a non-dedicated parallel processing environment assuming workstation processes have preemptive priority over parallel tasks. We develop an analytical model to predict parallel job response times. Our model provides insight into how significantly workstation owner interference degrades parallel program performance. A new term task ratio, which relates the parallel task demand to the mean service demand of non parallel workstation processes, is introduced. We propose that tank ratio is a useful metric for determining how large the demand of a parallel applications must be in order to make efficient use of a non-dedicated distributed system. Distributed systems, Parallel computing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA272898
Entities
People
- Scott T. Leutenegger
- Xian-he Sun