Goal-Oriented Buffer Management Revisited

Abstract

In this paper we revisit the problem of achieving multi-class workload response time goals by automatically adjusting the buffer memory allocations of each workload class. We discuss the virtues and limitations of previous work with respect to a set of criteria we lay out for judging the success of any goal-oriented resource allocation algorithm. We then introduce the concept of hit rate concavity and develop a new goal-oriented buffer allocation algorithm, called Class Fencing, that is based on this concept. Exploiting the notion of hit rate concavity results in an algorithm that not only is as accurate and stable as our previous work, but also more responsive, more robust, and simpler to implement.