An Integrated Instrumentation Environment for Multiprocessors

This paper introduces the concept of an integrated instrumentation environment (IIE) for multiprocessors. The primary objective of such an environment is to assist the user in the process of experimentation. The emphasis in an IIE is on experiment management (including stimulus generation, monitoring, data collection and analysis), rather than on techniques for program development as in conventional programming environments. We believe the functionality of the two environments should eventually be provided in one comprehensive environment. An experiment schema is introduced as an appropriate structuring concept for experiment management purposes. Schema instances capture the results of an experiment for later analysis. An example is developed in some detail to demonstrate the potential benefits of such an approach. The three primary components of the IIE, namely, the schema manager, the stimulus generator, and the monitor, are briefly described. A preliminary implementation of the design on the Cm* multiprocessor is briefly discussed.