[.ca] Measuring Computer Performance: A Practitioner's Guide (ISBN 0521641055)

Great introductory text!:
In a nutshell: nicely written introductory text that covers the basics of performance analysis. It starts with an overview of performance analysis and associated techniques. The subsequent chapters lay the groundwork by giving key concepts and techniques, and then segue into the techniques themselves. Content and Organization: 278 pages comprised of 11 chapters, a glossary and two appendices of probability distributions and selected statistical tables. Chapter topics are: (1) Introduction, (2) Metrics of Performance (what you should be measuring), (3) Average Performance and Variability (introduces statistical concepts and techniques related to computer performance analysis), (4) Errors in Experimental Measurements (good discussion of accuracy, precision and resolution, and the fundamentals of error quantification with which to validate your findings), (5) Comparing Alternatives, (6) Measurement Tools and Techniques, (7) Benchmark Programs (this chapter merits a book of its own), (8) Linear Regression Models, (9) Design of Experiments, (10) Simulation, and (11) Queuing Analysis. This book requires some probability and statistics skills, but is a much gentler introduction to the subject than Raj Jain's classic, The Art of Computer Systems Performance Analysis. There are two things I especially like about this book: (1) it does not immediately launch into quantitative methods. Instead, it introduces them in manageable chunks that will not intimidate a reader whose math skills are rusty. (2) It includes design of experiments, which is a powerful tool that will also prove invaluable in capacity planning - the flip side of performance analysis. If you've thumbed through other books on computer performance analysis and felt the learning curve was too steep or your math skills were not up-to-par, this book will give you the basics and begin you on a journey towards more advanced techniques. I highly recommend it as a first text on performance analysis and give it 5 stars for making this important discipline accessible to a wider audience.