FRP: An Experimental Comparative Study of N-Tier Application Performance in Computational Clouds

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Center for Experimental Research in Computer Systems Proposal #1127904 This proposal seeks funding for the Center for Experimental Research in Computer Systems at Georgia Institute of Technology. Funding Requests for Fundamental Research are authorized by an NSF approved solicitation, NSF 10-601. The solicitation invites I/UCRCs to submit proposals for support of industry-defined fundamental research. While cloud computing is rising in importance for numerous applications, there remains a fundamental lack of understanding of performance achievable for different configurations, especially for N-tier applications common in such areas as e-commerce and social networking. The proposed research will seek to systematically design large scale experiments from which performance data will be derived and performance metrics established for N-tier applications. The resulting large data sets can enable researchers to explore means to achieve optimal allocation of hardware and software resources for specific applications. The proposed comparative experimental study will enable development of comparative models through which N-tier application performance can be predicted and as such holds the opportunity for significant breakthroughs in understanding of cloud performance for this class of problems. The proposed research has the potential to source the development of tools from which industry providers of cloud resources can better manage their resources and offer services in a cost effective way. Additionally, this optimization can be applied to achievement of Green IT goals. The work is well supported by center individual industry members and has the potential to extend the portfolio of the center by virtue of the many studies and modeling efforts achievable using the dataset generated by this study. Beyond the center, the dataset, if properly designed, has the potential for broad impact in the research community as a resource for studies in this area. The proposal furthermore provides a solid plan for student and UREP involvement.