Phase-based tuning for better utilized performance-asymmetric multicores

By: Tyler Sondag

Abstract

The latest trend towards performance asymmetry among cores on a single chip of a multicore processor is posing new software engineering challenges for developers. A key challenge is that for effective utilization of these performance-asymmetric multicore processors, application threads must be assigned to cores such that the resource needs of a thread closely matches resource availability at the assigned core. Determining this assignment manually is tedious, error prone, and it significantly complicates software development. We contribute a transparent and fully-automatic program analysis, which we call phase-guided tuning, to solve this problem. Phase-guided tuning adapts an application to effectively utilize performance-asymmetric cores of a processor. Our technique does not require any changes in the compiler or operating system, thus it is easy to deploy in existing tool chains. It does not require any input from the programmer except the application. Furthermore, it is independent of the characteristics (performance-asymmetry) of the target multicore processor, which has two benefits. First, it avoids the need to create multiple customizations of the binary for each target architecture, and second it relieves the programmer of the burden of anticipating the target architecture. Last but not least, our technique significantly improves performance. Compared to the stock Linux scheduler, our best technique shows 215% improvement in throughput and 36% average process speedup, while maintaining fairness and with negligible overheads.

ACM Reference

Sondag, T. 2009. Phase-based tuning for better utilized performance-asymmetric multicores. Iowa State University.

BibTeX Reference

@mastersthesis{sondag2009phase,
  title = {Phase-based tuning for better utilized performance-asymmetric multicores},
  author = {Sondag, Tyler},
  year = {2009},
  school = {Iowa State University},
  abstract = {
    The latest trend towards performance asymmetry among cores on a single chip of a
    multicore processor is posing new software engineering challenges for
    developers. A key challenge is that for effective utilization of these
    performance-asymmetric multicore processors, application threads must be
    assigned to cores such that the resource needs of a thread closely matches
    resource availability at the assigned core. Determining this assignment manually
    is tedious, error prone, and it significantly complicates software development.
    We contribute a transparent and fully-automatic program analysis, which we call
    phase-guided tuning, to solve this problem. Phase-guided tuning adapts an
    application to effectively utilize performance-asymmetric cores of a processor.
    Our technique does not require any changes in the compiler or operating system,
    thus it is easy to deploy in existing tool chains. It does not require any input
    from the programmer except the application. Furthermore, it is independent of
    the characteristics (performance-asymmetry) of the target multicore processor,
    which has two benefits. First, it avoids the need to create multiple
    customizations of the binary for each target architecture, and second it
    relieves the programmer of the burden of anticipating the target architecture.
    Last but not least, our technique significantly improves performance. Compared
    to the stock Linux scheduler, our best technique shows 215% improvement in
    throughput and 36% average process speedup, while maintaining fairness and with
    negligible overheads.
  }
}