Week #1 (May 13th) -- Predicting the future
- Topics: Overview of performance evaluation and modeling. Description
of performance measures. Concepts of workloads, control and response
variables, and experiments.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: None
Week #2 (May 20th) -- Things that vary - laws of probability
- Topics: Basic laws of probability. Random variables and distributions.
Computing mean and variance of distributions. Properties of uniform, binomial,
Poisson, exponential, and Pareto distributions.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: HW #1 due on Thursday in class
Week #3 (May 27th) -- Generating workload - it's all random
- Topics: Generating random numbers. Generating workload with theoretical and
empirical distributions and using trace data. Measuring and characterizing trace
data (mean, variance, histogram, and autocorrelation).
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: HW #2 due on Thursday in class
Week #4 (June 4th) -- Why we wait - queueing theory
- Topics: Basic concepts of queueing. Notation. Fundamental laws, behaviors,
and measures of queueing systems. M/M/1, M/G/1, and Erlang formulas.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: HW #3 due on Thursday in class
Week #5 (June 10th) -- Modeling systems with software
- Topics: Monte Carlo simulation. Components and flowchart of a discrete
event simulation model. The event list. A simple model of a single-server
queue. Instrumenting models.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: HW #4 due on Thursday in class
Week #6 (June 17th) -- Modeling systems with software (continued)
- Topics: Wrap-up of first half of semester and review for mid-term exam.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: Mid-term exam in class on Thursday
Week #7 (June 24th) -- CSIM20 simulation library
- Topics: Description of process oriented simulation. Description and
examples of CSIM20 processes, facilities, events, and random number generation.
Model of a single server queue. Description of class project.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: HW #5 due on Thursday in class
- Note: The deadline to drop a class in Summer C is July 2nd at 5pm
Week #8 (July 1st) -- CSIM20 simulation library (continued)
- Topics: Advanced CSIM20 (including storage, mailboxes, tables, and
other capabilities). Case studies: Modeling a call center and modeling a
general computer system with multiple processes.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: No class - Independence Day holiday
Week #9 (July 8th) -- Validation, verification, and output analysis
- Topics: Model validation and verification. Confidence intervals.
Comparing two designs. Using confidence intervals for stopping a simulation.
CSIM run length control.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: None
Week #10 (July 15th) -- Course wrap-up
- Topics: Course wrap-up and preparation for comprehensive final exam.
- Reading: Click here for reading
- Events: Comprehensive final exam in class on
Thursday and final project is due by 5pm on Friday.
