Definition
Computer benchmarks are computer programs that form standard tests of the performance of a computer and the software through which it is used. They are written to a particular programming model and implemented by specific software, which is the final arbiter as to what the programming model is. A benchmark is therefore testing a software interface to a computer, and not a particular type of computer architecture.
Discussion
The basic goal of performance modeling is to measure, predict, and understand the performance of a computer program or set of programs on a computer system. In other words, it transcends the measurement of basic architectural and system parameters and is meant to enhance the understanding of the performance behavior of full complex applications. However, the programs and codes used in different areas of science differ in a large number of features. Therefore the performance of full application codes cannot be characterized in a general way independent of...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Hockney RW (1992) A framework for benchmark analysis. Supercomputer 48(IX-2):9–22
Addison C, Allwright J, Binsted N, Bishop N, Carpenter B, Dalloz P, Gee D, Getov V, Hey A, Hockney R, Lemke M, Merlin J, Pinches M, Scott C, Wolton I (1993) The genesis distributed-memory benchmarks. Part 1: methodology and general relativity benchmark with results for the SUPRENUM computer. Concurrency: Practice and Experience 5(1):1–22
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Dongarra, J., Luszczek, P. (2011). Benchmarks. In: Padua, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parallel Computing. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09766-4_154
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09766-4_154
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-09765-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-09766-4
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceReference Module Computer Science and Engineering