Computing power performance was important at times when hardware was still expensive, because hardware had to be put to the best use. Later on this criterion was no longer critical, since hardware had become inexpensive. Meanwhile, however, people have realized that performance again plays a significant role, because of the major drain on system resources involved in developing complex applications. This book distinguishes between three levels of performance optimization: the system level, application level and business processes level. On each, optimizations can be achieved and cost-cutting potentials can be identified. The book presents the relevant theoretical background and measuring methods as well as proposed solutions. An evaluation of network monitors and checklists rounds out the work.

The hands-on guide to high-performance coding and algorithm optimization. This hands-on guide to software optimization introduces state-of-the-art solutions for every key aspect of software performance - both code-based and algorithm-based. Two leading HP software performance experts offer comparative optimization strategies for RISC and for the new Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) design used in Intel IA-64 processors. Using many practical examples, they offer specific techniques for: Predicting and measuring performance - and identifying your best optimization opportunities Storage optimization: cache, system memory, virtual memory, and I/0 Parallel processing: distributed-memory and shared-memory (SMP and ccNUMA) Compilers and loop optimization Enhancing parallelism: compiler directives, threads, and message passing Mathematical libraries and algorithms Whether you're a developer, ISV, or technical researcher, if you need to optimize high-performance software on today's leading processors, one book delivers the advanced techniques and code examples you need: Software Optimization for High Performance Computing.

Performance Optimization of Numerically Intensive Codes offers a comprehensive, tutorial-style, hands-on, introductory and intermediate-level treatment of all the essential ingredients for achieving high performance in numerical computations on modern computers. The authors explain computer architectures, data traffic and issues related to performance of serial and parallel code optimization exemplified by actual programs written for algorithms of wide interest. The unique hands-on style is achieved by extensive case studies using realistic computational problems. The performance gain obtained by applying the techniques described in this book can be very significant. The book bridges the gap between the literature in system architecture, the one in numerical methods and the occasional descriptions of optimization topics in computer vendors' literature. It also allows readers to better judge the suitability of certain computer architecture to their computational requirements. In contrast to standard textbooks on computer architecture and on programming techniques the book treats these topics together at the level necessary for writing high-performance programs. The book facilitates easy access to these topics for computational scientists and engineers mainly interested in practical issues related to efficient code development.

This book covers the theory and practice of optimization, providing a foundation of techniques and knowledge that apply to a wide variety of hardware and software. It uses small focused performance tests to give practical numbers for common optimization scenarios.--[book cover]

Power and Performance: Software Analysis and Optimization is a guide to solving performance problems in modern Linux systems. Power-efficient chips are no help if the software those chips run on is inefficient. Starting with the necessary architectural background as a foundation, the book demonstrates the proper usage of performance analysis tools in order to pinpoint the cause of performance problems, and includes best practices for handling common performance issues those tools identify. - Provides expert perspective from a key member of Intel's optimization team on how processors and memory systems influence performance - Presents ideas to improve architectures running mobile, desktop, or enterprise platforms - Demonstrates best practices for designing experiments and benchmarking throughout the software lifecycle - Explains the importance of profiling and measurement to determine the source of performance issues

An Essential Reference for Intermediate and Advanced R Programmers Advanced R presents useful tools and techniques for attacking many types of R programming problems, helping you avoid mistakes and dead ends. With more than ten years of experience programming in R, the author illustrates the elegance, beauty, and flexibility at the heart of R. The book develops the necessary skills to produce quality code that can be used in a variety of circumstances. You will learn: The fundamentals of R, including standard data types and functions Functional programming as a useful framework for solving wide classes of problems The positives and negatives of metaprogramming How to write fast, memory-efficient code This book not only helps current R users become R programmers but also shows existing programmers what’s special about R. Intermediate R programmers can dive deeper into R and learn new strategies for solving diverse problems while programmers from other languages can learn the details of R and understand why R works the way it does.