An experimenter tool for an integrated modelling support environment-its role and design

Performance modelling and estimation of computer systems is a vital facility for any software engineer. Thus any computer-aided software engineering environment should contain tools to support this. The need to provide tools to support systematic experimentation with performance models is examined and a solution is discussed, building on the idea of an experimental frame, originally introduced by Ziegler (1976). The inter-working of these tools and the support tools in a proposed integrated modelling support environment is considered. The tools discussed are an experimental plan editor, an experiment executor and an animator. The report is based on a deliverable of the Alvey project SE/059 `Improved methods for performance modelling (SIMMER)´, but has been edited to be more self-contained