Using remote memory to avoid disk thrashing: a simulation study

The increasing use of high-bandwidth and low-latency networks make possible the use of remote (network) memory as an alternative to disk means of storing an application´s data, because remote-to-local memory transfers over a modern interconnection network are faster than traditional disk-to-memory transfers. We explore the possibility of using the remote memory as (i) a (faster-than-disk) backing store, (ii) an extension of main memory accessed using single (remote) memory references, and (iii) as a combination of both. We use execution driven simulation to investigate the performance impact the use of remote memory has on several real programs. We conclude that even for today´s low throughput networks, using remote memory as a place for storing (some) of an application´s data may result in significant performance improvements, which will continue to get higher as the disparity between disk transfer rates and network transfer rates continues to increase