Rules maps for scheduling algorithm knowledge

The increasing possibilities of the multicore chip and system on a chip have brought task scheduling to the forefront of efficient system design. In previous work, we described a method to predict the effectiveness of a scheduling algorithm for a given application. It was based on association rules between the attribute values of a set of sample applications and one or more performance metrics for the scheduling algorithm. We then used the approach to devise a methodology to compare scheduling algorithms two at a time, using rule confidence differences. In this paper, we describe a visualization approach that allows comparing an arbitrary number of algorithms, by showing the relevant data in different perspectives thanks to a rules map. Three examples illustrate the effectiveness of the method.