The DIN method: a new approach for measuring and rating data processing performance

When data processing systems changed from "single user, single task" type to "multi user, multi task" type the internal performance measures used traditionally became less suitable. The necessity arose for developing measures for system performance to replace those for component performance. However, soundly based performance definitions and a measurement method, applicable to a wide area, were not generally available. Consequently ad hoc solutions were used. An advanced and ambitious method for measuring and rating system performance is the DIN method. This method is explained and it is compared to some other methods. It has proved to be suitable for a wide range of computers and for many types of data processing systems (for instance mono processor system, multiprocessor system, massive parallel systems, client/server system, cluster of computers) which have various operating systems.