HP-UX 11i Tuning and Performance

2.2. Benchmarking

Performance criteria are typically set along with the workload estimation. Both are needed to appropriately size the system. Benchmarking is sometimes conducted to prove that the system sizing accurately meets the workload and performance criteria. Benchmarking is a very complex and time-consuming activity that tests the system and application in a controlled environment. Deciding whether to use an industry-standard benchmark or to define and create a custom user-benchmark is very difficult. There are trade-offs associated with each.

For instance, industry-standard benchmarks can be very useful in comparing systems from different vendors and in determining relative performance differences among several systems from the same ...