System Utilization: Keeping the Glass Half Full – Bruce McNutt [2020 Update]

This paper describes how the black-box model, introduced in earlier papers, helps to plan and operate systems that grow gracefully. This comes about through a better understanding of system utilization. Earlier papers showed that the black-box model can provide automated utilization measurements. This paper applies the same model more broadly to the planning and operation of a system. Our goal is to grow the productivity of the system up to the level defined in the capacity planning process, with minor delays due to queueing and/or contention.

This paper is a third edition of the paper with the same title presented at the 2016 CMG Conference. (and 2nd edition here.) The reason for this new edition is to offer, in Section 4, a simpler and more adaptable estimate of system utilization compared with that provided previously.

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