Benchmark tool for a mass storage system

Abstract

A method for measuring mass storage system performance in which the mass storage system has a plurality of disk drive storage elements controlled by a disk drive controller, the controller typically having a cache memory, and the controller receiving commands and data from and returning at least data to a plurality of host computers, provides the flexibility of issuing commands to the controller in a variety of different configurations from a plurality of hosts in a time synchronized and organized fashion. The method features the steps of synchronizing, to a clock time of one of the host computers, designated the master host computer, the clock times of each other of the host computers, designated the client host computers. The method further features sending test requests, for the mass storage system, from the master host computer to each of the client host computers, executing at each host computer a test request sequence by sending commands to the mass storage system, accumulating at each host computer data regarding performance of the mass storage system, the data being in response to the requests or commands sent by each particular host computer, and sending, from each client host computer to the master host computer, data regarding the performance of the mass storage system in response to the host generated commands. Some significant data reduction techniques control and organize the data for later analysis. Time delays and different configurations of both host and storage elements can be effected with a time delay inserted after each command sent from a host.