Phase guided profiling for fast cache modeling

Abstract

Statistical cache models are powerful tools for understanding application behavior as a function of cache allocation. However, previous techniques have modeled only the average application behavior, which hides the effect of program variations over time. Without detailed time-based information, transient behavior, such as exceeding bandwidth or cache capacity, may be missed. Yet these events, while short, often play a disproportionate role and are critical to understanding program behavior.