CSR: Medium: Understanding and Automatically Adjusting Performance Sensitive Software Configurations

每天，人们都在移动的设备和云中与复杂的软件系统进行交互。 专家开发了这个软件，但他们不能考虑所有可能的用途，所以他们使用可重新定义的参数来配置软件。这些参数中的大多数都会影响软件的性能。这些与性能相关的配置参数呈指数级增长。 不幸的是，设置它们的难度也很大。 与性能相关的错误配置是系统故障的主要原因（例如，web服务崩溃）和滞后（例如，延迟对用户请求的响应）。 该项目将开发AutoConf，以自动设置与性能相关的配置参数，并消除关键软件基础设施中的这些故障源。为了更好地理解和管理与性能相关的配置，AutoConf有四个主要的研究目标。 第一个是研究现有的配置参数，以了解它们为什么以及何时会导致故障。 第二个是设计一个新的界面，用户可以根据期望的性能设置高级目标，而不是设置特定的参数值。 第三是开发自动和动态配置软件以满足这些目标的技术。 最后一个目标是构建工具，确保界面的正确使用，以产生所需的行为。如果成功，AutoConf将改变用户部署软件的方式。 而不是设置100多个配置参数，他们将陈述他们的目标。 AutoConf将自动调整与性能相关的配置，以确保实现目标，从而实现更快、更强大的软件部署。此外，AutoConf项目将创造许多研究机会，用于扩大计算机科学的参与。文档和软件发布将在www.example.com上发布，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Every day, people interact with complex software systems on their mobile devices and in the cloud. Experts develop this software, but they cannot account for all possible uses, so they make the software configurable using redefinable parameters. Most of these parameters affect software's performance. These performance-related configuration parameters are growing exponentially. Unfortunately, so is the difficulty of setting them. Performance-related misconfigurations are a leading cause of system failures (e.g., web services crashing) and lag (e.g., delayed response to user requests). This project will develop AutoConf to automatically set performance-related configuration parameters and eliminate these sources of failure in critical software infrastructure.To better understand and manage performance-related configurations, AutoConf has four major research objectives. The first is studying existing configuration parameters to understand why and when they lead to failures. The second is designing a new interface where users set high-level goals in terms of desired performance rather than setting specific parameter values. The third is developing techniques that automatically and dynamically configure software to meet these goals. The final objective is constructing tools that ensure the interface's proper usage to produce the desired behavior.If successful, AutoConf will change the way users deploy software. Instead of setting 100s of configuration parameters, they will state their goals. AutoConf will automatically adjust performance-related configurations to ensure the goals are met, resulting in faster and more robust software deployment. Additionally, the AutoConf project will create many research opportunities that will be used to broaden participation in computer science.Documentation and software releases will be posted at http://autoconf.cs.uchicago.edu/.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.