Configurable and Cache-Accurate Trace Generation for Storage Benchmarking
2DIO is a trace generator creating cache-accurate stressful I/O workloads. While existing tools are limited to generating traces with well-behaved, concave hit ratio curves, 2DIO produces ones with tunable complex cache behaviors, particularly performance cliffs and plateaus.
Abstract
We present 2DIO, a trace generator creating cache-accurate stressful I/O workloads. While existing tools are limited to generating traces with well-behaved, concave hit ratio curves, 2DIO produces ones with tunable complex cache behaviors, particularly performance cliffs and plateaus.
Our framework encodes a workload as a compact parameter triplet, capturing both short-term recency and long-term frequency. This parsimonious parameterization allows researchers to easily translate individual adjustments into predictable cache effects across various eviction policies. It enables the parameter space to be "swept" for exhaustive exploration of desired cache behavior, or to mimic real traces by calibrating parameters to match observed behaviors. Once tuned, the triplet allows traces to be replayed at different
scales, adapting to various systems under evaluation while
preserving cache behaviors. The benefits of 2DIO extend
beyond cache accuracy, enabling portable, cross-platform
benchmarking, protecting proprietary information, and facilitating secure knowledge sharing across organizations.
Evaluations demonstrate 2DIO’s ability to customize traces
with a continuum of "what-if" cache behaviors and to repro-
duce real-world ones with high accuracy.
Available at GitHub.