== Overview ==

This page is will list

  * a set of features whose performance impacts we think are worth studying
  * instructions to reproduce reliable measurements
  * Results

Once we have these measurements, we can apply what we've learned to make recommendations (at KvmWorkloads) based on specific workloads.

== Features to measure ==
  * drive format (qcow2, raw (file), raw (LVM), qed)
  * driver interface (virtio, scsi, ide)
  * cache performance (cache=none, writeback, unsafe, writethrough)
  * nic model (rtl8139, virtio)
  * network type (tap, user)
  * swap or no swap?
  * overcommit types
     * none, ksm, balloon, both ksm and balloon
     * for ksm, try 1 oneiric VM, 2 oneiric VMS, and 1 oneiric and 1 lucid VM.
  * Guest root filesystems (xfs, jfs, ext4, ext2)
     * test each with both virtio and scsi)
  * Host filesystem.  (xfs, jfs, ext4)
  * Guest memory (128M,256M,512M, 1024M, 2048M)
     * with and without swap?
  * Guest smp (1,2,4,8)
Tests could include kernbench, dbench, unixbench.

== Reproduction instructions ==

General advice:  use the same system as much as possible for each test.  My plan is to have one system, re-install for each test with the same preseed to ensure the same filesystem layout.

== Results ==