Simulating DB2 buffer pool management.

Storage management is an important part of any DBMS. The buffer pool in DB2 is used to cache the disk pages of the database, and its management algorithm can significantly affect performance. In order to investigate performance issues relating to the buffer pool management algorithm, a trace of buffer pool requests was collected and a trace-driven simulator was developed so that the impact of various parameters of the buffer pool management algorithm could be investigated under controlled circumstances. Relationships among different activities competing for storage space and the I/O channel are examined, and some issues affecting performance are identified.