1. Chapter 1 An Introduction to Performance Tuning

   1. An Introduction to Computer Architecture

   2. Principles of Performance Tuning

   3. Static Performance Tuning

   4. Concluding Thoughts

2. Chapter 2 Workflow Management

   1. Workflow Characterization

   2. Workload Control

   3. Benchmarking

   4. Concluding Thoughts

3. Chapter 3 Processors

   1. Microprocessor Architecture

   2. Caching

   3. Process Scheduling

   4. Multiprocessing

   5. Peripheral Interconnects

   6. Processor Performance Tools

   7. Concluding Thoughts

4. Chapter 4 Memory

   1. Implementations of Physical Memory

   2. Virtual Memory Architecture

   3. Paging and Swapping

   4. Consumers of Memory

   5. Tools for Memory Performance Analysis

   6. Concluding Thoughts

5. Chapter 5 Disks

   1. Disk Architecture

   2. Interfaces

   3. Common Performance Problems

   4. Filesystems

   5. Tools for Analysis

   6. Concluding Thoughts

6. Chapter 6 Disk Arrays

   1. Terminology

   2. RAID Levels

   3. Software Versus Hardware

   4. A Summary of Disk Array Design

   5. Software RAID Implementations

   6. RAID Recipes

   7. Concluding Thoughts

7. Chapter 7 Networks

   1. Network Principles

   2. Physical Media

   3. Network Interfaces

   4. Network Protocols

   5. NFS

   6. CIFS via Unix

   7. Concluding Thoughts

8. Chapter 8 Code Tuning

   1. The Two Critical Approaches

   2. Techniques for Code Analysis

   3. Optimization Patterns

   4. Interacting with Compilers

   5. Concluding Thoughts

9. Chapter 9 Instant Tuning

   1. Top Five Tuning Tips

   2. Instant Tuning Recipes

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of System Performance Tuning, Second Edition is a swordfish, a marine fish with a long, sword-shaped snout. The swordfish is distinguished from the marlin by its flattened snout, high dorsal fin, toothless mouth, and lack of scales. The fastest swimmer of all fish, a swordfish can grow up to 14 feet in length and weigh a thousand pounds or more. This combination of speed and size gives it strength and momentum -- enough to drive its sword through the planking of a boat. The swordfish hunts by charging through schools of fish, striking to either side with its sword and then returning to collect its kill. Colleen Gorman was the production editor and the copyeditor for System Performance Tuning, Second Edition. Mary Brady was the proofreader, and Linley Dolby provided quality control. Tom Dinse wrote the index.

Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. Mihaela Maier converted the files using tools created by Mike Sierra. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Colleen Gorman.