Characterising Effective Resource Analyses for Parallel and Distributed Coordination

An important application of resource analysis is to improve the performance of parallel and distributed programs. In this context key resources are time, space and communication. Given the spectrum of cost models and associated analysis techniques, what combination should be selected for a specific parallel or distributed context? We address the question as follows. We outline a continuum of coordination cost models and a range of analysis techniques. We consider six representative parallel/distributed applications of resource analysis techniques, and aim to extract general principles governing why the combination of techniques is effective in its context.