Improving performance by use of adaptive objects: experimentation with a configurable multiprocessor thread package

Since the mechanisms of an operating system can significantly affect the performance of parallel programs, it is important to customize operating system functionality for specific application programs. The authors first present a model for adaptive objects and the associated mechanisms, then they use this model to implement adaptive locks for multiprocessors which adapt themselves according to user-provided adaptation policies to suit changing application locking patterns. Using a parallel branch and bound program, they demonstrate the performance advantage of adaptive locks over existing locks.<>