GPSS simulation: A management tool to evaluate computer equipment configurations

Abstract

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to analyze simulation as a business tool. The particular application of simulation is in the area of equipment evaluation for computer hardware. Using General Purpose System Simulation language, a model is built to represent the printer hardware and workload in the Central Computer Department of Continental Oil Company in Ponca City. The experimental design is to replace five printers with five newer model printers in an orderly fashion and to compare the results of each change. Data is obtained from actual accounting records and console listings produced in the printer shop. Each print job enters the system and competes for the availability of one of the five printers . GPSS provides statistical information on printer usage and on queue times resulting from jobs waiting on a printer.

Findings and Conclusions: The two objectives of the study are to describe the current system and to explore the hypothetical situation of changing the printer hardware. Both objectives are met by analyzing the statistical output of the simulation runs. One of the best results is an insight into the present system which is gained by Developing the model and gathering the data. The current system is described by frequency distributions for five characteristics of the print jobs. An initial simulation run indicates the locations and lengths of the queues which are present in the unmodified system. The hypothetical situation is described by five experimental runs which show the locations and lengths of the queues after the equipment is changed. The simulation results can answer questions in many areas of operational problems, including workload d scheduling, operational work rules, and software evaluation, as well as in hardware planning. GPSS simulation is an effective tool to test and evaluate changing hardware equipment without affecting the current environment.