Rivet: A Flexible Computer Systems Visualization Environment

Robert Bosch, Chris Stolte, Diane Tang, John Gerth, Mendel Rosenblum, and Pat Hanrahan
Computer Science Department
Stanford University

Computer Graphics 34(1), February 2000.

Abstract

Rivet is a visualization system for the study of complex computer systems. Since computer systems analysis and visualization is an unpredictable and iterative process, a key design goal of Rivet is to support the rapid development of interactive visualizations capable of visualizing large data sets. In this paper, we present Rivet's architecture, focusing on its support for varied data sources, interactivity, composition and user-defined data transformations. We also describe the challenges of implementing this architecture efficiently and flexibly. We conclude with several examples of computer systems visualizations generated within Rivet, including studies of parallel systems, superscalar processors, and mobile network usage.

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Robert Bosch
Last modified: Mon Jun 5 15:23:02 PDT 2000