Chiron is a prototype visualization system for displaying the memory s
ystem performance of shared memory multiprocessor applications. The sy
stem uses 3D graphics techniques to display large amounts of both code
-oriented and data-oriented information. Chiron is designed to isolate
problems such as low cache block utilization, improper layout of data
in memory resulting in excessive replacement interference, and improp
er partitioning of work among the processors resulting in excessive co
herence interference. A 3D interactive user interface provides the use
r with flexibility in displaying the data and facilitates the job of f
ocusing in on memory bottlenecks. The paper describes the design and i
mplementation of Chiron, and illustrates its use.