1 What |s Load 1est|ng?

Load LesLlng ls Lo LesL LhaL lf Lhe appllcaLlon works flne wlLh Lhe loads LhaL resulL from large number of
slmulLaneous users LransacLlons and Lo deLermlne wheLher lL can handle peak usage perlods

2 What |s erformance test|ng?
1lmlng for boLh read and updaLe LransacLlons should be gaLhered Lo deLermlne wheLher sysLem
funcLlons are belng performed ln an accepLable Llmeframe 1hls should be done sLandalone and Lhen ln
a mulLl user envlronmenL Lo deLermlne Lhe effecL of mulLlple LransacLlons on Lhe Llmlng of a slngle
LransacLlon

3 8r|ef|y exp|a|n as to what |s Loadkunner?
Load8unner works by creaLlng vlrLual users who Lake Lhe place of real users operaLlng cllenL sofLware
such as sendlng requesLs uslng Lhe P11 proLocol Lo llS or Apache web servers 8equesLs from many
vlrLual user cllenLs are generaLed by Load CeneraLors ln order Lo creaLe a load on varlous servers under
LesL
1hese load generaLor agenLs are sLarLed and sLopped by Mercurys ConLroller program 1he ConLroller
conLrols load LesL runs based on Scenarlos lnvoklng complled ScrlpLs and assoclaLed 8unLlme SeLLlngs
ScrlpLs are crafLed uslng Mercurys vlrLual user scrlpL CeneraLor (named v u Cen) lL generaLes C
language scrlpL code Lo be execuLed by vlrLual users by capLurlng neLwork Lrafflc beLween lnLerneL
appllcaLlon cllenLs and servers
WlLh !ava cllenLs vuCen capLures calls by hooklng wlLhln Lhe cllenL !vM uurlng runs Lhe sLaLus of each
machlne ls monlLored by Lhe ConLroller
AL Lhe end of each run Lhe ConLroller comblnes lLs monlLorlng logs wlLh logs obLalned from load
generaLors and makes Lhem avallable Lo Lhe Analysls program whlch can Lhen creaLe run resulL
reporLs and graphs for MlcrosofL Word CrysLal 8eporLs or an P1ML webpage browser
Lach P1ML reporL page generaLed by Analysls lncludes a llnk Lo resulLs ln a LexL flle whlch MlcrosofL
Lxcel can open Lo perform addlLlonal analysls
Lrrors durlng each run are sLored ln a daLabase flle whlch can be read by MlcrosofL Access

4 What |s a V|rtua| User?
unllke a Wln8unner worksLaLlon whlch emulaLes a slngle users use of a cllenL Load8unner can emulaLe
Lhousands of vlrLual users
Load generaLors are conLrolled by vuCen scrlpLs whlch lssue nonCul Al calls uslng Lhe same proLocols
as Lhe cllenL under LesL 8uL Wln8unner Cul vusers emulaLe keysLrokes mouse cllcks and oLher user
lnLerface acLlons on Lhe cllenL belng LesLed
Cnly one Cul user can run from a machlne unless Load8unner 1ermlnal Servlces Manager manages
remoLe machlnes wlLh 1ermlnal Server AgenL enabled and logged lnLo a 1ermlnal Servlces CllenL sesslon
uurlng runLlme Lhreaded vusers share a common memory pool So Lhreadlng supporLs more vusers
per load generaLor
1he SLaLus of vusers on all load generaLors sLarL from 8unnlng Lhen go Lo 8eady afLer golng Lhrough
Lhe lnlL secLlon of Lhe scrlpL vusers are llnlshed ln passed or falled end sLaLus vusers are
auLomaLlcally SLopped when Lhe Load CeneraLor ls overloaded
1o use Web Servlces MonlLors for SCA and xML a separaLe llcense ls needed and vusers requlre Lhe
Web Servlces addln lnsLalled wlLh leaLure ack (l1)
no addlLlonal llcense ls needed for sLandard web (P11) server monlLors Apache llS and neLscape

S now do we use W|ndows kemote Desktop Connect|on?
1o keep Wlndows 8emoLe ueskLop ConnecLlon sesslons from Llmlng ouL durlng a LesL Lhe 1ermlnal
Servlces on each machlne should be conflgured as follows
Cllck SLarL polnL Lo rograms (or ConLrol anel) AdmlnlsLraLlve 1ools and choose 1ermlnal Servlces
ConflguraLlon
Cpen Lhe ConnecLlons folder ln Lree by cllcklng lL once
8lghLcllck 8u1cp and selecL roperLles
Cllck Lhe Sesslons Lab
Make sure Cverrlde user seLLlngs ls checked
SeL ldle sesslon llmlL Lo Lhe maxlmum of 2 days lnsLead of Lhe defaulL 2 hours
Cllck Apply
Cllck Ck Lo conflrm message ConflguraLlon changes have been made Lo Lhe sysLem reglsLry however
Lhe user sesslon now acLlve on Lhe 8u1cp connecLlon wlll noL be changed

6 8r|ef|y exp|a|n the Load test|ng process us|ng Loadkunner?
Step 1 |ann|ng the test Pere we develop a clearly deflned LesL plan Lo ensure Lhe LesL scenarlos we
develop wlll accompllsh loadLesLlng ob[ecLlves
Step 2 Creat|ng VUsers Pere we creaLe vusers scrlpLs LhaL conLaln Lasks performed by each vusers
Lasks performed by vusers as a whole and Lasks measured as LransacLlons
Step 3 Creat|ng the scenar|o A scenarlo descrlbes Lhe evenLs LhaL occur durlng a LesLlng sesslon lL
lncludes a llsL of machlnes scrlpLs and vusers LhaL run durlng Lhe scenarlo We creaLe scenarlos uslng
Load8unner ConLroller We can creaLe manual scenarlos as well as goalorlenLed scenarlos ln manual
scenarlos we deflne Lhe number of vusers Lhe load generaLor machlnes and percenLage of vusers Lo
be asslgned Lo each scrlpL lor web LesLs we may creaLe a goalorlenLed scenarlo where we deflne Lhe
goal LhaL our LesL has Lo achleve Load8unner auLomaLlcally bullds a scenarlo for us
Step 4 kunn|ng the scenar|o We emulaLe load on Lhe server by lnsLrucLlng mulLlple vusers Lo perform
Lasks slmulLaneously 8efore Lhe LesLlng we seL Lhe scenarlo conflguraLlon and schedullng We can run
Lhe enLlre scenarlo vusers groups or lndlvldual vusers
Step S Mon|tor|ng the scenar|o We monlLor scenarlo execuLlon uslng Lhe Load8unner onllne runLlme
LransacLlon sysLem resource Web resource Web server resource Web appllcaLlon server resource
daLabase server resource neLwork delay sLreamlng medla resource flrewall server resource L8 server
resource and !ava performance monlLors
Step 6 Ana|yz|ng test resu|ts uurlng scenarlo execuLlon Load8unner records Lhe performance of Lhe
appllcaLlon under dlfferenL loads We use Load8unner's graphs and reporLs Lo analyze Lhe appllcaLlon's
performance

7 When do you do |oad and performance 1est|ng?
We perform load LesLlng once we are done wlLh lnLerface (Cul) LesLlng Modern sysLem archlLecLures
are large and complex Whereas slngle user LesLlng prlmarlly on funcLlonallLy and user lnLerface of a
sysLem componenL appllcaLlon LesLlng focuses on performance and rellablllLy of an enLlre sysLem
lor example a Lyplcal appllcaLlonLesLlng scenarlo mlghL deplcL 1000 users logglng ln slmulLaneously Lo
a sysLem 1hls glves rlse Lo lssues such as whaL ls Lhe response Llme of Lhe sysLem does lL crash wlll lL go
wlLh dlfferenL sofLware appllcaLlons and plaLforms can lL hold so many hundreds and Lhousands of
users eLc 1hls ls when we seL do load and performance LesLlng

8 What are the components of Loadkunner?
1he componenLs of Load8unner are 1he vlrLual user CeneraLor ConLroller and Lhe AgenL process
Load8unner Analysls and MonlLorlng Load8unner 8ooks Cnllne

9 What Component of Loadkunner wou|d you use to record a Scr|pt?
1he vlrLual user CeneraLor (vuCen) componenL ls used Lo record a scrlpL lL enables you Lo develop
vusers scrlpLs for a varleLy of appllcaLlon Lypes and communlcaLlon proLocols

10 What |s the ro|e of kemote Agent D|spatcher |n Loadkunner?
1he role of 8emoLe AgenL ulspaLcher ls Lo enable Lhe ConLroller Lo sLarL appllcaLlons on Lhe load
generaLor

11 What |s a funct|on to capture dynam|c va|ues |n the web VUsers scr|pt?
Web_reg_save_param funcLlon saves dynamlc daLa lnformaLlon Lo a parameLer

12 What Component of Loadkunner wou|d you use to p|ay back the scr|pt |n mu|t| user mode?
1he ConLroller componenL ls used Lo playback Lhe scrlpL ln mulLluser mode 1hls ls done durlng a
scenarlo run where a vusers scrlpL ls execuLed by a number of vusers ln a group

13 What |s a rendezvous po|nt?
?ou lnserL rendezvous polnLs lnLo vusers scrlpLs Lo emulaLe heavy user load on Lhe server 8endezvous
polnLs lnsLrucL vusers Lo walL durlng LesL execuLlon for mulLlple vusers Lo arrlve aL a cerLaln polnL ln
order LhaL Lhey may slmulLaneously perform a Lask lor example Lo emulaLe peak load on Lhe bank
server you can lnserL a rendezvous polnL lnsLrucLlng 100 vusers Lo deposlL cash lnLo Lhelr accounLs aL
Lhe same Llme

14 What |s a scenar|o?
A scenarlo deflnes Lhe evenLs LhaL occur durlng each LesLlng sesslon lor example a scenarlo deflnes
and conLrols Lhe number of users Lo emulaLe Lhe acLlons Lo be performed and Lhe machlnes on whlch
Lhe vlrLual users run Lhelr emulaLlons

1S Lxp|a|n the record|ng mode for web VUsers scr|pt?
We use vuCen Lo develop a vusers scrlpL by recordlng a user performlng Lyplcal buslness processes on a
cllenL appllcaLlon vuCen creaLes Lhe scrlpL by recordlng Lhe acLlvlLy beLween Lhe cllenL and Lhe server
lor example ln web based appllcaLlons vuCen monlLors Lhe cllenL end of Lhe daLabase and Lraces all
Lhe requesLs senL Lo and recelved from Lhe daLabase server We use vuCen Lo MonlLor Lhe
communlcaLlon beLween Lhe appllcaLlon and Lhe server CeneraLe Lhe requlred funcLlon calls and lnserL
Lhe generaLed funcLlon calls lnLo a vusers scrlpL

16 Why do you create parameters?
arameLers are llke scrlpL varlables 1hey are used Lo vary lnpuL Lo Lhe server and Lo emulaLe real users
ulfferenL seLs of daLa are senL Lo Lhe server each Llme Lhe scrlpL ls run 8eLLer slmulaLe Lhe usage model
for more accuraLe LesLlng from Lhe ConLroller one scrlpL can emulaLe many dlfferenL users on Lhe
sysLem

17 What |s corre|at|on? Lxp|a|n the d|fference between automat|c corre|at|on and manua|
corre|at|on?
CorrelaLlon ls used Lo obLaln daLa whlch are unlque for each run of Lhe scrlpL and whlch are generaLed
by nesLed querles CorrelaLlon provldes Lhe value Lo avold errors arlslng ouL of dupllcaLe values and also
opLlmlzlng Lhe code (Lo avold nesLed querles) AuLomaLlc correlaLlon ls where we seL some rules for
correlaLlon lL can be appllcaLlon server speclflc Pere values are replaced by daLa whlch are creaLed by
Lhese rules ln manual correlaLlon Lhe value we wanL Lo correlaLe ls scanned and creaLe correlaLlon ls
used Lo correlaLe

18 now do you f|nd out where corre|at|on |s requ|red?
1wo ways llrsL we can scan for correlaLlons and see Lhe llsL of values whlch can be correlaLed lrom
Lhls we can plck a value Lo be correlaLed Secondly we can record Lwo scrlpLs and compare Lhem We
can look up Lhe dlfference flle Lo see for Lhe values whlch needed Lo be correlaLed

19 Where do you set automat|c corre|at|on opt|ons?
AuLomaLlc correlaLlon from web polnL of vlew can be seL ln recordlng opLlons and correlaLlon Lab Pere
we can enable correlaLlon for Lhe enLlre scrlpL and choose elLher lssue onllne messages or offllne
acLlons where we can deflne rules for LhaL correlaLlon AuLomaLlc correlaLlon for daLabase can be done
uslng show ouLpuL wlndow and scan for correlaLlon and plcklng Lhe correlaLe query Lab and choose
whlch query value we wanL Lo correlaLe lf we know Lhe speclflc value Lo be correlaLed we [usL do
creaLe correlaLlon for Lhe value and speclfy how Lhe value Lo be creaLed

20 What |s a funct|on to capture dynam|c va|ues |n the web VUsers scr|pt?
Web_reg_save_param funcLlon saves dynamlc daLa lnformaLlon Lo a parameLer

21 VuGen kecord|ng and Scr|pt|ng?
Load8unner scrlpL code obLalned from recordlng ln Lhe AnSl C language synLax represenLed by lcons ln
lcon vlew unLll you cllck ScrlpL vlew

22 What are Scenar|os?
Scenarlos encapsulaLe Lhe vusers Croups and scrlpLs Lo be execuLed on load generaLors aL runLlme
Manual scenarlos can dlsLrlbuLe Lhe LoLal number of vusers among scrlpLs based on Lhe analysL
speclfled percenLage (evenly among load generaLors)
Coal CrlenLed scenarlos are auLomaLlcally creaLed based on a speclfled LransacLlon response Llme or
number of hlLs/LransacLlonspersecond (1S) 1esL analysLs speclfy Lhe of 1argeL among scrlpLs

23 When do you d|sab|e |og |n V|rtua| User Generator When do you choose standard and extended
|ogs?
Cnce we debug our scrlpL and verlfy LhaL lL ls funcLlonal we can enable logglng for errors only When we
add a scrlpL Lo a scenarlo logglng ls auLomaLlcally dlsabled
Standard Log Cpt|on When you selecL SLandard log lL creaLes a sLandard log of funcLlons and messages
senL durlng scrlpL execuLlon Lo use for debugglng ulsable Lhls opLlon for large load LesLlng scenarlos
When you copy a scrlpL Lo a scenarlo logglng ls auLomaLlcally dlsabled
Lxtended Log Cpt|on SelecL exLended log Lo creaLe an exLended log lncludlng warnlngs and oLher
messages ulsable Lhls opLlon for large load LesLlng scenarlos When you copy a scrlpL Lo a scenarlo
logglng ls auLomaLlcally dlsabled We can speclfy whlch addlLlonal lnformaLlon should be added Lo Lhe
exLended log uslng Lhe LxLended log opLlons

24 now do you debug a Loadkunner scr|pt?
vuCen conLalns Lwo opLlons Lo help debug vusers scrlpLsLhe 8un SLep by SLep command and
breakpolnLs 1he uebug seLLlngs ln Lhe CpLlons dlalog box allow us Lo deLermlne Lhe exLenL of Lhe Lrace
Lo be performed durlng scenarlo execuLlon
1he debug lnformaLlon ls wrlLLen Lo Lhe CuLpuL wlndow We can manually seL Lhe message class wlLhln
your scrlpL uslng Lhe lr_seL_debug_message funcLlon
1hls ls useful lf we wanL Lo recelve debug lnformaLlon abouL a small secLlon of Lhe scrlpL only

2S now do you wr|te user def|ned funct|ons |n Loadkunner?
8efore we creaLe Lhe user ueflned funcLlons we need Lo creaLe Lhe exLernal llbrary (uLL) wlLh Lhe
funcLlon
We add Lhls llbrary Lo vuCen bln dlrecLory Cnce Lhe llbrary ls added Lhen we asslgn user deflned
funcLlon as a parameLer
1he funcLlon should have Lhe formaL __declspec (dllexporL) char* (char* char*)

26 What are the changes you can make |n runt|me sett|ngs?
1he 8un 1lme SeLLlngs LhaL we make are
ac|ng lL has lLeraLlon counL
Log under Lhls we have ulsable Logglng SLandard Log and
LxLended 1hlnk 1lme ln Lhlnk Llme we have Lwo opLlons llke lgnore Lhlnk Llme and 8eplay Lhlnk Llme
Genera| under general Lab we can seL Lhe vusers as process or as mulLlLhreadlng and wheLher each
sLep as a LransacLlon

27 Where do you set Iterat|on for VUsers test|ng?
We seL lLeraLlons ln Lhe 8un 1lme SeLLlngs of Lhe vuCen 1he navlgaLlon for Lhls ls 8un Llme seLLlngs
aclng Lab seL number of lLeraLlons

28 now do you perform funct|ona| test|ng under |oad?
luncLlonallLy under load can be LesLed by runnlng several vusers concurrenLly
8y lncreaslng Lhe amounL of vusers we can deLermlne how much load Lhe server can susLaln

29 now do we use network dr|ve mapp|ngs?
lf several load generaLors need Lo access Lhe same physlcal flles raLher Lhan havlng Lo remember Lo
copy Lhe flles each Llme Lhey change each load generaLor can reference a common folder uslng a
mapped drlve 8uL slnce drlve mapplngs are assoclaLed wlLh a speclflc user
Logon Lhe load generaLor as Lhe user Lhe load generaLor wlll use
Cpen Wlndows Lxplorer and under 1ools selecL Map a neLwork urlve and creaLe a drlve lL saves Llme
and hassle Lo have conslsLenL drlve leLLers across load generaLors so some organlzaLlons reserve cerLaln
drlve leLLers for speclflc locaLlons
Cpen Lhe Load8unner servlce wlLhln Servlces (accessed from ConLrol anel AdmlnlsLraLlve 1asks) Cllck
Lhe Logln Lab
Speclfy Lhe username and password Lhe load generaLor servlce wlll use (A doL appears ln fronL of Lhe
username lf Lhe userld ls for Lhe local domaln)
SLop and sLarL Lhe servlce agaln

30 What |s kamp up? now do you set th|s?
1hls opLlon ls used Lo gradually lncrease Lhe amounL of vusers/load on Lhe server
An lnlLlal value ls seL and a value Lo walL beLween lnLervals can be speclfled
1o seL 8amp up go Lo 'Scenarlo Schedullng CpLlons'

31 What |s the advantage of runn|ng the Vuser as thread?
vuCen provldes Lhe faclllLy Lo use mulLlLhreadlng
1hls enables more vusers Lo be run per generaLor lf Lhe vuser ls run as a process Lhe same drlver
program ls loaded lnLo memory for each vuser Lhus Laklng up a large amounL of memory
1hls llmlLs Lhe number of vusers LhaL can be run on a slngle generaLor
lf Lhe vuser ls run as a Lhread only one lnsLance of Lhe drlver program ls loaded lnLo memory for Lhe
glven number of vusers (say 100)
Lach Lhread shares Lhe memory of Lhe parenL drlver program Lhus enabllng more vusers Lo be run per
generaLor

32 now can we stop the execut|on of our scr|pt on error?
1he lr_aborL funcLlon aborLs Lhe execuLlon of a vuser scrlpL
lL lnsLrucLs Lhe vuser Lo sLop execuLlng Lhe AcLlons secLlon execuLe Lhe vuser_end secLlon and end Lhe
execuLlon
1hls funcLlon ls useful when you need Lo manually aborL a scrlpL execuLlon as a resulL of a speclflc error
condlLlon
When you end a scrlpL uslng Lhls funcLlon Lhe vuser ls asslgned Lhe sLaLus SLopped
lor Lhls Lo Lake effecL we have Lo flrsL uncheck Lhe ConLlnue on error opLlon ln 8un1lme SeLLlngs

33 What |s the re|at|on between kesponse 1|me and 1hroughput?
1he 1hroughpuL graph shows Lhe amounL of daLa ln byLes LhaL Lhe vusers recelved from Lhe server ln a
second
When we compare Lhls wlLh Lhe LransacLlon response Llme we wlll noLlce LhaL as LhroughpuL decreased
Lhe response Llme also decreased
Slmllarly Lhe peak LhroughpuL and hlghesL response Llme would occur approxlmaLely aL Lhe same Llme

34 Lxp|a|n the Conf|gurat|on of your systems?
1he conflguraLlon of our sysLems refers Lo LhaL of Lhe cllenL machlnes on whlch we run Lhe vusers 1he
conflguraLlon of any cllenL machlne lncludes lLs hardware seLLlngs memory operaLlng sysLem sofLware
appllcaLlons developmenL Lools eLc 1hls sysLem componenL conflguraLlon should maLch wlLh Lhe
overall sysLem conflguraLlon LhaL would lnclude Lhe neLwork lnfrasLrucLure Lhe web server Lhe
daLabase server and any oLher componenLs LhaL go wlLh Lhls larger sysLem so as Lo achleve Lhe load
LesLlng ob[ecLlves

3S now do you |dent|fy the performance bott|enecks?
erformance 8oLLlenecks can be deLecLed by uslng monlLors 1hese monlLors mlghL be appllcaLlon
server monlLors web server monlLors daLabase server monlLors and neLwork monlLors
1hey help ln flndlng ouL Lhe Lroubled area ln our scenarlo whlch causes lncreased response Llme 1he
measuremenLs made are usually performance response Llme LhroughpuL hlLs/sec neLwork delay
graphs eLc

36 If web server database and Network are a|| f|ne where cou|d be the prob|em?
1he problem could be ln Lhe sysLem lLself or ln Lhe appllcaLlon server or ln Lhe code wrlLLen for Lhe
appllcaLlon

37 now d|d you f|nd web server re|ated |ssues?
uslng Web resource monlLors we can flnd Lhe performance of web servers uslng Lhese monlLors we can
analyze LhroughpuL on Lhe web server number of hlLs per second LhaL occurred durlng scenarlo Lhe
number of hLLp responses per second Lhe number of downloaded pages per second

38 now do you f|nd out the databasere|ated |ssues?
8y runnlng uaLabase monlLor and help of uaLa 8esource Craph we can flnd daLabaserelaLed lssues
Lg ?ou can speclfy Lhe resource you wanL Lo measure on before runnlng Lhe conLroller and Lhen you
can see daLabase relaLed lssues

39 What |s the d|fference between Cver|ay graph and Corre|ate graph?
Cver|ay Graph lL overlay Lhe conLenL of Lwo graphs LhaL shares a common xaxls LefL ?axls on Lhe
merged graph shows Lhe currenL graph's value 8lghL ?axls show Lhe value of ?axls of Lhe graph LhaL
was merged
Corre|ate Graph loL Lhe ?axls of Lwo graphs agalnsL each oLher 1he acLlve graph's ?axls becomes x
axls of merged graph ?axls of Lhe graph LhaL was merged becomes merged graph's ?axls

40 now d|d you p|an the Load? What are the Cr|ter|a?
Load LesL ls planned Lo declde Lhe number of users whaL klnd of machlnes we are golng Lo use and from
where Lhey are run
lL ls based on 2 lmporLanL documenLs 1ask ulsLrlbuLlon ulagram and 1ransacLlon proflle
1ask ulsLrlbuLlon ulagram glves us Lhe lnformaLlon on number of users for a parLlcular LransacLlon and
Lhe Llme of Lhe load 1he peak usage and offusage are declded from Lhls ulagram
1ransacLlon proflle glves us Lhe lnformaLlon abouL Lhe LransacLlon name and Lhelr prlorlLy levels wlLh
regard Lo Lhe scenarlo we are decldlng

41 What does vuser_|n|t act|on conta|n?
vuser_lnlL acLlon conLalns procedures Lo logln Lo a server

42 What does vuser_end act|on conta|n?
vuser_end secLlon conLalns log off procedures

43 What |s th|nk t|me? now do you change the thresho|d?
1hlnk Llme ls Lhe Llme LhaL a real user walLs beLween acLlons Lxample When a user recelves daLa from
a server Lhe user may walL several seconds Lo revlew Lhe daLa before respondlng 1hls delay ls known as
Lhe Lhlnk Llme Changlng Lhe 1hreshold 1hreshold level ls Lhe level below whlch Lhe recorded Lhlnk Llme
wlll be lgnored 1he defaulL value ls flve (3) seconds We can change Lhe Lhlnk Llme Lhreshold ln Lhe
8ecordlng opLlons of Lhe vugen

44 What |s the d|fference between standard |og and extended |og?
1he sLandard log sends a subseL of funcLlons and messages senL durlng scrlpL execuLlon Lo a log
1he subseL depends on Lhe vuser Lype
LxLended log sends a deLalled scrlpL execuLlon messages Lo Lhe ouLpuL log

1hls ls malnly used durlng debugglng when we wanL lnformaLlon abouL 1) arameLer subsLlLuLlon 2)
uaLa reLurned by Lhe server 3) Advanced Lrace

4S What |s |r_debug_message ?
1he lr_debug_message funcLlon sends a debug message Lo Lhe ouLpuL log when Lhe speclfled message
class ls seL

46 What |s |r_output_message ?
1he lr_ouLpuL_message funcLlon sends noLlflcaLlons Lo Lhe ConLroller CuLpuL wlndow and Lhe vuser log
flle

47 What |s |r_error_message ?
1he lr_error_message funcLlon sends an error message Lo Lhe Load8unner CuLpuL wlndow

48 What |s |rd_stmt?
1he lrd_sLmL funcLlon assoclaLes a characLer sLrlng (usually a SCL sLaLemenL) wlLh a cursor 1hls funcLlon
seLs a SCL sLaLemenL Lo be processed

49 What |s |rd_fetch?
1he lrd_feLch funcLlon feLches Lhe nexL row from Lhe resulL seL

S0 What |s 1hroughput?
lf Lhe LhroughpuL scales upward as Llme progresses and Lhe number of vusers lncrease Lhls lndlcaLes
LhaL Lhe bandwldLh ls sufflclenL lf Lhe graph were Lo remaln relaLlvely flaL as Lhe number of vusers
lncreased lL would be reasonable Lo conclude LhaL Lhe bandwldLh ls consLralnlng Lhe volume of daLa
dellvered

S1 now many types of Goa|s are there |n Goa|Cr|ented Scenar|o?
Load 8unner provldes followlng Lypes of goals ln a goal orlenLed scenarlo
1) 1he number of concurrenL vusers
2) 1he number of hlLs per second
3) 1he number of LransacLlons per second
4) 1he number of pages per mlnuLe

S2 What |s corre|at|on? Lxp|a|n the d|fference between automat|c corre|at|on and manua|
corre|at|on?
CorrelaLlon ls used Lo obLaln daLa whlch are unlque for each run of Lhe scrlpL and whlch are generaLed
by nesLed querles CorrelaLlon provldes Lhe value Lo avold errors arlslng ouL of dupllcaLe values and also
opLlmlzlng Lhe code (Lo avold nesLed querles)
AuLomaLlc correlaLlon ls where we seL some rules for correlaLlon lL can be appllcaLlon server speclflc
Pere values are replaced by daLa whlch are creaLed by Lhese rules ln manual correlaLlon Lhe value we
wanL Lo correlaLe ls scanned and creaLe correlaLlon ls used Lo correlaLe

S3 Where do you set automat|c corre|at|on opt|ons?
AuLomaLlc correlaLlon from web polnL of vlew can be seL ln recordlng opLlons and correlaLlon Lab Pere
we can enable correlaLlon for Lhe enLlre scrlpL and choose elLher lssue onllne messages or offllne
acLlons where we can deflne rules for LhaL correlaLlon
AuLomaLlc correlaLlon for daLabase can be done uslng show ouLpuL wlndow and scan for correlaLlon
and plcklng Lhe correlaLe query Lab and choose whlch query value we wanL Lo correlaLe lf we know Lhe
speclflc value Lo be correlaLed we [usL do creaLe correlaLlon for Lhe value and speclfy how Lhe value Lo
be creaLed

S4 What |s the ut|||ty of Ana|ys|s modu|e of n Loadkunner?
Load8unner enables you Lo LesL your sysLem under conLrolled and peak load condlLlons
Whereas Analysls module of Load8unner provldes lndepLh reporLs and graphs hlllghLlng Lhe
lnformaLlon LhaL you need Lo evaluaLe Lhe performance of your appllcaLlon

SS What |s Ana|ys|s Graphs?
lL ls a Lool Lo vlew a summary of Lhe resulLs afLer Lhe load LesL scenarlo execuLlon
1he Analysls graphs help you deLermlne sysLem performance and provlde lnformaLlon abouL
LransacLlons and vusers ?ou can compare mulLlple graphs by comblnlng resulLs from several load LesL
scenarlos or merglng several graphs lnLo one

S6 What |s the Graph Data and kaw Data v|ews?
1hese are Lhe Lool Lo vlew a summary of Lhe resulLs afLer Lhe load LesL scenarlo execuLlon
1he Craph uaLa and 8aw uaLa vlews dlsplay Lhe acLual daLa used Lo generaLe Lhe graph ln a spreadsheeL
formaL ?ou can copy Lhls daLa lnLo exLernal spreadsheeL appllcaLlons for furLher processlng

S7 now do we create Ana|ys|s Sess|ons?
When you run a load LesL scenarlo daLa ls sLored ln a resulL flle wlLh an lrr exLenslon Analysls ls Lhe
uLlllLy LhaL processes Lhe gaLhered resulL lnformaLlon and generaLes graphs and reporLs
When you work wlLh Lhe Analysls uLlllLy you work wlLhln a sesslon
An Analysls sesslon conLalns aL leasL one seL of scenarlo resulLs (lrr flle)
Analysls sLores Lhe dlsplay lnformaLlon and layouL seLLlngs for Lhe acLlve graphs ln a flle wlLh an lra
exLenslon

S8 now do we |aunch the Ana|ys|s ut|||ty?
?ou can open Analysls as an lndependenL appllcaLlon or dlrecLly from Lhe ConLroller
1o open Analysls as an lndependenL appllcaLlon choose one of Lhe followlng
# SLarL rograms Load8unner AppllcaLlons Analysls
# SLarL rograms Load8unner Load8unner selecL Lhe Load 1esLlng Lab and Lhen cllck Analyze Load
1esLs
1o open Analysls dlrecLly from Lhe ConLroller
SelecL 8esulLs Analyze 8esulLs
1hls opLlon ls only avallable afLer runnlng a load LesL scenarlo Analysls Lakes Lhe laLesL resulL flle from
Lhe currenL scenarlo and opens a new sesslon uslng Lhese resulLs
?ou can also lnsLrucL Lhe ConLroller Lo auLomaLlcally open Analysls afLer lL compleLes scenarlo execuLlon
by selecLlng 8esulLs AuLo Load Analysls

S9 now can we v|ew the summary of the data when we happen to process heavy data say more
than 100 Mb?
ln large load LesL scenarlos wlLh resulLs exceedlng 100 M8 lL can Lake a long Llme for Analysls Lo
process Lhe daLa Whlle Load8unner ls processlng Lhe compleLe daLa you can vlew a summary of Lhe
daLa
1o vlew Lhe summary daLa choose 1ools CpLlons and selecL Lhe 8esulL CollecLlon Lab 1o process Lhe
compleLe daLa graphs whlle you vlew Lhe summary daLa selecL ulsplay summary daLa whlle generaLlng
compleLe daLa or selecL CeneraLe summary daLa only lf you do noL wanL Load8unner Lo process Lhe
compleLe Analysls daLa

60 What type of Ana|ys|s graphs are ava||ab|e?
1ry Lo remember names uLlllLy of few of Lhe graphs presenL ln case of need ln Lhe lnLervlew
Io||ow|ng types of graphs are ava||ab|e |n Ana|ys|s modu|e of Loadkunner
1) vuser Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL vuser sLaLes and oLher vuser sLaLlsLlcs
2) Lrror Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe errors LhaL occurred durlng Lhe load LesL scenarlo
3) 1ransacLlon Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL LransacLlon performance and response Llme
4) Web 8esource Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe LhroughpuL hlLs per second P11 responses
per second number of reLrles per second and downloaded pages per second for Web vusers
3) Web age ulagnosLlcs Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe slze and download Llme of each Web
page componenL
6) userueflned uaLa olnL Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe cusLom daLa polnLs LhaL were
gaLhered by Lhe onllne monlLor
7) SysLem 8esource Craphs rovlde sLaLlsLlcs relaLlng Lo Lhe sysLem resources LhaL were monlLored
durlng Lhe load LesL scenarlo uslng Lhe onllne monlLor 1hls caLegory also lncludes graphs for SnM
monlLorlng
8) neLwork MonlLor Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe neLwork delays
9) llrewall Server MonlLor Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL flrewall server resource usage
10) Web Server 8esource Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe resource usage for Lhe Apache
llaneL/neLscape llaneL(SnM) and MS llS Web servers
11) Web AppllcaLlon Server 8esource Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL Lhe resource usage for varlous
Web appllcaLlon servers
12) uaLabase Server 8esource Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL daLabase resources
13) SLreamlng Medla Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL resource usage of sLreamlng medla
14) L8/C8M Server 8esource Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL L8/C8M server resource usage
13) !ava erformance Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL resource usage of !avabased appllcaLlons
16) AppllcaLlon ComponenL Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL resource usage of Lhe MlcrosofL CCM+
server and Lhe MlcrosofL nL1 CL8 server
17) AppllcaLlon ueploymenL SoluLlons Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL resource usage of Lhe ClLrlx
MeLalrame and 18 servers
18) Mlddleware erformance Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL resource usage of Lhe 1uxedo and l8M
WebSphere MC servers
19) lnfrasLrucLure 8esources Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon abouL resource usage of l1 C3 SM1
lMA and unS vusers on Lhe neLwork cllenL
20) Slebel ulagnosLlcs Craphs rovlde deLalled breakdown dlagnosLlcs for LransacLlons generaLed on
Slebel Web Slebel App and Slebel uaLabase servers
21) Slebel u8 ulagnosLlcs Craphs rovlde deLalled breakdown dlagnosLlcs for SCLs generaLed by
LransacLlons on Lhe Slebel sysLem
22) Cracle 11l ulagnosLlcs Craphs rovlde deLalled breakdown dlagnosLlcs for SCLs generaLed by
LransacLlons on Lhe Cracle nCA sysLem
23) SA ulagnosLlcs Craphs rovlde deLalled breakdown dlagnosLlcs for SA daLa generaLed by
LransacLlons on Lhe SA Server
24) !2LL nL1 ulagnosLlcs Craphs rovlde lnformaLlon Lo Lrace Llme and LroubleshooL lndlvldual
LransacLlons Lhrough !2LL nL1 Web appllcaLlon and daLabase servers

61 Wh|ch |nformat|on |s not ava||ab|e wh||e v|ew|ng the summary data?
1he followlng graphs are noL avallable when vlewlng summary daLa only
1) uaLa olnL (Sum)
2) Lrror
3) neLwork MonlLor
4) 8endezvous
3) Slebel u8 Slde 1ransacLlons
6) Slebel u8 Slde 1ransacLlons by SCL SLage
7) SCL Average LxecuLlon 1lme
8) Web age ulagnosLlcs

62 now do we open the Graphs and keports?
?ou access Analysls graphs and reporLs from Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer Wlndow (Wlndows Sesslon
Lxplorer)
?ou add graphs Lo Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer uslng Lhe Cpen a new Craph dlalog box

63 What |s the Sess|on Lxp|orer W|ndow what are |ts const|tuents?
1he Sesslon Lxplorer (Wlndows Sesslon Lxplorer) dlsplays a Lree vlew of Lhe lLems (graphs and reporLs)
LhaL are open ln Lhe currenL sesslon When you cllck an lLem ln Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer lL ls acLlvaLed ln Lhe
maln Analysls wlndow
1he Sesslon Lxplorer ls dlvlded lnLo Lhe followlng caLegorles
1) Summary 8eporL Cllck Lhls node Lo access Lhe Summary reporL (wherever avallable)
2) Servlce Level AgreemenL Lxpand Lhls node Lo access Lhe SLA (Servlce Level AgreemenL) reporLs
3) Analyzed 1ransacLlons Lxpand Lhls node Lo access Lhe 1ransacLlon Analysls reporLs
4) Craphs Lxpand Lhls node Lo access Lhe Analysls graphs 1o open anoLher graph or creaLe a dupllcaLe
of an exlsLlng one choose Craph Add new Craph

64 now do we generate or d|sp|ay Graphs?
Cllck Cpen Craph
Analysls generaLes Lhe selecLed graph and adds lL Lo Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer 1he graph ls dlsplayed ln Lhe
maln Analysls wlndow
1o dlsplay an exlsLlng graph ln Lhe rlghL pane of Lhe Analysls wlndow selecL Lhe graph ln Lhe Sesslon
Lxplorer

6S now can we do the repos|t|on|ng and dock|ng of Ana|ys|s W|ndows?
?ou can reposlLlon any wlndow by dragglng lL Lo Lhe deslred poslLlon on Lhe screen ?ou can dock a
wlndow by dragglng Lhe wlndow and uslng Lhe arrows of Lhe gulde dlamond Lo dock Lhe wlndow ln Lhe
deslred poslLlon
Dock|ng of a w|ndow Assume for example LhaL you wanL Lo dock Lhe Legend wlndow so LhaL lL ls
dlsplayed below Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer wlndow
1) Lnsure LhaL Wlndows LayouL locked ls noL selecLed
2) SelecL Lhe Legend wlndow and drag lL Lo Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer wlndow
A gulde dlamond opens ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer Lach arrow on Lhe gulde dlamond
represenLs Lhe poslLlon of Lhe Legend wlndow on Lhe screen relaLlve Lo Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer
3) lace Lhe Legend wlndow on Lhe boLLom arrow of Lhe gulde dlamond 1he Legend wlndow appears
below Lhe Sesslon Lxplorer
?ou can seL a wlndow Lo floaLlng mode by doublecllcklng Lhe wlndow's LlLle bar 1he wlndow undocks
and floaLs above all Lhe oLher wlndows 1o dock Lhe wlndow back lnLo poslLlon doublecllck Lhe LlLle bar
agaln

66 What |s Aggregat|on of Data?
When you choose Lo generaLe Lhe compleLe Analysls daLa Analysls aggregaLes Lhe daLa
AggregaLlon process reduces Lhe slze of Lhe daLabase and decreases processlng Llme ln large load LesL
scenarlos

67 What |s the use of kesu|t Co||ect|on 1ab |n the Cpt|ons D|a|og 8ox?
?ou use Lhe 8esulL CollecLlon Lab of Lhe CpLlons dlalog box Lo conflgure daLa opLlons
ln large load LesL scenarlos wlLh resulLs exceedlng 100 M8 lL wlll Lake several mlnuLes for Analysls Lo
process Lhe daLa
1he 8esulL CollecLlon Lab of Lhe CpLlons dlalog box enables you Lo lndlcaLe Lo Load8unner Lo dlsplay a
summary of Lhe daLa whlle you walL for Lhe compleLe daLa Lo be processed
Load Stress 1est|ng of webs|tes

68 Why Sca|ab|||ty and Load 1est|ng |s Important?
Some very hlgh proflle webslLes have suffered from serlous ouLages and/or performance lssues due Lo
Lhe number of people hlLLlng Lhelr webslLe Lcommerce slLes LhaL spenL heavlly on adverLlslng buL noL
nearly enough on ensurlng Lhe quallLy or rellablllLy of Lhelr servlce have ended up wlLh poor webslLe
performance sysLem downLlme and/or serlous errors wlLh Lhe predlcLable resulL LhaL cusLomers are
belng losL
ln Lhe case of 1oys8uS lLs web slLe couldnL handle Lhe approxlmaLely 1000 percenL lncrease ln Lrafflc
LhaL Lhelr adverLlslng campalgn generaLed Slmllarly Lncyclopedla 8rlLannlca was unable Lo keep up
wlLh Lhe amounL of users durlng Lhe lmmedlaLe weeks followlng Lhelr promoLlon of free access Lo lLs
onllne daLabase 1he LruLh ls Lhese problems could probably have been prevenLed had adequaLe load
LesLlng Laken place
When creaLlng an eCommerce porLal companles wlll wanL Lo know wheLher Lhelr lnfrasLrucLure can
handle Lhe predlcLed levels of Lrafflc Lo measure performance and verlfy sLablllLy
1hese Lypes of servlces lnclude ScalablllLy / Load / SLress LesLlng as well as Llve erformance
MonlLorlng
Load LesLlng Lools can be used Lo LesL Lhe sysLem behavlor and performance under sLressful condlLlons
by emulaLlng Lhousands of vlrLual users 1hese vlrLual users sLress Lhe appllcaLlon even harder Lhan real
users would whlle monlLorlng Lhe behavlor and response Llmes of Lhe dlfferenL componenLs 1hls
enables companles Lo mlnlmlze LesL cycles and opLlmlze performance hence acceleraLlng deploymenL
whlle provldlng a level of confldence ln Lhe sysLem
Cnce launched Lhe slLe can be regularly checked uslng Llve erformance MonlLorlng Lools Lo monlLor
slLe performance ln real Llme ln order Lo deLecL and reporL any performance problems before users
can experlence Lhem

69 now do we prepare for a Load 1est?
1he flrsL sLep ln deslgnlng a Web slLe load LesL ls Lo measure as accuraLely as posslble Lhe currenL load
levels
Measur|ng Current Load Leve|s
1he besL way Lo capLure Lhe naLure of Web slLe load ls Lo ldenLlfy and Lrack eg uslng a log analyzer a
seL of key user sesslon varlables LhaL are appllcable and relevanL Lo your Web slLe Lrafflc
Some of the var|ab|es that cou|d be tracked |nc|ude
1) 1he lengLh of Lhe sesslon (measured ln pages)
2) 1he duraLlon of Lhe sesslon (measured ln mlnuLes and seconds)
3) 1he Lype of pages LhaL were vlslLed durlng Lhe sesslon (eg home page producL lnformaLlon page
credlL card lnformaLlon page eLc)
4) 1he Lyplcal/mosL popular 'flow' or paLh Lhrough Lhe webslLe
3) 1he of 'browse' vs 'purchase' sesslons
6) 1he Lype of users (new user vs reLurnlng reglsLered user)
Measure how many people vlslL Lhe slLe per week/monLh or day

1hen break down Lhese currenL Lrafflc paLLerns lnLo onehour Llme sllces and ldenLlfy Lhe peakhours
(le lf you geL loLs of Lrafflc durlng lunchLlme eLc) and Lhe numbers of users durlng Lhose peak hours

1hls lnformaLlon can Lhen be used Lo esLlmaLe Lhe number of concurrenL users on your slLe
70 What |s the mean|ng of Concurrent Users?
AlLhough your slLe may be handllng x number of users per day only a small percenLage of Lhese users
would be hlLLlng your slLe aL Lhe same Llme

lor example lf you have 3000 unlque users hlLLlng your slLe on one day all 3000 are noL golng Lo be
uslng Lhe slLe beLween 1101 and 1103 am
So once you have ldenLlfled your peak hour dlvlde Lhls hour lnLo 3 or 10 mlnuLe sllces you should use
your own [udgmenL here based on Lhe lengLh of Lhe average user sesslon Lo geL Lhe number of
concurrenL users for LhaL Llme sllce

71 Lst|mat|ng 1arget Load Leve|s
Cnce you have ldenLlfled Lhe currenL load levels Lhe nexL sLep ls Lo undersLand as accuraLely and as
ob[ecLlvely as posslble Lhe naLure of Lhe load LhaL musL be generaLed durlng Lhe LesLlng
uslng Lhe currenL usage flgures esLlmaLe how many people wlll vlslL Lhe slLe per week/monLh or day
1hen dlvlde LhaL number Lo aLLaln reallsLlc peakhour scenarlos
lL ls lmporLanL Lo undersLand Lhe volume paLLerns and Lo deLermlne whaL load levels your web slLe
mlghL be sub[ecLed Lo (and musL Lherefore be LesLed for)
1here are four key var|ab|es that must be understood |n order to est|mate target |oad |eve|s
1) Pow Lhe overall amounL of Lrafflc Lo your Web slLe ls expecLed Lo grow
2) 1he peak load level whlch mlghL occur wlLhln Lhe overall Lrafflc
3) Pow qulckly Lhe number of users mlghL ramp up Lo LhaL peak load level
4) Pow long LhaL peak load level ls expecLed Lo lasL
Cnce you have an esLlmaLe of overall Lrafflc growLh you'll need Lo esLlmaLe Lhe peak level you mlghL
expecL wlLhln LhaL overall volume

72 now do we est|mate the 1est Durat|on?
1he duraLlon of Lhe peak ls also very lmporLanL A Web slLe LhaL may deal very well wlLh a peak level for
flve or Len mlnuLes may crumble lf LhaL same load level ls susLalned longer Lhan LhaL
?ou should use Lhe lengLh of Lhe average user sesslon as a base for deLermlnlng Lhe load LesL duraLlon

73 What |s kampup kate?
As menLloned earller AlLhough your slLe may be handllng x number of users per day only a small
percenLage of Lhese users would be hlLLlng your slLe aL Lhe same Llme
1herefore when preparlng your load LesL scenarlo you should Lake lnLo accounL Lhe facL LhaL users wlll
hlL Lhe webslLe aL dlfferenL Llmes and LhaL durlng your peak hour Lhe number of concurrenL users wlll
llkely gradually bulld up Lo reach Lhe peak number of users before Lalllng off as Lhe peak hour comes Lo
a close
1he raLe aL whlch Lhe number of users bulld up Lhe 8ampup 8aLe should be facLored lnLo Lhe load
LesL scenarlos (le you should noL [usL [ump Lo Lhe maxlmum value buL lncrease ln a serles of sLeps)

74 now to create the scenar|os that are to be used to |oad test the web s|te?
1he lnformaLlon gaLhered durlng Lhe analysls of Lhe currenL Lrafflc ls used Lo creaLe Lhe scenarlos LhaL
are Lo be used Lo load LesL Lhe web slLe
1he ldenLlfled scenarlos alm Lo accuraLely emulaLe Lhe behavlor of real users navlgaLlng Lhrough Lhe
Web slLe
lor example a sevenpage sesslon LhaL resulLs ln a purchase ls golng Lo creaLe more load on Lhe Web
slLe Lhan a sevenpage sesslon LhaL lnvolves only browslng A browslng sesslon mlghL only lnvolve Lhe
servlng of sLaLlc pages whlle a purchase sesslon wlll lnvolve a number of elemenLs lncludlng Lhe
lnvenLory daLabase Lhe cusLomer daLabase a credlL card LransacLlon wlLh verlflcaLlon golng Lhrough a
LhlrdparLy sysLem and a noLlflcaLlon emall A slngle purchase sesslon mlghL puL as much load on some
of Lhe sysLem's resources as LwenLy browslng sesslons
Slmllar reasonlng may apply Lo purchases from new vs reLurnlng users

A new user purchase mlghL lnvolve a slgnlflcanL amounL of accounL seLup and verlflcaLlon someLhlng
exlsLlng users may noL requlre

1he daLabase load creaLed by a slngle new user purchase may equal LhaL of flve purchases by exlsLlng
users so you should dlfferenLlaLe Lhe Lwo Lypes of purchases

7S now to prepare a scr|pt to run each scenar|o w|th the number of types of users concurrent|y
p|ay|ng back to g|ve you a |oad scenar|o?
uslng Lhe load LesL Lool wrlLe Lhe scrlpLs Lo run each scenarlo wlLh Lhe number of Lypes of users
concurrenLly playlng back Lo glve you a load scenarlo
1he key e|ements of a |oad test des|gn are
1) 1esL ob[ecLlve
2) ass/fall crlLerla
3) ScrlpL descrlpLlon
4) Scenarlo descrlpLlon
Load 1est Cb[ect|ve
1he ob[ecLlve of Lhls load LesL ls Lo deLermlne lf Lhe Web slLe as currenLly conflgured wlll be able Lo
handle Lhe x number of sesslons/hr peak load level anLlclpaLed lf Lhe sysLem falls Lo scale as
anLlclpaLed Lhe resulLs wlll be analyzed Lo ldenLlfy Lhe boLLlenecks
ass]Ia|| Cr|ter|a 1he load LesL wlll be consldered a success lf Lhe Web slLe wlll handle Lhe LargeL load of
x number of sesslons/hr whlle malnLalnlng Lhe predeflned average page response Llmes (lf appllcable)
1he page response Llme wlll be measured and wlll represenL Lhe elapsed Llme beLween a page requesL
and Lhe Llme Lhe lasL byLe ls recelved
Slnce ln mosL cases Lhe user sesslons follow [usL a few navlgaLlon paLLerns you wlll noL need hundreds
of lndlvldual scrlpLs Lo achleve reallsmlf you choose carefully a dozen scrlpLs wlll Lake care of mosL
Web slLes

76 now 1o Create a Load 1est|ng Scenar|o?
ScrlpLs should be comblned Lo descrlbe a loadLesLlng scenarlo A baslc scenarlo lncludes Lhe scrlpLs LhaL
wlll be execuLed Lhe percenLages ln whlch Lhose scrlpLs wlll be execuLed and a descrlpLlon of how Lhe
load wlll be ramped up
8y emulaLlng mulLlple buslness processes Lhe load LesLlng can generaLe a load equlvalenL Lo x numbers
of vlrLual users on a Web appllcaLlon uurlng Lhese load LesLs realLlme performance monlLors are used
Lo measure Lhe response Llmes for each LransacLlon and check LhaL Lhe correcL conLenL ls belng
dellvered Lo users ln Lhls way Lhey can deLermlne how well Lhe slLe ls handllng Lhe load and ldenLlfy
any boLLlenecks
1he execuLlon of Lhe scrlpLs opens x number of P11 sesslons (each slmulaLlng a user) wlLh Lhe LargeL
Web slLe and replays Lhe scrlpLs over and over agaln Lvery few mlnuLes lL adds x more slmulaLed users
and conLlnue Lo do so unLll Lhe web slLe falls Lo meeL a speclflc performance goal

77 Why System erformance Mon|tor|ng Is Important?
lL ls vlLal durlng Lhe execuLlon phase Lo monlLor all aspecLs of Lhe webslLe 1hls lncludes measurlng and
monlLorlng Lhe Cu usage and performance aspecLs of Lhe varlous componenLs of Lhe webslLe le noL
[usL Lhe webserver buL Lhe daLabase and oLher parLs as well (such as flrewalls load balanclng Lools eLc)
ou can quote fo||ow|ng examp|es
1) Cne eLallor whose slLe fell over (apparenLly due Lo a hlgh load) when analyzlng Lhe performance
boLLlenecks on Lhelr slLe dlscovered LhaL Lhe webserver had ln facL only been operaLlng aL 30 of
capaclLy lurLher lnvesLlgaLlon revealed LhaL Lhe credlL card auLhorlzaLlon englne was Lhe cause of
fallure lL was noL respondlng qulck enough for Lhe webslLe whlch Lhen fell over when lL was walLlng for
Loo many responses from Lhe auLhorlzaLlon englne 1hey resolved Lhls lssue by changlng Lhe
auLhorlzaLlon englne and amendlng Lhe webslLe codlng so LhaL lf Lhere were any lssues wlLh
auLhorlzaLlon responses ln fuLure Lhe slLe would noL crash
2) AnoLher ecommerce slLe found LhaL Lhe performance lssues LhaL Lhey were experlenclng were due Lo
daLabase performance lssues whlle Lhe webserver Cu usage was only aL 23 Lhe backend db server
Cu usage was 86 1helr soluLlon was Lo upgrade Lhe db server
1herefore lL ls necessary Lo use (lnsLall lf necessary) performance monlLorlng Lools Lo check each aspecL
of Lhe webslLe archlLecLure durlng Lhe execuLlon phase

78 Cou|d ou Suggest an Lxecut|on Strategy for a Load Scenar|o?
SLarL wlLh a LesL aL 30 of Lhe expecLed vlrLual user capaclLy for 13 mlnuLes and a medlum ramp raLe
1he dlfferenL members of Lhe Leam LesLers wlll also need Lo be monlLorlng Lhe Cu usage durlng Lhe
LesLlng should be able Lo check wheLher your webslLe ls handllng Lhe load efflclenLly or some resources
are already showlng hlgh uLlllzaLlon
AfLer maklng any sysLem ad[usLmenLs run Lhe LesL agaln or proceed Lo 73 of expecLed load ConLlnue
wlLh Lhe LesLlng and proceed Lo 100 Lhen up Lo 130 of Lhe expecLed load whlle monlLorlng and
maklng Lhe necessary ad[usLmenLs Lo your sysLem as you go along

79 now 1o keport Load 1est|ng kesu|ts?
CfLen Lhe flrsL lndlcaLlon LhaL someLhlng ls wrong ls Lhe end user response Llmes sLarL Lo cllmb knowlng
whlch pages are falllng wlll help you narrow down where Lhe problem ls
Wh|chever |oad test too| you use |t w||| need to produce reports that w||| h|gh||ght the fo||ow|ng
1) age response Llme by load level
2) CompleLed and abandoned sesslon by load level
3) age vlews and page hlLs by load level
4) P11 and neLwork errors by load level
3) ConcurrenL user by mlnuLe
6) Mlsslng llnks reporL lf appllcable
7) lull deLalled reporL whlch lncludes response Llme by page and by LransacLlon losL sales opporLunlLles
analysls and recommendaLlons

80 What are the Important Aspects of Webs|te Load 1est|ng?
When LesLlng webslLes lL ls crlLlcally lmporLanL Lo LesL from ouLslde Lhe flrewall ln addlLlon webbased
load LesLlng servlces based ouLslde Lhe flrewall can ldenLlfy boLLlenecks LhaL are only found by LesLlng
ln Lhls manner
Webbased sLress LesLlng of web slLes ls Lherefore more accuraLe when lL comes Lo measurlng a slLes
capaclLy consLralnLs
Web Lrafflc ls rarely unlformly dlsLrlbuLed and mosL Web slLes exhlblL very noLlceable peaks ln Lhelr
volume paLLerns 1yplcally Lhere are a few polnLs ln Llme (one or Lwo days ouL of Lhe week or a couple
of hours each day) when Lhe Lrafflc Lo Lhe Web slLe ls hlghesL