HP LoadRunner

Software Version: 12.50

LoadRunner Tutorial

Document Release Date: August 2015

Software Release Date: August 2015
User Guide

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Contents
LoadRunner Tutorial 1

Welcome to the Tutorial 6

Where To Go From Here 10

Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script 11

Introducing VuGen - the Virtual User Generator 11
Creating a Blank Vuser Script 11
Recording a Vuser script 12
Viewing the Vuser script 15
Where To Go From Here 18

Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script 19

How do I set the Vuser's runtime behavior? 19
How do I run my Vuser Script? 22
Where can I view information about the replay? 23
How do I know if my script replayed successfully? 25
How do I search or filter the replay results? 26
Where To Go From Here 28

Lesson 3: Solving Common Replay Failures 30

Preparing HP Web Tours for replay errors 30
How do I work with unique server values? 31
Where To Go From Here 33

Lesson 4: Preparing a Vuser Script for Load Testing 34

How do I measure the duration of a business process? 34
How do I emulate multiple users? 36
How do I verify Web page content? 40
How can I produce debugging information? 42
Did the replay of my test succeed? 43
Where To Go From Here 44

Lesson 5: Creating a Load Testing Scenario 45

Introducing the LoadRunner Controller 45

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How do I start the Controller? 46

The Controller at a Glance 48
How do I modify the script details? 48
How do I generate a load on the system? 49
How do I emulate real load behavior? 51
How do I emulate different types of users? 54
How do I monitor the system under load? 56
Where To Go From Here 59

Lesson 6: Running the Load Test 60

The Controller Run view at a glance 60
How do I run a load test scenario? 61
How do I monitor the application under load? 62
How do I watch a Vuser running in real time? 64
Where can I view a summary of Vuser actions? 65
How can I increase the load during the test? 65
How is the application performing under load? 66
Did the application encounter errors? 67
How do I know that the scenario has finished running? 68
Did the system perform well under load? 69
Where To Go From Here 70

Lesson 7: Analyzing Your Scenario 71

How does an analysis session work? 71
How do I start my analysis session? 72
The Analysis window at a glance 72
Did I reach my goals? (Service Level Agreement) 73
How do I define an SLA? 74
How do I view a summary of performance? 80
How do I graphically view performance? 82
Did my server perform well? 84
Saving a template 86
How can I pinpoint the source of the problem? 87
What other information can I gather about my scenario run? 90
How can I publish my findings? 91
Conclusion 94

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 Welcome to the Tutorial
Welcome to the HP LoadRunner tutorial, a self-paced online and printable guide, designed to lead you
through the process of load testing, and familiarize you with the LoadRunner testing environment.

Getting Help
LoadRunner Help Center is accessible both locally and online. To access the online help, click
http://lrhelp.saas.hp.com/en/12.50/help/.

What will you learn during this tutorial?

The LoadRunner tutorial is a self-paced printable guide, designed to lead you through the process of
load testing and familiarize you with the LoadRunner testing environment.

l This lesson provides an introduction to LoadRunner and testing concepts.

l Lessons 1 through 4 describe how to develop a Vuser script using VuGen - the Virtual User Generator.
l Lessons 5 and 6 explain how to design and run load tests using the LoadRunner Controller.
l Lesson 7 introduces the Analysis tool, showing you how to create graphs and reports which will help
you analyze your load test.
At the conclusion of this tutorial, you will be ready to design, run, and monitor a simple load test on your
own system. It is recommended that you work through the tutorial in the order in which the information
is presented.

What are the LoadRunner components?

LoadRunner contains the following components:

l The Virtual User Generator or VuGen records end-user business processes and creates an
automated performance testing script, known as a Vuser script.
l The Controller organizes, drives, manages, and monitors the load test.

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Welcome to the Tutorial

l Analysis helps you view, dissect, and compare the results of the load tests.

l Load Generators, computers that run Vusers to generate a load on the system.

LoadRunner Terminology

Term Description

Scenario Defines the events that occur during a testing session, based on performance
requirements.

Virtual Users or Vusers emulate the actions of human users working on your system. A scenario
Vusers can contain tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Vusers.

Vuser Script The recorded actions of a business process performed in your application.

Protocol A protocol is the method of communication between a client and the server.

Transaction To measure the performance of your system, you define transactions. A

transaction represents one or more end-user business processes. A transaction
enables you to measure how long it takes to perform these business processes.

Script footprint Defined by the quantities of the various resources that are required on a load
generator in order to execute the Vuser script. Typical resources include memory,
CPU power, and disk space.

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Welcome to the Tutorial

What is the LoadRunner load testing process?

Load testing with LoadRunner typically consists of five phases: planning, script creation, scenario
definition, scenario execution, and results analysis.

1. Plan Load Test. Define your performance testing requirements, for example, number of
concurrent users, typical business processes, and required response times.
2. Create Vuser Scripts. Use VuGen to capture the end-user activities into automated scripts.
3. Define a Scenario. Use the Controller to set up the load test environment.
4. Run a Scenario. Use the Controller to drive, manage, and monitor the load test.
5. Analyze the Results. Use LoadRunner Analysis to create graphs and reports, and evaluate the
system performance.

Starting HP Web Tours

To illustrate LoadRunner as a solution for load testing, this tutorial uses performance requirements for
a sample application. The sample application, HP Web Tours, is a web-based travel agency system. HP
Web Tours users connect to a web server, search for flights, book flights, and check flight itineraries.

While LoadRunner supports over 50 types of applications, this tutorial demonstrates how to load test a
Web-based application. If you are load testing applications that are not Web-based, please contact HP
for assistance.

In this section of the tutorial, you will learn how to start and log on to HP Web Tours.

1. Start the sample Web server.

On the LoadRunner machine, select Start > All Programs > HP Software > HP LoadRunner >
Samples > Web > Start HP Web Tours Server. In icon-based desktops, such as Windows 8, search
for "Start HP" and select Start HP Web Tours Server from the results.

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The Start Web Server dialog box opens. Keep this dialog box open while you access the Web Tours
application.
2. Open HP Web Tours.
On the LoadRunner machine, select Start > All Programs > HP Software > HP LoadRunner >
Samples > Web > HP Web Tours Application. In icon-based desktops, such as Windows 8, search
for "HP Web" and select HP Web Tours Application from the results. A browser opens and displays
the HP Web Tours home page.

Note: Ensure that LoadRunner is installed in the default folder on your computer. If
LoadRunner is installed in a non-default folder, the HP Web Tours application will not open.

Note: The HP Web Tours application requires a browser with Java installed. For more
information, refer to the relevant Java documentation.

3. Log on to HP Web Tours.

a. Type in the following information:
- User name: jojo
- Password: bean
b. On the left pane, click Login. HP Web Tours welcomes you to the application.
4. Reserve a flight.
a. On the left pane click Flights. The Find Flight page opens.
b. Change the Arrival city to Los Angeles.
c. Click Continue.
d. In the Find Flight page, accept the default flight selection and click Continue.
e. In the Payment Details page, click Continue. The Invoice page is displayed, summarizing your
flight reservation.
5. End your HP Web Tours session.
On the left pane, click Sign Off to log off.

Defining the Application Performance Requirements

Now that you are familiar with HP Web Tours, imagine that you are the performance engineer
responsible for signing off that HP Web Tours meets the needs of your business. Your project manager
has given you 4 criteria for release:

1. HP Web Tours must successfully handle 10 concurrent travel agents.

2. HP Web Tours must be able to process 10 simultaneous flight bookings with response time not
exceeding 90 seconds.
3. HP Web Tours must be able to handle 10 travel agents running simultaneous itinerary checks with
response time not exceeding 120 seconds.

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4. HP Web Tours must be able to handle 10 agents signing in and signing out of the system with
response time not exceeding 10 seconds.
This tutorial will walk you through the process of building load tests that validate each business
requirement so that you can attach a pass or fail before release.

Where To Go From Here

Now that you have been introduced to the LoadRunner basics, you can proceed to "Lesson 1:
Building a Vuser Script" on the next page.

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Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script

Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script

To generate a load on your system, you first build a Vuser script that you can run to emulate real user
behavior. You use VuGen to create and build Vuser scripts.

In this lesson you will cover the following topics:

l "Introducing VuGen - the Virtual User Generator" below

l "Creating a Blank Vuser Script" below
l "Recording a Vuser script" on the next page
l "Viewing the Vuser script" on page 15

Introducing VuGen - the Virtual User Generator

In a performance testing environment, LoadRunner replaces human users with virtual users, also known
as Vusers. Vusers generate a load on a system by emulating actions of typical users - in a repeatable
and predictable manner.

You use VuGen (LoadRunner's Virtual User Generator) to create Vuser scripts. VuGen works on a record-
and-playback principle. As you walk through a business process on your application, VuGen records your
actions and transforms these actions into steps in a Vuser script. These Vuser scripts form the
foundation of your load tests.

Creating a Blank Vuser Script

To develop a Vuser script, you first open VuGen and create a blank script. Thereafter, you can enhance
the blank script by recording events and adding manual enhancements to the script.

In this section, you will open VuGen and create a blank Vuser script that is based on the Web -
HTTP/HTML protocol.

Tip: A protocol is the method of communication between a client and a server.

To create a blank Vuser script:

1. On the LoadRunner machine, double-click the Virtual User Generator shortcut icon on the desktop
to open VuGen.

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2. Click File > New Script and Solution or click the Add New Script button on the VuGen
toolbar. The Create a New Script dialog box opens.

3. Make sure the Category is Single Protocol. VuGen displays a list of the protocols that are available
for a single-protocol script.
4. From the list of available protocols, select Web - HTTP/HTML and then click Create. VuGen creates
a blank Vuser script and displays the script in the VuGen Editor.

Recording a Vuser script

The next step in developing the Vuser script is to record the actions performed by a real user. In the
previous section, you created an empty Web - HTTP/HTML Vuser script. Now you can begin to record
actions directly into the script. In this section, you will track the actions that a travel agent performs to
reserve a flight from Denver to Los Angeles, and check the flight itinerary.

Note: To enable VuGen to record the actions that you perform in the Web Tours application,
click Record > Recording Options. In the Recording Options dialog box, select General > Script,
and then under Scripting Options, make sure that the Track processes created as COM local
servers check box is cleared.

To record the Vuser script:

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Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script

1. Start recording on the HP Web Tours web site.

a. Click Record > Record or click the Record button on the VuGen toolbar. The Start
Recording dialog box opens.

b. In the Record into action box, select Action.

c. From the Record list, select Web Browser.
d. In the Application box, make sure that Microsoft Internet Explorer appears.
e. In the URL address box, type http://localhost:1080/WebTours.
f. Click Start Recording. A new web browser opens and displays the HP Web Tours home page.

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Note: If there is an error opening HP Web Tours, make sure that the Web Tours Server
is running. The presence of the Start Web Tours dialog box indicates that the server is
running. To start the server, select Start > All Programs > HP Software > HP
LoadRunner > Samples > Web > Start Web Server. In icon-based desktops, such as
Windows 8, search for "Start HP " and select Start HP Web Tours Server from the
results.

VuGen's floating Recording toolbar opens.

2. Log on to HP Web Tours.

a. Type in the following information:
- User name: jojo
- Password: bean
b. On the left pane, click Login. HP Web Tours welcomes you to the application.
3. Enter the flight details.
a. Click Flights. The Find Flight page opens.
b. From Departure City, select Denver (default).
c. Departure Date: Keep the default date.

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d. From Arrival City, select Los Angeles.

e. Return Date: Keep the default date.
f. From Seating Preference, select Aisle.
g. Keep the rest of the default settings and click Continue. The Find Flight page opens.
4. Select a flight.
Click Continue to accept the default flight selections. The Payment Details page opens.
5. Enter payment information and book the flight.
a. In the Credit Card box, enter 12345678.
b. In the Exp Date box, enter 06/19.
c. Click Continue. The Invoice page opens, displaying your invoice.
6. In the left pane, click Itinerary. The Itinerary page opens.
7. In the left pane, click Sign Off.

8. Close the browser, and then click the Stop Recording button on the VuGen floating toolbar to
stop the recording process.
VuGen generates the required code and inserts the code into the Vuser script.
If the Design Studio opens, click Close to close the Design Studio.
9. Save the Vuser script.
a. Select File > Save Script As.
b. Navigate to <LoadRunner Installation>\tutorial, create a new folder named Scripts, and then
navigate to the new Scripts folder.
c. In the File name box, type basic_tutorial.
d. Click Save. VuGen saves the script and displays the script name in the VuGen title bar.

Viewing the Vuser script

You have now recorded the actions of a travel agent logging in, booking a flight, checking the itinerary,
and logging off. VuGen recorded your steps from the moment you clicked the Start Recording button to
the moment you clicked the Stop Recording button.

You can now use VuGen to view the script. VuGen lets you see the Vuser script in a number of formats:

l The Solution Explorer gives you structured access to the various parts of a Vuser script, as well as to
a number of files that are associated with the Vuser script.

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l The Step Navigator displays an icon-based view of the script that lists the actions of the Vuser as
steps. For each action you performed during recording, VuGen generated a corresponding step in the
Step Navigator.

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The Step Navigator displays a snapshot icon to indicate that a specific step contains a snapshot.

To view the script in the Step Navigator, select View > Step Navigator, or click the Step Navigator

button on the VuGen toolbar. Double-click any step in the Step Navigator to display the
corresponding function in the Editor.
l The VuGen Editor displays a text-based view of the script. In the Editor, the actions of the Vuser are
listed as API functions. In the Editor, VuGen uses color-coding to show the functions and their
argument values in the script. You can type C or LoadRunner API functions, as well as control flow
statements, directly into the script.

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Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script

Where To Go From Here

Now that you are familiar with recording and viewing a basic Vuser script, you can proceed to
"Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script" on the next page.

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Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script

Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script

In the previous lesson, you recorded a set of typical user actions, and VuGen transcribed these actions in
to a Vuser script. You can now replay your recorded script to verify that the script runs properly, before
you incorporate the script into a load testing scenario.

Before replaying the script, you must configure the runtime settings for the script, which define the
behavior of the Vuser.

In this lesson you will cover the following topics:

l How do I set the runtime behavior?

l How do I run my Vuser script?
l Where can I view information about the replay?
l How do I know if my script replayed successfully?
l How do I search or filter the results?

How do I set the Vuser's runtime behavior?

LoadRunner runtime settings let you emulate different kinds of user activity and behavior. For example,
you could emulate a user who responds immediately to output from the server, or a user who stops and
thinks before each response. You can also configure runtime settings to specify how many times the
Vuser should repeat a set of actions in the Vuser script.

There are general runtime settings, and settings that are specific to certain Vuser protocols only. For
example, for a Web emulation, you could instruct your Vusers to replay your script in Firefox, Chrome, or
Internet Explorer. Runtime settings for specific protocols will be covered in "Lesson 4: Preparing a Vuser
Script for Load Testing" on page 34. This lesson describes some of the general runtime settings—
settings that apply to all Vuser protocols. The General runtime settings include:

l Run Logic. The number of times that a Vuser repeats various sections of the Vuser script.
l Pacing. The time to wait between repetitions.
l Think Time. The time the Vuser stops to think between steps in the script.
l Log. The level of information that you want to gather during playback.

Note: This lesson describes how to use VuGen to modify the runtime settings. A later lesson
describes how to use the LoadRunner Controller to modify the runtime settings.

To configure the runtime settings:

1. Open the Vuser script that you saved in the previous lesson.
2. Open the Runtime Settings view.

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Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script

Click Replay > Runtime Settings or press F4. The Runtime Settings view opens in the VuGen editor.

3. Set the Run Logic settings.

In the left pane, under General, click Run Logic.

The Run Logic settings enable you to set the number of iterations for the Vuser script. This is the
number of times to repeat the Action section of the Vuser script when the script is replayed.
Set the Number of iterations to 2.
4. Set the Pacing settings.
In the left pane, under General, click Pacing.

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The Pacing settings enable you to control the time between iterations. You will specify a random
time. This accurately emulates a real-life setting where the user waits between actions, but at
random intervals. For example, you do not see real users always waiting exactly 60 seconds
between repeated actions.
Select the third radio button, and select the following:
Start new iteration at Random intervals, every 60.000 to 90.000 second(s).
5. Set the Log settings.
In the left pane, under General, select Log.

The Log settings indicate how much information to log while running the Vuser Script. While
developing a Vuser script, you may want to enable some logging for debugging purposes, but once
you verify that your script is functional, you can enable logging for errors only, or even disable
logging.
Select Extended log and enable Parameter substitution. This option will be relevant for the
following lesson at which point it will be discussed.
6. View the Think Time settings.
In the left pane, under General, click Think Time.

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Keep the default think time setting - Ignore think time. You will set the think time from the
Controller. Keep in mind that when you run the script in VuGen, it will run quickly since it will not
include think time.

How do I run my Vuser Script?

After recording the Vuser script and setting the runtime settings, you are ready to run the script. VuGen
provides a number of indicators that your script is running.

1. The message "Running" appears in the lower left corner of VuGen.

2. A yellow marker appears in the Editor and indicates the specific line that is being replayed.
3. The Output pane displays messages as the replay progresses.

To run a Vuser script:

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Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script

1. Open the Vuser script in VuGen.

2. Click Replay > Run or click the Replay button on the VuGen toolbar.
After the replay ends, a message box may prompt you to scan for correlations. Click No.

Where can I view information about the replay?

When the Vuser script stops running, you can view a summary of the replay. The replay summary is
displayed in the Replay Summary tab.

The Replay Summary tab lists basic information about the script run, such as the duration of the replay,
and the start and end times of the replay. In addition, the Replay Summary tab provides you with a link
that displays a log of the script events, and another link that displays detailed results of the script run.

The Replay log - a log of the events that occurred during the replay of the script - is displayed in VuGen’s
Output pane. The Output pane uses color-coding to display a textual summary of the events that
occurred during the replay.

In this section of the tutorial, you will open the Replay log and locate specific events and notifications
within the log.

To view the Replay log:

1. After replaying a Vuser script, click View > Output or click the Output button on the VuGen
toolbar. Alternatively, click the Replay Log link in the Replay Summary tab.
2. Make sure that Replay is selected in the Output pane.

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3. From the VuGen menu, click Search > Quick Find to open the Search dialog box.
4. From Scope, select Current Script.
5. Click Include in search, and then select the Logs check box.
6. Use the Search dialog box to locate the following items in the Replay log:
a. "Virtual User Script Started" - the beginning of the script run.
b. "Vuser Terminated" - the end of the script run.
c. "iteration" - the beginning and the end of each iteration and the iteration number. (This text
appears in orange lettering.)

Note: The Output pane displays successful steps in green and errors in red. For
example, if the Vuser was unable to connect to the server, the Output pane would
display the error text in red, and indicate the line number in the script where the error
occurred.

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Note: If you double-click a line in the Output pane, VuGen indicates the corresponding
step in the script in the VuGen Editor.

How do I know if my script replayed

successfully?
After you replay the events that you recorded, you need to look at the replay results to see if the script
replayed successfully. If something failed, you want to know when and why it failed.

In this section you will view and analyze the results of your script run. VuGen summarizes the results of
the replay in the Test Results window.

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When the Test Results window first opens, it contains two panes: The Tree pane (on the left) and the
Results Summary pane (on the right).

l The Tree pane contains the results tree. Each iteration in the tree is numbered.
l The Results Summary pane contains the details of the script replay, as well as screen recorder
movies, if any. The top table indicates which iterations passed and which failed. The test is
considered to have passed when the Vuser successfully navigates through the HP Web Tours site
according to the original recording. The bottom table indicates whether transactions and
checkpoints passed or failed. You will add these features to your test later on in the tutorial.
To view replay results:

1. Click the Replay Summary tab.

2. Click Replay > Test Results. The Test Results window opens and displays a summary of the replay
results.
In the next section, you will drill down into the replay results to determine if the script reached the
intended Web pages during replay.

How do I search or filter the replay results?

If your replay results indicate that something failed, you can drill down and locate the point of failure.

In the Tree pane of the Test Results window, you can expand the test tree and view the results of each
step separately. The Summary pane shows a snapshot of the replay during that iteration.

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1. Expand an iteration node in the tree.

a. In the results tree, expand the basic_tutorial Iteration 1 node.
b. Expand the Action Summary node. The expanded node shows a list of the steps performed in
that iteration.
2. View a result snapshot.
Click the Submit Form:login.pl node. The Summary pane displays the replay snapshot associated
with that step.
3. View the step summary.
The Summary pane displays the step summary information: the object or step name, the details
about whether the page loaded successfully, the result (Passed, Failed, Done, or Warning), and the
time that the step was performed.
4. Search for a result status.
You can search the replay results for the words Passed or Failed.
This is helpful, as in a case where the overall Results Summary indicates that the replay failed, you
can determine where it failed.

a. To search the replay results, select Tools > Find or click the Find button on the Test
Results toolbar. The Find dialog box opens.

b. Select the Passed check box, make sure no other options are selected, and click Find Next.
The Test Tree pane highlights the first step in which the status is Passed.

Note: If no steps of the selected status can be found, no step is highlighted.

5. Filter the results.

You can filter the Test Tree pane to display a specific iteration or status. For example, you can
filter it to show only Failed status.

a. Select View > Filters or click the Filters button on the Test Results toolbar. The Filters
dialog box opens.

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b. Under Status, select Fail and clear all the other options.
c. Under Content, select All and click OK. The left pane becomes empty, since there were no
failures.
6. Close the Test Results window.
Click File > Exit.

Where To Go From Here

You have successfully replayed your Vuser script that emulates a user operating the HP Web
Tours application. You can now proceed to "Lesson 3: Solving Common Replay Failures" on
page 30.

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Lesson 2: Replaying Your Vuser Script

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Lesson 3: Solving Common Replay Failures

Lesson 3: Solving Common Replay

Failures
After you create a Vuser script, you validate it by running it from VuGen. Sometimes a replay will fail,
even though the recording of the same actions succeeded.

Many applications use dynamic values that change each time you use the application. For example,
some servers assign a unique session ID for every new session. When you try to replay a recorded
session, the application creates a new session ID that differs from the recorded session ID. Dynamic
values, such as these unique session IDs, may pose difficulties when you replay specific types of Vuser
scripts. For example, dynamic session IDs often pose problems when replaying Web-HTTP/HTML scripts,
but not when replaying TruClient scripts.

LoadRunner use correlation to address the issue of dynamic values. Correlation saves the changing
values, in our case the session ID, to a parameter. When running the Vuser script, the Vuser does not
use the recorded value—instead, it uses the new session ID, assigned to it by the server.

In this lesson you will observe how LoadRunner solves the issue of dynamic values when running Web-
HTTP/HTML Vuser scripts.

In this lesson you will cover the following topics:

l Preparing HP Web Tours for replay errors

l How do I work with unique server values?

Preparing HP Web Tours for replay errors

To illustrate a common replay failure, you need to modify a setting in the HP Web Tours application. This
setting tells the HP Web Tours server to issue and require unique session IDs.

1. Open HP Web Tours.

On the LoadRunner machine, select Start > All Programs > HP Software > HP LoadRunner >
Samples > Web > HP Web Tours Application. In icon-based desktops, such as Windows 8, search
for "HP Web" and select HP Web Tours Application from the results. A browser opens with the HP
Web Tours home page.
2. Change the server options.
a. Click the administration link on the HP Web Tours home page. The Administration Page opens.
b. Select the Set LOGIN form's action tag to an error page checkbox. This setting tells the
server not to allow duplicate session IDs.
c. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Update.
d. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Return to the Web Tours Homepage link.

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How do I work with unique server values?

In the modified configuration of HP Web Tours, the server assigns a unique session ID to each Vuser. If
you try to replay the unmodified Vuser script that you recorded in "Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script" on
page 11, the replay will fail.

To overcome this issue, you use VuGen to detect the need to correlate the session ID. You will instruct
VuGen to insert a step that saves the original session ID to a parameter. In each subsequent replay
session, VuGen saves the new unique session ID to a parameter. As the Vuser executes the steps in the
Vuser script, the Vuser uses the saved session ID value instead of the originally recorded value.

1. Record a new Vuser script with dynamic values.

a. Record a new Vuser script with the same steps that you recorded previously in "Lesson 1:
Building a Vuser Script" on page 11.
b. Save the script as basic_tutorial_Cor.
2. Replay the new script.

Click Replay > Run or click the Replay button on the VuGen toolbar.
VuGen runs the new Vuser script. You may notice several error messages in the Replay Log in the
Output pane, indicated by the red-colored text.
After the replay ends, a message box may prompt you to scan for correlations. Click No.
3. View the Replay Summary. The summary shows that the replay of your script failed.
4. Scan the script for correlations.
Select Design > Design Studio.

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VuGen scans the script and its associated data, searching for possible dynamic values. The
Correlation tab of the Design Studio lists several dynamic values that may require correlation. The
longest of the values is the Session ID.
5. Correlate the Session ID.
a. Select the Session ID entry in the Correlation tab, and click Correlate. VuGen changes the
status of the Session ID to Applied, and inserts a new function at the top of the Vuser script.
The new function saves the original session ID to a parameter.
In each subsequent replay session, VuGen saves the new unique session ID to a parameter.
When the Vuser runs, the Vuser uses the saved ID value instead of the originally recorded
value.
b. Click Close to close the Design Studio.
6. Examine the syntax of the correlation statement.
In the VuGen Editor, locate the statement that VuGen added to the script. The new statement
looks similar to the following:

web_reg_save_param_regexp(
"ParamName=userSession",
"RegExp=userSession\\ value=(.*?)>\\n<table\\ border",
"SEARCH_FILTERS",
"Scope=Body",
"IgnoreRedirections=No",
"RequestUrl=*/nav.pl*",
LAST);

The statement instructs VuGen to save the first occurrence of the value contained in the regular
expression (the unique session ID) to a parameter called userSession.
7. Play the script again.

a. Click Replay > Run or click the Replay button on the VuGen toolbar to replay the script
again. When the replay ends, look in the Replay Log in the Output pane. Notice that VuGen no
longer issues the red-colored error messages.
b. Click the basic_tutorial_Cor.. tab to view the script code. Perform a right-click on web_reg_
save_param_regexp and select Go to Step in Replay Log. VuGen places the cursor at the
corresponding line in the Replay log. The log indicates that function web_reg_save_param_
regexp succeeded, indicating that the correlation worked successfully.
8. Reset the HP Web Tours server to ignore unique session IDs.
a. On the LoadRunner machine, select Start > All Programs > HP LoadRunner > Samples > Web
> HP Web Tours Application to open HP Web Tours. In icon-based desktops, such as Windows
8, search for "HP Web" and select HP Web Tours Application from the results.
b. On the HP Web Tours home page, click the administration link.

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c. In the Administration Page, clear the Set LOGIN form's action tag to an error page check
box.
d. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Update.

Where To Go From Here

Now that you are familiar with some of the common replay problems, you can proceed to
"Lesson 4: Preparing a Vuser Script for Load Testing" on the next page.

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Lesson 4: Preparing a Vuser Script for Load Testing

Lesson 4: Preparing a Vuser Script for

Load Testing
In the previous lessons, you verified that the replay of your Vuser script produced an accurate emulation
of a real user. The next step is to prepare the script for load testing. How will the system work with
many users working simultaneously? Will the system slow down to an unacceptable level?

In this lesson you will learn about different methods to enhance the script and to make it more
effective for the load testing process.

In this lesson you will cover the following topics:

l How do I measure the duration of a business process?

l How do I emulate multiple users?
l How do I verify Web page content?
l How can I produce debugging information?
l Did the replay of my test succeed?

How do I measure the duration of a business

process?
When preparing an application for deployment, you need to measure the duration of specific business
processes—how long does it take to log on, book a flight, and so on. Each business process is normally
made up of one or more steps or actions in your script. In a Vuser script, you designate a series of
actions you want to measure by including these actions in a transaction.

When you run a Vuser script that includes a transaction, LoadRunner gathers information about the
time it takes to perform the transaction, and displays the results in color-coded graphs and reports.
You use this information to help determine if the application meets the performance requirements.

You can manually insert a transaction anywhere in a Vuser script. To mark a set of steps as a
transaction, insert a start_transaction marker before the first step and an end_transaction marker
after the last step.

In this section you will insert a transaction into your script to measure the amount of time it takes for
the user to find and confirm a flight.

To insert a transaction into a Vuser script:

1. In VuGen, open the Basic_Tutorial script which you created in "Lesson 1: Building a Vuser Script" on
page 11. If it is still open, you can select the tab displaying its name. Otherwise you can open it
from the File menu.

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2. Click the Step Navigator tab to display the Step Navigator.

3. Insert a start transaction marker.
a. In the Step Navigator, locate the step Image: Search Flights Button.
b. Double-click the Image: Search Flights Button step to display the corresponding web_image
step in the Editor.
c. Click View >Steps Toolbox. The steps Toolbox appears in the right pane.
d. In the Steps Toolbox, under Common, select lr_start_transaction, drag it into the Editor, and
release it before the web_image step. The Start Transaction dialog box opens.

e. In the Transaction Name box, enter find_confirm_flight and click OK. VuGen inserts an lr_
start_transaction step in the Step Navigator, and a corresponding lr_start_transaction
function in the Editor.
4. Insert an end transaction marker.
a. In the Step Navigator, locate the step Submit Data: reservations.pl_2.
b. Double-click the Submit Data: reservations.pl_2 step to display the corresponding web_
submit_data step in the Editor.
c. In the Steps Toolbox, under Common, select lr_end_transaction, drag it into the Editor, and
release it after the web_submit_data step. The End Transaction dialog box opens.

d. Make sure that find_confirm_flight appears in the Transaction Name box, and then click OK.
VuGen inserts an lr_end_transaction step in the Step Navigator, and a corresponding lr_end_
transaction function in the Editor.

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You have now defined the find_confirm_flight transaction.

How do I emulate multiple users?

In your emulation, you tracked a user booking a flight and choosing an aisle seat. In a real-life setting,
however, different users will have varying preferences. To improve your test, you need to check if the
booking will work when users select different seating preferences (Aisle, Window, or None).

To accomplish this, you will parameterize the script. This means that you take the recorded value, Aisle,
and replace it with a parameter. You will place values for the parameter in a parameter file. When you
run the script, the Vuser will use values from the parameter file (Aisle, Window, or None) thereby
emulating a true travel agency environment.

To parameterize your script:

1. Find the section where you want to vary the data.

a. Select View > Step Navigator to show the Step Navigator in the left pane.
b. In the Step Navigator, locate the Submit Data: reservations.pl step.
c. Right-click the Submit Form: reservations.pl step and select Show Arguments. The Submit
Form Step Properties dialog box opens.

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The ABC icon to the right of each argument in the grid indicates that the argument has a
fixed value.
2. Change the fixed value to a varying value.
a. In the Submit Form Step Properties dialog box, select seatPref in the seventh row of the grid.
b. Click the ABC icon adjacent to the seatPref argument. The Select or Create Parameter
dialog box opens.

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3. Create a parameter.
a. In the Parameter name box, type seat.
b. Click OK. In the Submit Form Step Properties dialog box, VuGen replaces the ABC icon with
a Parameter icon .

c. Click the Parameter icon adjacent to {seat} and select Parameter Properties. The

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Parameter Properties dialog box opens.

4. Specify values for the parameter.

a. Click Add Row. VuGen adds a row to the table.
b. Replace the word Value with Window.
c. Click Add Row. VuGen adds another row to the table.
d. Replace the word Value with None.

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Note: The values are not case sensitive.

e. Keep the default settings in the Select column and File format sections of the dialog box.
5. Define how the test will vary the data.
a. Keep the default setting that instructs VuGen to take a new value for each iteration: Update
value on: Each iteration.
b. Click Close to close the Parameter Properties dialog box.
c. Click OK to close the Submit Form Step Properties dialog box.
You have now created a parameter for the seating preference. When you run the load test, the
Vusers will use the parameter values instead of the recorded value, Aisle.
When you run the script, the Replay log will show the parameter substitution that occurs for
each iteration. The Vuser will use Aisle for the first iteration, Window for the second iteration,
and None for the third iteration.

How do I verify Web page content?

When running a test, you often need to verify if certain content is found on a returned page. A content
check verifies that expected information appears on a web page while the script is running. You can
insert two types of content checks:

l Text check. Checks that a text string appears on a web page.

l Image check. Checks for an image on a web page.
In this section, you will insert a text check that checks if the phrase Find Flight appears on the
Reservations page of HP Web Tours.

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Inserting a text check

1. Click the Step Navigator tab to display the Step Navigator.

2. In the Step Navigator, locate the Submit Form: reservations.pl step.
3. On the VuGen toolbar, click the Show Snapshot pane button to display the Snapshot pane.
4. In the Step Navigator, double-click the snapshot icon in the Submit Form: reservations.pl step.
The corresponding snapshot appears in the Snapshot pane.
5. From the VuGen menu, click View > Steps Toolbox. The Steps Toolbox pane appears.
6. In the Steps Toolbox - Search box, type in web_reg, and then locate the web_reg_find step in the
Filter Results.
7. Drag the web_reg_find step from the toolbox into the Editor, before the web_submit_form
function. The Find Text dialog box opens.
8. In the Find Text dialog box, type Find Flight into the Search for specific Text box, and then click
OK.
9. VuGen inserts a web_reg_find step into the Step Navigator and a corresponding web_reg_find
function into the Editor.

When you replay the script, VuGen will look for the text Find Flight and indicate in the Replay log
whether or not the text was found.

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How can I produce debugging information?

At certain points during a test run, you may want to generate and send messages that contain
information relating to the script execution. These output messages will appear in both the Replay log
in the Output pane, and in the Controller’s Output window. You can send a standard output message or a
message that indicates that an error occurred.

The recommended way to work with error messages is to check for a Failed status. If the status is
Failed, you instruct VuGen to issue an error message. For details, refer to the examples in the HP
LoadRunner Function Reference.

In this section of the tutorial, you will instruct VuGen to insert an output message after the application
completes a full booking.

To insert an output message:

1. Click the Step Navigator tab to display the Step Navigator.

2. In the Step Navigator, locate the last step, Image: SignOff Button.
3. Double-click the Image: SignOff Button step. The Editor displays the corresponding web_image
function.
4. In the Steps Toolbox, under Common, locate the lr_output_message function.
5. Select the lr_output_message function, drag it to the Editor, and release it after the web_image
function. The Output Message dialog box opens.

6. In the Message Text box, type The flight was booked.

7. Click OK. VuGen adds an lr_output_message to the script, and a corresponding step in the Step
Navigator.

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8. Click the Save button on the VuGen toolbar to save the script.

Note: To insert an error message, repeat the same process, except that in the Steps Toolbox,
select an lr_error_message function instead of the lr_output_message function.

Did the replay of my test succeed?

In this section, you will run the enhanced script and search the Replay log for text checks. You will view
the results of the text checks, as well as details of the transactions and parameterization.

By default, image and text checks are disabled during playback since they require more memory. If you
want to perform an image or text check, you need to enable checks in the runtime settings.

1. Enable image and text checks.

a. Click Replay > Runtime Settings to open the Runtime Settings dialog box.
b. Click Internet Protocol > Preferences.
c. Select Enable image and text check.
d. Click OK to close the Runtime Settings dialog box.
2. Run the script.

Click the Replay button on the VuGen toolbar. VuGen begins running the script, generating
entries in the Replay log in the Output pane.
Wait for the script to finish running.
3. Locate the text check.
a. Click the Output pane, and select Replay.
b. Click in the Replay log, and then press Ctrl+F to open the Search dialog box.
c. Search for web_reg_find.
The first instance says as follows:

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web_reg_find started

Click Find Next to display the next instance of web_reg_find. The second instance says as
follows:

Registering web_reg_find was successful.

This is not the actual text check—it only prepares VuGen to check for the text after the form
submission.
Click Find Next to display the next instance of web_reg_find. This instance indicates:

Registered web_reg_find successful for “Text=Find Flight” (count=1).

This verifies that the text was found. If someone changes the Web page and removes the
phrase Find Flight, then in subsequent runs, the output will indicate that the text was not
found.
4. Locate the beginning of a transaction.
a. In the Replay log, press Ctrl+F to open the Search dialog box.
b. Search for the word Transaction. This notification is shown in blue.
5. View the parameter substitution.
a. In the Replay log, press Ctrl+F to open the Search dialog box.
b. Search for the word Parameter. The log contains a notification “seat” = “Aisle”.
c. Search again (F3) for the next substitution. Note how VuGen takes a different value for each
iteration.

6. Select File > Save or click the Save button on the VuGen toolbar.

Where To Go From Here

Now that you have created a script and adapted it for load testing, you can proceed to "Lesson
5: Creating a Load Testing Scenario" on the next page.

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Lesson 5: Creating a Load Testing

Scenario
In the previous lesson, you used VuGen to validate your Vuser script. In this lesson, you will evaluate your
system under the load of multiple Vusers. You will emulate the actions of ten travel agents concurrently
using the flight reservation system, and observe the behavior of the system under the load of these
users. To design and run this test, you use the LoadRunner Controller.

Scenario Objectives

In this lesson, the objective is to create a scenario that emulates the behavior of ten travel agents
simultaneously logging on, searching flights, purchasing flights, checking itineraries, and logging off.

In this lesson you will cover the following topics:

l Introducing the LoadRunner Controller

l How do I start the Controller?
l The Controller at a glance
l How do I modify the script details?
l How do I generate a load on the system?
l How do I emulate real load behavior?
l How do I emulate different types of users?
l How do I monitor the system under load?

Introducing the LoadRunner Controller

Load testing means testing your system under typical working conditions. For example, you may test
the system while many travel agents simultaneously reserve flights on the same flight reservation
system.

You design the test to emulate real-life situations. To do this, you need to be able to generate a load on
an application and schedule when the load is applied (because users do not log on and off the system at
precisely the same time). You also need to emulate different types of user activity and behavior. For
example, some users may use Firefox to access the system, whereas other users use Internet Explorer.
Users may also employ different network connections to access the system, such as modem, DSL, or
cable. You create and save these settings in a scenario.

The Controller provides you with all the tools you need to help you build and run tests to accurately
emulate your working environment.

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How do I start the Controller?

To begin developing a scenario, you open the LoadRunner Controller.

1. Open the HP LoadRunner Controller.

On the LoadRunner machine, click the Controller shortcut icon on your desktop.

The HP LoadRunner Controller opens and displays the New Scenario dialog box.

2. Select a scenario type.

There are two scenario types:
A Manual Scenario gives you control over the number of running Vusers and the times at which
they run, and lets you test how many Vusers your application can run simultaneously. You can use
Percentage Mode to distribute the total number of Vusers between the scripts based on a
percentage specified by your business analyst. The Percentage Mode check box is selected by
default the first time you start LoadRunner following installation. If it is selected, clear it.

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A Goal-Oriented Scenario is used to determine if your system can achieve a particular goal. You
determine the goal based on, for example, a specified transaction response time or number of
hits/transactions per second, and LoadRunner automatically builds a scenario for you based on
these goals.
l Click Manual Scenario.
3. Add a Vuser script to the load test.
In this tutorial, you will use only one Vuser script to model a single group of users performing
identical actions. To more accurately emulate a real-world scenario with more versatile user
profiles, you would create a number of different Vuser groups, with each group running several
scripts with different user settings.
The script that you previously recorded in VuGen contains the business processes that you want to
test. They include logging on, searching for a flight, buying a ticket, checking the flight itinerary,
and then logging off the site. You will add a similar script to the scenario, and configure the
scenario to emulate eight travel agents simultaneously performing these actions on the flight
reservation system. You will add two more Vusers during the test.
For this purpose, a sample script is provided that is similar to the one you created. We recommend
that you use the sample script.
a. If basic_script is already in the Available Scripts pane, select it and click the Add button to
move the script to the Scripts in Scenario pane .
b. If basic_script is not in the Available Scripts pane, click the Browse button. Locate basic_
script in the <LoadRunner Installation>\Tutorial folder. Click Open. Click the Add button to
move the script to the Scripts in Scenario pane.
c. Click OK. The LoadRunner Controller opens and displays the Design tab of your new scenario.

Note: The control for the Design tab is in the lower left corner of the Controller.

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The Controller at a Glance

The Design tab of the Controller is the main interface for designing your load test. The Design tab is
divided into three panes:

1. Scenario Groups pane. You configure the Vuser groups in the Scenario Scripts pane. You create
different groups to represent typical users of your system and specify the number of Vusers that
will run, and the machine that they will run on.
2. Service Level Agreement pane. When you design a load test scenario, you can define goals or
SLAs (Service Level Agreements) for the performance metrics. When you run the scenario,
LoadRunner gathers and stores performance-related data. When you analyze the run, Analysis
compares this data against the SLAs and determines SLA statuses for the defined measurements.
3. Scenario Schedule pane. In the Scenario Schedule pane, you set the load behavior to accurately
portray real-world user behavior. You define actions according to which the Vusers will run, the
rates at which load is applied to the application, the load test duration, and how the load is
terminated
.

How do I modify the script details?

You modify the script details as follows:

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1. Check to see that basic_script appears in the Group Name column of the Scenario Groups pane.

2. Change the Group Name.

a. In the Scenario Groups pane, select basic_script and click the Details button . The Group
Information dialog box opens.

b. In the Group Name box, enter a more meaningful name, for example travel_agent.
c. Click OK. The new name is displayed in the Scenario Groups pane of the Design tab.

How do I generate a load on the system?

After you have added your Vuser scripts to the scenario, you configure the load generators, the
computers that generate the load on the system.

Tip: Definition: A load generator is a computer that runs multiple Vusers in order to generate a
load on the system. You can use a number of load generators, each generator hosting multiple
Vusers.

In this section, you will learn about adding load generators to the scenario, and testing the load
generator connections.

Add a load generator.

Click the Load Generators button on the Controller toolbar. The Load Generators dialog box opens.

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The Load Generators dialog box enables you to view and configure the load generators that are defined
in the scenario. The Load Generators dialog box shows details for the load generator called localhost.
The status of the localhost load generator is Down. This indicates that the Controller is not connected
to the localhost load generator.

In this tutorial, you will use your local computer as the load generator.

Note: In a typical operational system, you would have several load generators, each hosting
multiple Vusers.

Test the load generator connection.

When you run a scenario, the Controller connects to the load generators automatically. However, you
can test the connections before trying to run the scenario.

1. In the Load Generators dialog box, select localhost and click Connect.
The Controller attempts to connect to the load generator machine. When a connection has been
made, the Status of the load generator changes from Down to Ready.

2. Click Close.

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How do I emulate real load behavior?

After you have added your load generators, you are ready to configure load behavior.

Typical users do not log on and off the system at precisely the same time. LoadRunner allows users to
gradually log on to and off the system. It also lets you determine the duration of the scenario, and the
way in which the scenario terminates. The scenario that you will configure below will be relatively
simple. However, when designing a scenario that more accurately reflects a real life scenario, you can
define more true-to-life Vuser activity.

You configure the load behavior for a manual scenario in the Scenario Schedule pane of the Controller.
The Scenario Schedule pane is divided into three sections: the Schedule Definition area, the Actions
grid, and the Interactive Schedule graph.

You will now change the default load settings and configure a scenario schedule.

1. Select schedule type and run mode.

In the Scenario Schedule pane, make sure that Schedule by: Scenario and Run Mode: Real-world
schedule are selected.

2. Set the scheduled action definitions.

You can set the Start Vusers, Duration, and Stop Vusers actions for the scenario schedules from
either the Global Schedule grid, or by manipulating the Interactive Schedule graph. When you set
the definitions from the graph, the Global Schedule grid properties adjust accordingly.
You will now set the definitions so that the Global Schedule grid will look as below.

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a. Set up the Vuser Initialization.

Initialization means preparing the Vusers and the load generators for a load test run by
running the vuser_init action in the script. Depending on your system configuration, initializing
Vusers before they start running may provide more realistic results.
i. Double-click Initialize in the Global Schedule grid. The Edit Action dialog box opens
displaying the Initialize action.

ii. Select Initialize all Vusers simultaneously.

iii. Click OK.
b. Specify a gradual start for the Vusers
Starting Vusers at intervals allows you to examine the gradual increase of Vuser load on the
application under test over time, and helps you pinpoint exactly when the system response
time slows down.
i. Double-click Start Vusers in the Global Schedule grid. The Edit Action dialog box opens
displaying the Start Vusers action.

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ii. In the Start X Vusers box, enter 8, and select the second option— 2 Vusers every
00:00:30 (30 seconds).
iii. Click OK.
c. Schedule the duration.
You specify a duration to make sure that the Vusers continue performing the schedule action
for a specific period so you can measure continuous load on the server. If you set a duration,
the script will run for as many iterations as necessary during that period, disregarding the
number of iterations set in the script’s runtime settings.
i. Make sure that the Interactive Schedule Graph is in Edit mode by clicking the Edit Mode

button on the Interactive Schedule Graph toolbar.

ii. In the Interactive Schedule Graph, click the horizontal line which represents Duration. The
line is highlighted and a dot and a diamond are displayed at its endpoints.

Note: The legend is displayed on top of the diamond, click the Hide Legend

button on the Interactive Schedule Graph toolbar to show the diamond.n

iii. Drag the diamond shaped endpoint to the right until the time in brackets reads 00:11:30.
You have just set the Vusers to run for a period of 10 minutes.
d. Schedule a gradual closure.
Gradually stopping Vusers is recommended to help detect memory leaks and check system
recovery, after the application has reached a threshold.
i. Double-click Stop Vusers in the Global Schedule grid. The Edit Action dialog box opens
displaying the Stop Vusers action.

ii. Select the second option and enter the following values—2 Vusers every 00:00:30 (30

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seconds).
iii. Click OK.

How do I emulate different types of users?

Now that you have configured a load schedule, you will specify how the Vusers will behave during the
test.

When emulating a real user, you need to consider the user’s actual behavior. Behavior refers to the time
that a user takes to pause between actions, the number of times a user repeats an action, and so on.

In this section, you will learn more about LoadRunner’s runtime settings, and you will enable Think Time
and Logging.

1. Open the runtime settings.

a. In the Controller, click the Design tab.
b. In the Scenario Groups pane, select the travel_agents group.
c. Click the Runtime Settings button on the Scenario Groups toolbar. The Runtime Settings
dialog box opens.

The runtime settings let you emulate different kinds of user activity and behavior. They
include:
Run Logic. The number of times a Vuser repeats a set of actions.
Pacing. The time to wait before repeating the action.
Log. The level of information that you want to gather during the test. The first time you run a
scenario, it is recommended to generate log messages to make sure that you have debugging
information in case the first run fails.

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Think Time. The time the user stops to think between steps. Since users interact with the
application according to their experience level and objectives, more technically proficient users
may work more quickly than new users. Vusers can be made to emulate their real-world
counterparts more accurately during a load test by enabling think time.
Speed Simulation. Users using different network connections such as modem, DSL, and cable.
Browser Emulation. Users using different browsers to see their application’s performance.
Content Check. For automatically detecting user-defined errors.
Suppose that your application sends a custom page when an error occurs. This custom page
always contains the words ASP Error. You need to search all of the pages returned by the
server and see if the text ASP Error appears.
You can set up LoadRunner to automatically look for this text during the test run, using the
Content Check runtime settings. LoadRunner searches for the text and generates an error if it
is detected. During the scenario run, you can identify the content check errors.
2. Enable think time.
a. In the Runtime Settings dialog box, click General > Think Time.
b. Select Replay think time, and select Use random percentage of recorded think time.
c. Specify a minimum of 50% and a maximum of 150%.

The above specifications use a random percentage of the recorded think time to emulate
users with a varying range of proficiency. For example, if the recorded think time for selecting
a flight was 4 seconds, the random think time could be anything between 2-6 seconds (50% to
150% of 4).
3. Enable logging.
a. In the Runtime Settings dialog box, click General > Log.
b. Select Enable logging.
c. Under Log options, select Always send messages.
d. Click Extended log, and select Data returned by server.

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Note: After the initial debugging run, extended logging is not recommended for a load
test. It is enabled only for the purposes of this tutorial to provide information for the
Vuser Output log.

e. Save the scenario.

How do I monitor the system under load?

Now that you have defined how your Vusers will behave during the test, you are ready to set up your
monitors.

While generating a load on an application, you want to see how the application performs in real time
and where potential bottlenecks exist. You use LoadRunner’s suite of integrated monitors to measure
the performance of every single tier, server, and component of the system during the load test.
LoadRunner includes monitors for a variety of major backend system components including Web,
application, database, and ERP/CRM servers.

For instance, you can select a Web Server Resources monitor according to the type of Web server that
is running. You can purchase a license for the relevant monitor, for example IIS, and use that monitor to
pinpoint problems reflected in the IIS resources.

In this section, you will learn how to add and configure the Windows Resources monitor. You can use this
monitor to determine the impact of load on your CPU, disk, and memory resources.

1. Select the Windows Resources Monitor.

a. Click the Run tab at the bottom of the Controller.
The Windows Resources graph is one of four default graphs that are displayed in the graph
viewing area. You will learn how to open other graphs in the next lesson.

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b. Right-click inside the Windows Resources graph and select Add Measurements. The Windows
Resources dialog box opens.

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2. Select the monitored server.

a. In the Monitored Server Machines section of the Windows Resources dialog box, click Add. The
Add Machine dialog box opens.

b. In the Name box, type localhost. (If your load generator was running off a different machine
you would type the server name or IP address of that machine.)
c. From the Platform list, select the platform on which the machine runs.
d. Click OK.
The default Windows Resources measurements are listed under the Resource Measurements

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on <server machine>.

3. Activate the monitor.

Click OK in the Windows Resources dialog box to close the dialog box and activate the monitor.

Where To Go From Here

Now that you have designed a load test scenario, you can proceed to "Lesson 6: Running the
Load Test" on the next page.

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Lesson 6: Running the Load Test

When you run a load test, LoadRunner generates a load on the system. You can then use LoadRunner’s
monitors and graphs to observe the performance of the system under load.

In this lesson you will cover the following topics:

l The Controller Run view at a glance

l How do I run a load test scenario?
l How do I watch a Vuser running in real time?
l Where can I view a summary of user actions?
l How can I increase the load during the test?
l How is the application performing under load?
l Did the application encounter errors?
l How do I know that the test finished running?
l Did the application perform well under load?

The Controller Run view at a glance

The Run tab in the Controller is the control center from which the scenario is managed and monitored.
The Run tab (located at the lower section of the Controller window) contains five panes:

1. Scenario Groups pane. In the upper-left pane, you can view the status of Vusers in the scenario
groups. You use the buttons to the right of this pane to start, stop, and reset the scenario, to view
individual Vuser status, and to increase the load on the application during a scenario by manually
adding more Vusers.
2. Scenario Status pane. In the upper-right pane, you can view a summary of the load test, including
the number of running Vusers and the status of each Vuser action.
3. Available Graphs pane. In the middle-left pane, you can see a list of the LoadRunner graphs. To
open a graph, select a graph in the tree, and drag it into the graph viewing area.
4. Graph Display pane. In the middle-right pane, you can customize the display to view between one
and eight graphs (View > View Graphs).
5. Graph Legend pane. In the bottom pane, you can view data from the selected graph.

Note: The control for the Run tab is at the bottom of the Controller.

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How do I run a load test scenario?

In this section, you will start the scenario.

1. Open the Controller Run view.

Click the Run tab at the bottom of the Controller.
Notice that there are 8 Vusers in the Down column of the Scenario Groups pane. These are the
Vusers you created when you created the scenario.

Since the scenario has not yet run, all other counters remain at zero and all the graphs in the graph
viewing area (except Windows Resources) are blank. When you start running the scenario in the
next step, the graphs and counters will begin to display information.
2. Start the scenario.
Click the Start Scenario button or select Scenario > Start to start running the scenario.
If you are running the tutorial for the first time, the Controller begins the scenario. The result files
are saved automatically to the load generator’s temp folder.
If you are repeating the test, you will be prompted to overwrite the existing results file. Click No,
because the results of the first load test should be used as baseline results to be compared with
subsequent load test results. The Set Results Directory dialog box opens.

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Specify a new results folder. Enter a unique and meaningful name for each results set, because
you may want to superimpose the results of several scenario runs when you come to analyze the
graphs.

How do I monitor the application under load?

You use the Controller’s online graphs to view performance data collected by the monitors. You use this
information to isolate potential problem areas in your system environment.

1. Examine the performance graphs.

The Graph Display pane of the Run tab displays the following default graphs:
a. Running Vusers - Whole Scenario graph. Displays the number of Vusers running at a given
time.
b. Transaction Response Time - Whole Scenario graph. Shows the amount of time it takes for
each transaction to be completed.
c. Hits per Second - Whole Scenario graph. Displays the number of hits (HTTP requests) made
to the Web server by Vusers during each second of the scenario run.

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d. Windows Resources graph. Displays the Windows resources measured during a scenario.

2. Highlight individual measurements.

a. Double-click the Windows Resources graph to enlarge it to fit the entire Graph Display pane.
Notice that each measurement appears on a color-coded row in the Graph Legend pane. Each
row corresponds to a line in the graph with the same color.
b. Select a row to highlight the corresponding line in the graph, and vice versa.
c. Double-click the graph again to reduce its size.
3. View the throughput information.
In the Available Graphs pane, under Web Resources Graphs, select the Throughput graph, and drag
it into the Graph Display pane. The Throughput graph measurements are displayed in the Graph
Display pane and the Graph Legend pane.
The Throughput graph shows the amount of data (measured in bytes) that the Vusers receive from
the server in any given second. You can compare this graph with the Transaction Response Time
graph to see how throughput affects transaction performance.
If the throughput scales upward as time progresses and the number of Vusers increases, this
indicates that the bandwidth is sufficient. If the graph were to remain relatively flat as the number
of Vusers increased, it would be reasonable to conclude that the bandwidth is constraining the
volume of data delivered.

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How do I watch a Vuser running in real time?

When emulating users, you should be able to view the Vusers' actions in real time to make sure they are
performing the correct actions. The Controller lets you view the actions in real time using the Runtime
Viewer.

To visually observe a Vuser’s actions:

1. In the Controller's Run tab, click the Vusers button. The Vusers dialog box opens.

The Status column displays the status of each Vuser. In the example above, you can see that four
Vusers are running and four are down. The Start Vusers action in the scheduler instructed the
Controller to release two Vusers at a time. As the scenario progresses, Vusers will continue to be
added in groups of two at 30-second intervals.
2. Select a running Vuser in the Vuser list.

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3. Click the Show the selected Vusers button on the Vusers toolbar. The Runtime Viewer opens
and displays the actions performed by the selected Vuser. The Runtime Viewer updates as the
Vuser proceeds through the steps of the Vuser script.

4. Click the Hide the selected Vusers button on the Vusers toolbar to close the Runtime Viewer.

Where can I view a summary of Vuser actions?

To see the progress of an individual Vuser during a running test, you can display a log file that contains a
text summary of the Vuser’s actions.

To review a text summary of the Vuser’s actions

1. In the Vusers window, select a running Vuser.

2. Click the Show Vuser Log button on the Vusers toolbar. The Vuser log dialog box opens.

The log contains messages that correspond to the actions of the Vuser. For example, in the window
above, the message Virtual User Script started indicates the start of the Vuser's run. Scroll to the
bottom of the log and watch as new messages are added for each action performed by the Vuser.
3. Close the Vuser Log dialog box and the Vusers dialog box.

How can I increase the load during the test?

You can manually add more Vusers during a load test to increase the load on the system.

1. To increase the load during a load test:

a. Make sure that in the Controller, the Run tab is displayed
b. Click the Run/Stop Vusers button. The Run/Stop Vusers dialog box opens displaying the
number of Vusers currently assigned to run in the scenario.

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c. In the # column, enter the number of Vusers that you want to add to the group. To run two
additional Vusers, replace the number 8 with the number 2, in the # column.
d. Click Run to add the Vusers.
e. If some of the original Vusers have not yet been initialized, the Run Initialized and Run New
options appear. Select the Run New option.

The two additional Vusers are distributed to the travel_agent group and are run on the
localhost load generator. The Scenario Status pane shows that there are now 10 running
Vusers.

Note: You may get a warning message that the LoadRunner Controller cannot activate
additional Vusers. This is because you are using your local machine as a load generator
and it has limited memory resources. Generally, use a dedicated machine as a load
generator to avoid this issue.

How is the application performing under load?

Check the Scenario Status pane [on the Run tab] for a summary of the running scenario. In the Scenario
Status pane, you can drill down to see which Vuser actions are causing the application problems. A high
number of failed transactions and errors may indicate that the application is not performing as
required under load.

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1. View the scenario status.

The header of the Scenario Status pane displays the overall status of the scenario.

2. View a breakdown of Vuser actions.

a. Click Passed Transactions in the Scenario Status pane. The Transactions dialog box opens and
displays a list of transaction details.

b. Click Close to close the Transactions dialog box.

Did the application encounter errors?

If an application starts to fail under heavy load, you are likely to encounter errors and failed
transactions. The Controller displays error messages in the Output window.

1. Check for any error or warning messages.

a. Select View > Show Output. You can sort the message by type, such as Warnings or Errors.
The Output dialog box opens and lists a message text, the total number of messages
generated, the Vusers and load generators that generated the error, and the scripts in which
the errors occurred.

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b. To view a message in detail, select the message and click Details. The Detailed Message Text
box opens, displaying the complete message text.
2. View log information details.
You can view information about each message, Vuser, script, and load generator associated with
an error code by clicking the blue link in the appropriate column.
For example, to locate where in the script an error occurred, drill down the Total Messages column.
The Output window displays a list of all messages of the selected error code, including the time,
iteration number, and line in the script where the error occurred.
3. Drill down the Line Number column.
VuGen opens, displaying the line in the script at which the error occurred. You can use this
information to identify transactions with slow response times that are causing the application to
fail under load.

How do I know that the scenario has finished

running?
At the conclusion of a scenario run, the header of the Scenario Status pane shows the Down status. This
indicates that all the Vusers in the scenario have finished running.

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You can open the Vusers dialog box to see the status of each individual Vuser. The Vuser dialog box
displays the number of iterations that each Vuser performed, the number of successful iterations, and
the elapsed time.

Did the system perform well under load?

To see how well the system performed under load, look at the transaction response times and
determine whether the response times were within acceptable limits. If the transaction response times
increase during the scenario, you need to look for bottlenecks. You will learn more about this in "Lesson
7: Analyzing Your Scenario" on page 71.

Once a problem has been isolated, a corroborative effort involving developers, DBAs, network, and other
systems experts is required to fix the problem. After adjustments are made, the load test is repeated to
confirm that the adjustments had the desired effect. You repeat this cycle to optimize system
performance.

To save the scenario so that you can run it again with the same settings, select File > Save or click the
Save button on the Controller toolbar.

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Where To Go From Here

Now that you have learned how to run and view a simple load test scenario, you can proceed to
"Lesson 7: Analyzing Your Scenario" on the next page.

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Lesson 7: Analyzing Your Scenario

In the previous lessons you learned how to design, control, and execute a scenario run. Once you have
loaded your server, you want to analyze the run, and pinpoint the problems that need to be eliminated
to improve system performance.

The graphs and reports produced during your analysis session present important information about the
performance of your scenario. Using these graphs and reports, you can pinpoint and identify the
bottlenecks in your application, and determine what changes need to be made to your system to
improve its performance.

In this lesson, you will cover the following topics:

l How does an analysis session work?

l How do I start my analysis session?
l The Analysis window at a glance
l Did I reach my goals? (Service Level Agreement)
l How do I view a summary of performance?
l How do I graphically view performance?
l Did my server perform well?
l How can I pinpoint the source of a problem?
l What other information can I gather about my scenario run?
l How can I publish my findings?
l Conclusion

How does an analysis session work?

The aim of the analysis session is to find the failures in your system’s performance and then pinpoint
the source of these failures, for example:

l Were the test expectations met? What was the transaction time on the user’s end under load? Did
the SLA meet or deviate from its goals? What was the average transaction time of the transactions?
l What parts of the system could have contributed to the decline in performance? What was the time
of the network and servers?
l Can you find a possible cause by correlating the transaction times and backend monitor matrix?
In the following sections, you will learn how to open LoadRunner Analysis, and build and view graphs and
reports that will help you find performance problems and pinpoint the sources of these problems.

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How do I start my analysis session?

1. Open HP LoadRunner Analysis.
On the LoadRunner machine, double-click the Analysis icon on the Desktop. LoadRunner Analysis
opens.

2. Open the analysis session file.

For the purpose of this section in the tutorial, in order to illustrate more diverse results, we ran a
scenario similar to those you ran in the previous lessons. This time, however, the scenario
incorporated 70 Vusers rather than 10 Vusers. You will now open the analysis session created from
the results of this scenario.
a. In the Analysis window, select File > Open. The Open Analysis Session dialog box opens.

b. From the <LoadRunner Installation>\tutorial folder, select analysis_session and click Open.
Analysis opens the session file.

The Analysis window at a glance

Analysis contains the following primary panes:

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1. Session Explorer
2. Properties pane
3. Graph Viewing pane
4. Legend pane

1. Session Explorer. In the upper left pane, Analysis shows the reports and graphs that are open for
viewing. From here you can display new reports or graphs that do not appear when Analysis opens,
or delete ones that you no longer want to view.
2. Properties pane. In the lower left pane, the Properties pane displays the details of the graph or
report you selected in the Session Explorer. Fields that appear in black are editable.
3. Graph Viewing pane. In the upper right pane, Analysis displays the graphs. By default, the
Summary Report is displayed in this area when you open a session.
4. Legend pane. In the lower right pane, you can view data from the selected graph.

Note: There are additional panes that can be accessed from the toolbar. These panes can be
dragged and dropped anywhere on the screen.

Did I reach my goals? (Service Level Agreement)

In this section, you will be introduced to the Service Level Agreement, or SLA.

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SLAs are specific goals that you define for your load test scenario. Analysis compares these goals
against performance-related data that LoadRunner gathers and stores during the run, and then
determines the SLA status (Pass or Fail) for the goal.

For example, you can define a specific goal, or threshold, for the average transaction time of a
transaction in your script. After the test run ends, LoadRunner compares the goals you defined against
the actual recorded average transaction times. Analysis displays the status of each defined SLA, either
Pass or Fail. For example, if the actual average transaction time did not exceed the threshold you
defined, the SLA status will be Pass.

As part of your goal definition, you can instruct the SLA to take load criteria into account. This means
that the acceptable threshold will vary depending on the level of load, for example, Running Vusers,
Throughput, and so on. As the load increases, you can allow a higher threshold.

Depending on your defined goal, LoadRunner determines SLA statuses in one of the following ways:

l SLA status determined at time intervals over a timeline. Analysis displays SLA statuses at set time
intervals (for example, every 5 seconds) over a timeline within the run.
l SLA status determined over the whole run. Analysis displays a single SLA status for the whole
scenario run.
SLAs can be defined either before running a scenario in the Controller, or after in Analysis itself.

In the following section, you will define an SLA using the HP Web Tours example. Assume that the
administrator of HP Web Tours would like to know whenever the average transaction times of the
book_flight and search_flight transactions exceed certain values. To do this, you select the
transactions and then set threshold values. These threshold values are the maximum amounts of time
that would be acceptable as average transaction times.

You will also set these threshold values to take certain load criteria into account; in this case Running
Vusers. In other words, as the number of running Vusers increases, the threshold value rises.

This is because although the HP Web Tours administrator would like the average transaction times to
be as low as possible, it is understood that at certain times of the year it is reasonable to assume that
the HP Web Tours site will have to handle a higher load than at other times of the year. For example,
during peak travel season, a higher number of travel agents log on to the site to book flights, check
itineraries, and so on. Given this understandably higher load, at these times a slightly longer average
transaction time will be acceptable.

You will set the SLA to take three load scenarios into account: light load, average load, and heavy load.
Each scenario will have its own threshold value.

How do I define an SLA?

You will define an SLA in Analysis after the scenario run.

Note: It is preferable to define an SLA in the Controller before a scenario run. However, for the

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purposes of this tutorial, because you are not analyzing the same test scenario that you ran in
previous lessons, you will define the SLA in Analysis. To define an SLA in the Controller, click New
in the Service Level Agreement section of the Design tab.

You will now define an SLA that will set specific goals for the average transaction times for the book_
flight and search_flight transactions in the sample session file.

The average transaction times will be measured at set time intervals within the run.

To define an SLA:

1. Open the SLA wizard.

a. In LoadRunner Analysis, select Tools > Configure SLA Rules. The Service Level Agreement
dialog box opens.

b. Click New to open the Service Level Agreement wizard.

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Note: The first time you open the Service Level Agreement wizard, the Start page is
displayed. If you do not want this page to be displayed the next time you run the
wizard, select the Skip this page next time check box.

c. Click Next.

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2. Select a measurement for your goal.

a. In the Select a Measurement for Your Goal page, select Transaction Response Time: Average.

b. Click Next.
3. Select the transactions to monitor.
In the Select Transactions page, select a transaction to monitor from the Available Transactions
list.

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a. Double-click the check_itinerary transaction to move it to the Selected Transactions list.

b. Click Next.
4. Set the load criteria.
In the Set Load Criteria page, you instruct the SLA to take different load scenarios into account.
a. Select Running Vusers from the Load Criteria drop down list.
b. Set the Load Values to look like the following example:

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In the above screen, you set the SLA to define an acceptable average transaction time over
three potential load scenarios:
- Light load. Between 0 and 19 Vusers
- Average load. Between 20 and 49 Vusers
- Heavy load. More than 50 Vusers
c. Click Next.
5. Set threshold values.
In the Set Threshold Values page, you define the acceptable average transaction times for the
check_itinerary transaction.
Set the threshold values to look like the following example:

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You just indicated that the following average transaction times are acceptable:
- Light load. 5 seconds or less
- Average load. 10 seconds or less
- Heavy load. 15 seconds or less
6. Save the SLA.
To save the SLA and close the wizard, click Next then Finish then Close on the pages that follow.
Analysis applies your SLA settings to the Summary Report. The report is then updated to include all
the relevant SLA information.

How do I view a summary of performance?

The Summary Report tab displays general information and statistics about the scenario run, as well as
all relevant SLA information. For example, what were the worst performing transactions in terms of
defined SLAs, how specific transactions performed over set time intervals, and overall SLA statuses. You
open the Summary Report from the Session Explorer.

1. What are the overall scenario statistics?

In the Statistics Summary section, you can see that a maximum of 70 Vusers ran in this test. Other
statistics such as the total/average throughput, and the total/average hits are also displayed.

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2. What were the worst performing transactions?

The 5 Worst Transactions table shows you up to five worst-performing transactions for which SLAs
were defined.

You can see that over the duration of the check_itinerary transaction, the SLA threshold was
exceeded 66.4% of the time. The average percentage by which it exceeded the SLA threshold over
the whole run was 200.684%.
3. Over which time intervals was the SLA threshold exceeded?
The Scenario Behavior Over Time section shows how each transaction performed during different
time intervals. The green squares show time intervals where the transaction performed within the
SLA threshold, red squares where the transaction failed, and gray squares where no relevant SLA
was defined.

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You can see that for the transaction for which you defined an SLA, check_itinerary exceeded the
threshold in most intervals.
4. What was the overall transaction performance?
The Transaction Summary lists a summary of the behavior of each transaction.

We also see that the check_itinerary transaction failed 28 times.

Review the times of each transaction. The 90 Percent column displays the time of 90% of the
executions of a particular transaction. You can see that 90% of the check_itinerary transactions
that were performed during the test run had a time of 65.754 seconds. This is double its average
time, 32.826, which means that the majority of occurrences of this transaction had a very high
response time.
Note how the SLA Status column shows the relevant overall status for transactions in the SLA: Fail
for check_itinerary.

How do I graphically view performance?

You can access available graphs from the Session Explorer pane. You will now view and analyze the
Average Transaction Response Time graph.

1. Open the Average Transaction Response Time graph.

a. In the Session Explorer under Graphs, select Average Transaction Response Time. The
Average Transaction Response Time graph opens in the graph viewing area.

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Note: If no graphs are displayed in the Session Explorer pane, right-click the Graphs
node and select the Transactions: Average Transaction Response Time node in the
Open a New Graph dialog box. Click Open Graph to add the graph to the Session
Explorer pane.

b. In the Legend pane, click the check_itinerary transaction. The check_itinerary transaction is
highlighted in the graph.

The points on the graph represent the average time of a transaction at a specific time during
the scenario. Hold your cursor over a point in the graph. A yellow box appears, and displays the
coordinates of that point.

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2. Analyze the results.

Note how the average transaction time of the check_itinerary transaction fluctuates greatly, and
reaches a peak of 75.067 seconds, 2:56 minutes into the scenario run.
On a well-performing server, the transactions would follow a relatively stable average time. At the
bottom of the graph, note how the logon, logoff, book_flight, and search_flight transactions have
more stable average times.

Did my server perform well?

In the previous section you saw instability in your server’s performance. Now you will analyze the effect
of 70 running Vusers on the system’s performance.

1. Study the behavior of the Vusers.

In the Session Explorer, under Graphs, click Running Vusers. The Running Vusers graph opens in
the graph viewing area.

You can see that there was a gradual start of running Vusers at the beginning of the scenario run.
Then, for a period of 3 minutes, 70 Vusers ran simultaneously, after which the Vusers gradually
stopped running.
2. Filter the graph so that you see only the time slice when all the Vusers ran simultaneously.
When you filter a graph, the graph data is narrowed down so that only the data for the condition
that you specified is displayed. All other data is hidden.
a. Right-click the graph and select Set Filter/Group By, or alternatively, click the Set

Filter/Group By button on the Analysis toolbar.

b. In the Filter Condition area, select the Values column of the Scenario Elapsed Time row.

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c. Click the down-arrow and specify a time range from 000:01:30 minutes to 000:03:45 minutes.
d. Click OK.
e. In the Graph Settings dialog box, click OK.
The Running Vusers graph now displays only those Vusers running between 1:30 minutes and
3:45 minutes of the scenario run. All other Vusers have been filtered out.

Note: To clear the filter, you right-click the graph and select Clear Filter/Group By, or

alternatively, click the Clear Filter and Group By button on the Analysis toolbar.

3. Correlate the Running Vusers and Average Transaction Response Time graphs to compare their
data.
You can join two graphs together to see the effect of one graph’s data upon the other graph’s
data. This is called correlating two graphs.
For example, you can correlate the Running Vusers graph with the Average Transaction Response
Time graph to see the effect of a large number of Vusers on the average time of the transactions.
a. Right-click the Running Vusers graph and select Clear Filter/Group By.
b. Right-click the graph and select Merge Graphs.
c. From the Select graph to merge with list, select Average Transaction Response Time.
d. Under Select type of merge, select Correlate, and click OK.
The Running Vusers and Average Transaction Response Time graphs are now displayed in one

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graph, the Running Vusers - Average Transaction Response Time graph.

4. Analyze the correlated graph.

In this graph you can see that as the number of Vusers increases, the average time of the check_
itinerary transaction gradually increases. In other words, the average time increases as the load
increases.
At 66 Vusers, there is a sudden, sharp increase in the average time. We say that the test broke the
server. The time clearly began to degrade when there were more than 66 Vusers running
simultaneously.

Saving a template
So far you have filtered a graph and correlated two graphs. The next time you analyze a scenario, you
might want to view the same graphs, with the same filter and merge conditions applied. You can save
your merge and filter settings into a template, and apply them in another analysis session.

To save your template:

1. Select Tools > Templates. The Apply/ Edit Template dialog box opens.
2. In the Templates pane, click the New button. The Add New Template dialog box opens.
3. Enter an appropriate name for the template and click OK.
4. Click Save and close to close the Apply/Edit Template dialog box.
The next time you open a new Analysis session and want to use a saved template:

1. Select Tools > Templates. The Apply/ Edit Template dialog box opens.
2. Select your template from the list, and click Save and close.

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How can I pinpoint the source of the problem?

Until now, you have seen that an increase in load on the server had a negative impact on the average
response time of the check_itinerary transaction.

You can drill down further into the check_itinerary transaction to see which system resources may
have negatively influenced its performance.

The Auto-correlate tool can merge all the graphs that contain data that could have had an effect on the
response time of the check_itinerary transaction, and pinpoint what was happening at the moment the
problem occurred.

1. From the graph tree, select the Average Transaction Response Time graph.

Look at the check_itinerary transaction, particularly at the slice of elapsed time between 1 and 4
minutes. The average response time started to increase almost immediately, until it peaked at
nearly 3 minutes.
2. Filter the Average Transaction Response Time graph to display only the check_itinerary
transaction.
a. Right-click the graph, and select Set Filter/Group by.
b. In the Transaction Name / Value cell, select check_itinerary.
c. Click OK.

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The filtered graph displays only the check_itinerary transaction.

3. Auto-correlate the graph.

a. Right-click the graph, and select Auto Correlate.
b. In the Auto Correlate dialog box, make sure that the measurement to correlate is check_
itinerary, and set the time range from 1:20 to 3:40 minutes - either by entering the times in
the boxes, or by dragging the green and red poles into place along the Elapsed Scenario Time
axis.

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c. Click OK.
The auto-correlated graph opens in the graph viewing area. The check_itinerary transaction is
highlighted.

The auto-correlated graph is given a default name, Auto Correlated Graph [1].
4. Rename the graph.
a. In the Session Explorer, under Graphs, right-click Auto Correlated Graph [1], and select
Rename Item. The graph name becomes editable.

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b. Type Auto Correlated - check_itinerary and press Enter, or click anywhere in the Analysis
window.
5. Analyze the auto-correlated graph.
In the Legend pane below the graph, from the Graph column, scroll down to the Windows
Resources: Pool Nonpaged Bytes and Private Bytes measurements.

In the Measurement and Correlation Match columns, you can see that these memory-related
measurements, have a Correlation Match of over 70% with the check_itinerary transaction. This
means that the behavior of these elements was closely related to the behavior of the check_
itinerary transaction during the specified time interval.
We can conclude that exactly when the check_itinerary transaction’s response time peaked, there
was a shortage of system memory resources.

What other information can I gather about my

scenario run?
In addition to the graphs that appear in the graph tree at the start of an analysis session, you can
display different graphs to get other information about your scenario run.

1. Click Graph > Add New Graph.

The Open a New Graph dialog box opens and lists the categories of graphs that contain data and
can be displayed.

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l Vusers. Displays information about the Vusers and their status.

l Errors. Displays error statistics.
l Transactions. Displays data about transactions and their response times.
l Web Resources. Displays hits, throughput, and connection data.
l Web Page Diagnostics. Displays data about each monitored Web page in your script.
l System Resources. Displays system resource usage data.
2. Display a new graph.
a. In the Open a New Graph dialog box, click the “+” next to a category to expand it.
b. Select a graph and click Open Graph.
c. Click Close to close the Open a New Graph dialog box.
Now open several additional graphs to understand more about your scenario run.

How can I publish my findings?

You can publish the findings from your analysis session in an HTML or Microsoft Word report. The report
is created using a designer template, and includes explanations and legends of the presented graphs

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and data.

HTML Reports

The HTML report can be opened and viewed in any browser.

To create an HTML report:

1. Click Reports > HTML Report.

2. Specify a file name for your report, and the path where you want to save it.
3. Click Save.
Analysis creates the report and displays it in your Web browser. Note how the layout of the HTML
report is very similar to the layout of your analysis session. You can click on the links in the left
pane to see the various graphs. A description of each graph is given at the bottom of the page.
Microsoft Word Reports

You can present your analysis session in a Microsoft Word report. The Word report is more
comprehensive than the HTML report, because you have the option to include general information
about the scenario, measurement descriptions, and so on. You can also format the report to include
your company’s name and logo, and the author’s details.

Like any Microsoft Word file, the report is editable, so you can add further comments and findings after
you build the report.

To create a Microsoft Word report:

1. Click Reports > New Report.

The New Report dialog box opens.

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2. In the General tab:

a. From Based on template, select Detailed report (for single run).
b. Enter a title for your report.
c. Enter the author’s name, job title, and the company’s name.
3. In the Format tab:
By default, the report will be built with a title page, table of contents, graph details and
descriptions, and measurement descriptions. You can select options which add script details into
the report, allowing you to view thumbnail images of the business process steps.
You can include a company logo by selecting Include company logo and browsing to the file
location. The logo must be a .bmp file.
4. In the Content tab:
a. Select which sections of your scenario run and analysis session you want to include in your
report.
For the purpose of this tutorial, you will add an executive summary to the Content Items list.

b. Click the Add button to open the Add Content Items window. Check Executive Summary in
the grid and click OK. The Executive Summary item is added to the list in the Content Items
pane.
Enter the following text into the edit box:
- Objectives: The objectives of the test scenario were to....
- Conclusions: The conclusions I reached are as follows:

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c. In the Content Items pane, select the Largest URLs by Average Kbytes and click the Delete

button . This will exclude this graph from the report.

d. Change the order in which to display the items in the report.
- In the Content Items pane, select Workload Characteristics. Click on Average Hits per
Second in the Selected Columns list.
- Click the Down arrow until the item appears under Total Transactions Number. In the report,
the Average Hits per Second item will follow the Total Transactions Number item.
5. Click Generate.
The data is gathered and the report is created in a Microsoft Word file, which opens in Microsoft
Word.
In addition to the graphs that you generated during your analysis session, the report includes an
objective and a conclusion, and other sections and graphs that you chose to include while building
the report.

Conclusion
In this lesson you learned the basics of defining a Service Level Agreement, analyzing a scenario run,
and publishing your results in a report.

You have learned that performance problems can be pinpointed by studying various graphs that show
bottlenecks on the server, possibly due to too heavy a load. You have seen that you can pinpoint the
sources of these bottlenecks by configuring graphs to display correlated data.

Send Us Feedback
Let us know how we can improve your experience with the User Guide.

Send your email to: [email protected]

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