Introduction to Software Performance Testing Part

Before starting to dig into
LoadRunner, we will try to get some basics of Software Performance

Testing. I would like to introduce some concepts regarding performance
testing and types of performance testing.

The basics introduced here are not limited to LoadRunner,

these can be
applied across all performance testing strategies (using any other
performance testing tool).



Performance testing
is the process of studying the
application behavior under varying load conditions. It ensures that the
application is capable of functioning satisfactorily

when processing
peak data and user load.

Types of Performance Testing can be:

Load Testing

Testing the system under varying workloads to measure the
performance behavior of the application such as response time,
transaction rate, system resource utilization, etc.

Stress Testing

To ensure that the system is stable under the peak load conditions.

Scalability Testing

Testing whether the system is Scalable in terms of the number of users.

Testing whether the system is Scalable in terms of the volume of data processed.

Reliability & High Availability Testing

To ensure that the system is available continuously over a specified period of time without failure.

To measure the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF).













The process diagram below depicts the Performance Testing process in
a clear and consice manner. It shows an end-to-end process that can be
used for any load testing need.















Requirements Gathering and Tool Selection:

Identify Load Test Requirements — What all needs to be load test?

Identify Performance Objectives — What are the performance goals
for your application? Example: number of concurrent connections and/or
hits per second to expect against the Web site.

Evaluate and Select Load Test Tool and Monitoring Tool — Evaluate
the tool to find out which tool can provide the best ROI in terms of
the above defined performance objectives, cost of the tool, expertise
pool available.

Planning and Analysis:

Design Load Test Plan

Identify and Prioritize Scenarios

Identify Load Test Monitors: System( like perfmon for windows) or
Non System Monitors ( like Apache Web Server) [Note: Monitors are
programs that keep a check on your system's performance, For Ex: type
perfmon in Start -> Run command and check for yourself! ]

Design Load Test Framework

Set Load Test Environment

Design Scripting Guidelines

Assign the scripts among team members

Scripting and Configuration:

Test Script Development and Unit Testing

Configuring Test Scripts and Test Groups

Develop Load Test Automation Suite

Design and Deploy Monitors

Execution, Monitoring and Reporting:

Perform Preliminary Tests

Perform Formal Test- Various Loads: Under various loads condition as agreed upon with the client.

Monitor Server and Resources

Analysis and Bottleneck Identification

Defect tracking and Configuration Management

Reporting and Closure