What is HP LoadRunner?

HP LoadRunner software allows you to prevent application performance problems by detecting bottlenecks before a new system or upgrade is deployed. The testing solution LoadRunner enables you to test rich Internet applications, Web 2.0 technologies, ERP and CRM applications, and legacy applications. It gives you a picture of end-to-end system performance before going live so that you can verify that new or upgraded applications meet performance requirements. And it reduces hardware and software costs by accurately predicting application scalability and capacity.

How it works?

Load Runner is divided up into 3 smaller applications:

The Virtual User Generator allows to determine what actions you would like the Vusers, or virtual users, to perform under stress within the application. You create scripts that generate a series of actions, such as logging on, navigating through the application, and exiting the program.
The Controller takes the scripts that you have made and runs them through a schedule that you set up. Tell the Controller how many Vusers to activate, when to activate them, and how to group the Vusers and keep track of them.
The Results and Analysis program gives you all the results of the load test in various forms. It allows to see summaries of data, as well as the details of the load test for pinpointing problems or bottlenecks.

LoadRunner can emulate hundreds or thousands of concurrent users to put the application through the rigors of real-life user loads, while collecting information from key infrastructure components (Web servers, database servers etc). The results can then be analysed in detail, to explore the reasons for particular behaviour.

The LoadRunner Testing Process

Planning the Test
Creating the Vuser scripts
Creating the Scenario
Running the Scenario
Analyzing Test Results
HP LoadRunner in the Cloud

In May 2010, HP announced that an on-demand version of the application performance testing software would be available via Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. HP LoadRunner in the Cloud is offered as beta software in the U.S. and is available with pay-as-you-go pricing. The software is intended for performance testing for businesses of very big size. HP LoadRunner in the Cloud is part of a portfolio of cloud computing solutions offered by HP Software Division.

General ports required for making connection with Sitescope tool

Below is the prerequisite we require for the new servers in order to establish the connection with Sitescope tool.

WMI/NETBIOS	135-139
Sitescope Web server	8080
FTP Monitor	21
Mail Monitor	25 (SMTP), 110 (POP3), 143 (IMAP) News
Monitor	119
Ping Monitor	packets
SNMP Monitor	161 (UDP)
URL Monitor	80,443
Remote Windows Monitoring	139
Email Alert	25
Post Alert	80,443
SNMP Trap Alert	162 (UDP)
Remote UNIX ssh	22
Remote UNIX Telnet	23
Remote UNIX rlogin	513

Sitescope Monitor Output Error Codes

Below are some of the error code which we get as a monitor run output on Sitescope dashboard:

• URLPermissionDenied = -982               "Permission denied"
• SOAPFaultError = -983 
• XMLElementNotFoundError = -986     "XML element not found"
• XMLFormatError = -987                      "XML format error"
• XMLElementMatchError = -988           "XML element value mismatch"
• URLContentErrorFound = -989             "content error found"
• URLContentElementMissing = -990       "content element missing"
• URLNoStatusError = -991                    "no status in reply from server"
• MonitorSpecificError = -992; 
• URLNoRouteToHostError = -993        "unable to reach server"
• DLLCrashedError = -994                     "internal error in WinInet library"
• URLContentChangedError = -995        "content changed"
• URLTimeoutError = -996                     "timed out reading"
• URLBadHostNameError = -997           "unknown host name"
• URLNoConnectionError = -998           "unable to connect to server"
• URLContentMatchError = -999            "content match error"
• URLUnknownError = -1000
• DNSIPAddressMismatch = -1001        "ip address does not match"
• URLRemoteMonitoringError = -1002    "unable to connect to remote monitoring server"
• URLConnectionClosedError = -1003    "connection reset"

How to Insert Caching Functions in Web (Http/Html) Protocol in Load runner

This task describes how to use caching functions. Caching functions allow
you to save stored data into your browser’s cache, and load it at a later point
in the script.

To use the caching functions:

1 Insert the web_dump_cache function into your script.

2 Run the script at least once.

3 Insert the web_load_cache function into your script before the Vuser
actions.

4 Comment out the web_dump_cache function.

5 Run and save the script.

Example:
The following example illustrates a PeopleSoft Enterprise Vuser viewing the
details of his paycheck

Action()
{
// web_add_cookie("storedCookieCheck=true; domain=pbntas05; path=/");
web_load_cache("ActionLoad","FileName=c:\\temp\\{VuserName}paycheck",LAST);
web_browser("signon.html",
DESCRIPTION,
ACTION,
"Navigate=http://pbntas05:8200/ps/signon.html",
LAST);
lr_think_time(35);
web_edit_field("userid",
"Snapshot=t1.inf",
DESCRIPTION,
"Type=text",
"Name=userid",
ACTION,
"SetValue={VuserName}",
LAST);
web_edit_field("pwd",
"Snapshot=t2.inf",
DESCRIPTION,
"Type=password",
"Name=pwd",
ACTION,
"SetValue=HCRUSA_KU0007",
LAST);
lr_start_transaction("login");
web_button("Sign In",
"Snapshot=t3.inf",
DESCRIPTION,
"Type=submit",
"Tag=INPUT",
"Value=Sign In",
LAST);
lr_end_transaction("login", LR_AUTO);
web_image_link("CO_EMPLOYEE_SELF_SERVICE",
"Snapshot=t4.inf",
DESCRIPTION,
"Alt=",
"Name=CO_EMPLOYEE_SELF_SERVICE",
"Ordinal=1",
ACTION,
"ClickCoordinate=10,10",
LAST); …
web_text_link("Sign out",
"Snapshot=t7.inf",
DESCRIPTION,
"Text=Sign out",
"FrameName=UniversalHeader",
ACTION,
"UserAction=Click",
LAST);
/*web_dump_cache("paycheck","FileName=c:\\{VuserName}paycheck",
"Replace=yes", LAST);*/
return 0;
}

What is this "Wasted Time" in LR script replay?

Question
When I reply the script in VuGen, the following message is displayed in Output window -

Script_Name(LineNumber): Notify: Transaction "Transaction Name" ended with "Pass" status (Duration: 134.8640 Wasted Time: 2.0757).

What is this "Wasted Time"?
What is the significance of "Wasted Time"?

Answer
 From the product help:
Time spent on activities whose purpose is to support test analysis, but would never be performed by a browser user.

So what does it actually mean?
Here are a few examples:
Siebel-Web protocol – first web_reg_save_param… step that uses Siebel correlation library takes time on DLL  invocation and this time reported as “wasted”.
The similar case exists with openSSL components (additional 1 second before handshake).
Time spent of text search (web_reg_find) also reported as “wasted”.
So basically it is the time that was wasted in LR code which would not be wasted by a real user.

Common Problems faced while recording Citrix ICA script in Vugen

Question: When recording against a Citrix Nfuse website using Multi-Protocol, after clicking on the published application icon to create a connection to the Citrix server, an SSL Certificate Error appeared.

Solution:  To get past the errors please do the following:

a.            In the port-mapping tab, delete the current entry for port 443 and add the following 2 entries as shown:

b.      The port-mapping tab should look like the following after both entries are entered.  Be sure to UNCHECK the entry for the Citrix server.

c.    Record a new script and the error should not occur again.

Question: During recording, there is a window titled “ICA Seamless Host Agent” that pops up.When manually logging into the application there is no such popup.

Solution:This popup is a result of the mode that VuGen is recording in.The Citrix solution requires that LoadRunner record in this mode.This is an informative window popup and not an error.  To work around it, simply click on OK and it will go away.

Q.Internet Explorer disappears during a Multi protocol Nfuse recording as soon as the Citrix ICA client is launched.
S.Check to see if the machine has been set up to record against multiple processes.Go to the registry editor to;

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\AppInit_DLLs

and check to see if it’s pointing to bbhook.dll.If it is then remove the entry and then reboot the machine.

Q.Internet Explorer disappears or crashes during a Multi protocol Nfuse recording as soon as the browser is launched.
S:Check to see if the machine has any Anti-Virus software running.Try shutting down the Anti-Virus services.If you have McAfee Anti-Virus installed, shut down the following services:

·AVSyncManager
·McShield

If you have Norton Anti-Virus installed, shut down the Norton Antivirus service from the services menu.

Q.The Citrix ICA client window is minimized after it is launched during recording.  Clicking on the icon on the taskbar does not bring it up.

S:Right click on the Citrix ICA Client icon on the taskbar and select maximize.This will bring the client back to the restored view. Adjust the window size as necessary.Do not minimize the Citrix ICA Client window during replay, as this will cause the same problem to occur again.

Q.The Recording Options in VuGen is NOT reflecting the changes being made in it.The user changes the information,clicks on OK, but when going back to the Recording Options the information is still not changed.
S.Click on the “Use Defaults” button to clear the information and then re-enter it again Or,you can go to the \dat directory and look for citrix_ro.ini.This file contains information from the Recording Options.Make sure the changes are being reflected here.

Citrix Protocol in load runner Recording Tips

When recording a script, be sure to follow these guidelines in order to create
an effective script.

Single vs. Multi-Protocol Scripts
When creating a new script, you may create a single protocol or multi-protocol script. If you plan to record a simple Citrix ICA session, use a single protocol script. When recording an NFUSE Web Access session,
however, you must create a multi-protocol script for Citrix ICA and Web (HTML/HTTP), to enable the recording of both protocols.

Record into Appropriate Sections
Record the connection process into the vuser_init section, and the closing process into the vuser_end section. This will prevent you from performing iterations on the connecting and disconnecting.

Run a Clean Session
When recording a session, make sure to perform the complete business process, starting with the connection and ending with the cleanup. End your session at a point from where you could start the entire process from
the beginning. Do not leave any client or application windows open.

Explicit Clicks
When opening expanded menu options, click explicitly on each option—do not depend on the expanding menu. For example, when choosing Start > Programs > Microsoft Word, be sure to click on the word Programs.

Do not Resize Windows
Although VuGen supports the resizing of windows during recording the session, we recommend that you do not move or resize them while recording. To change the size or position of a window, double-click on the
relevant Sync on Window step in the script’s Tree view and modify the window’s coordinates.

Make Sure Resolution Settings are Consistent
To insure successful bitmap synchronization, make sure that the resolution settings match. On the recording machine, check the settings of the ICA client, the Recording Options, and the Run Time settings. On the load
 generators, check the settings of the ICA client, and make sure that they are consistent between all load generators and recording machines. If there is an inconsistency between the resolutions, the server traffic increases in order to make the necessary adjustments.

Add Manual Synchronization Points
While waiting for an event during recording, such as the opening of an application, we recommend that you add manual synchronization points, such as Sync on Bitmap or Sync on Text.

Disable Client Updates
Disable client updates when prompted by the Citrix client. This will prevent forward compatibility issues between VuGen and newer Citrix clients that were not yet tested.

Windows Style
For Sync on Bitmap steps, record windows in the "classic" windows style not the XP style.

To change the Windows style to "classic":
1 Click in the desktop area.
2 Select Properties from the right-click menu.
3 Select the Theme tab.
4 Select Windows Classic from the Theme drop down list.
5 Click OK

In the next post will post some common problems faced while recording the ICA protocol.