Test Simulation and Tooling Checklist

The test tools simulate the production users; they make up a critical part of your test. Please see Chapters 7, 8, and 9 for more details.

Performance Test Tool Resources

If you don't provide enough capacity for your performance test tool, you may introduce a bottleneck into the system at your test client machines. Typically, you need as much hardware resource dedicated to the client driver(s) as to your application server(s).

Client driver on separate machine(s)

Enough client driver machines

Client driver CPU utilization not at maximum

Client network card not at maximum capacity

Client drivers dedicated to test

Test Scripts and Scenarios

The test scripts simulate your target users. If these scripts do not represent your web site usage, you cannot rely on the results of your performance tests. Before beginning your tests, make sure your scripts work. Consider building scripts for the primitive paths for easy troubleshooting and optimization.

Scripts representative of actual user activities

Not too simple

Not too focused

Multiple, short scripts

Atomic scripts

Exercise whole web site

Weighted testing

Access sufficient backend data

Use dynamic decisions

Scripts tested

No wrong or extraneous URLs

No hard-coded cookies

Correct think times

Scripts for primitive paths

Tools

Before beginning, install all your tools, and train your team to use them. This includes load drivers and monitors , and tools to record your results.

Load driver

Monitors

Recording

Administration