Sunday, December 21, 2008

WebLOAD Open Source

1. Introduction :
There are mainly two sections in WebLOAD Open Source 8.1.0.141.00 edition. One is WebLOAD IDE and another one is WebLOAD console.
WebLOAD IDE is used for recording and editing and debugging sessions which are recorded as Java scripts. And WebLOAD Console is used for load testing,stress testing and for generating casual report.

2. Overview

2.1 Web LOAD IDE :
WebLOAD IDE is a visual environment for creating protocol test scripts (referred to as
Agendas) that provides the following features:

• Recording Agendas
• Editing Agendas
• Running and Debugging Agendas

WebLOAD IDE records your action in a Web browser and saves it as a JavaScript
Agenda. WebLOAD IDE provides two editing modes, the Visual Editing mode and the
JavaScript Editing mode, that enable you to edit your JavaScript Agenda.

click here for reference


2.2 Web LOAD Console:
The WebLOAD Console is where you perform the majority of your load / performance
testing activities. The Console manages the load session. It also:

• Configures load session Agendas.
• Schedules load session Agendas.
• Monitors the application’s performance and integrity under the generated load.
• Manages the load session as it is running, allowing you to pause, stop and continue load session components as needed.
• Displays the current performance of the SUT and provides a final performance report for Virtual Clients.
The WebLOAD Console component controls your test session.

click here for reference

3. Purpose of Evaluation

We are evaluating Web LOAD Open Source edition to check whether this tool is capable of testing and generating reports properly and professionaly of test application. This will help us compare this tool with other existing tool and to use the tool which fits the best requirements.

4. Advantages of using Web LOAD

• WebLOAD test scripts are created in Java Script, a familiar industry standard, eliminating the need to learn another proprietary language. Both your quality assurance professionals and developers will be speaking the same language, improving their communication and accelerating their testing cycles. WebLOAD enables your team to spend less time trying to prove or recreate the issues and more time resolving them.

click here for reference

• WebLOAD allows users to simulate various system and connection configurations, including setting a ‘virtual limit’ on the connection speed available during a test session. You may assign a connection speed using the wlGlobals.ConnectionSpeed property. For example:
InitAgenda(){
wlGlobals.ConnectionSpeed=28800 }

click here for reference


• WebLOAD enables the creation of a single test script that includes multiple IP protocols, just like your user might do in a single session! For Example, with WebLOAD you can easily create a user scenario that includes a combination of classic web browsing (HTTP/S), download activity (FTP) and email activity (SMTP) all in the same script.

click here for reference

• This tool ensures support for both the established and emerging technologies, including HTML, XML, WAP, i-Mode, ActiveX, Java applets, Web Services.

click here for reference

• With WebLOAD you can generate load and simulate traffic in both .NET and J2EE environments.

click here for reference

• It has the ability to run the same WebLOAD test scripts on a variety of Windows, Linux, or Solaris platforms.

click here for reference



5. Limitations and Scalability
5.1 Limitation Issues
• “smart copy” function isn't present [smart copy function can replace dynamic field with a variable].
• Performance Measurement Manager isn't part of open source edition.
• Goal oriented load testing isn't possible.
• Scheduling multiple load testing at a time isn't possible.
• WebLOAD Reporter isn't present so professional report generation isn't possible.
• If you use an external editor to modify the Java Script code in an Agenda file generated by WebLOAD IDE, your visual Agenda will be lost.

5.2 Scalability
• Load testing with multiple hosts isn't possible.

6. Precautions
• Must clear the option caching from file of the browser. If caching is enabled then steps such as loading a page that you have already visited are bypassed when you record an Agenda.
• In general case proxy is configured automatically by WebLOAD IDE when browser opens for recording. If not then you have to configure proxy manually. Steps to configure manually:
1. Open WebLOAD IDE
2. Locate the Proxy Port number in the Record Options dialog box - Proxy Options tab. Usually this port number is 8080.
3. Determine if your organization has a Proxy Server that must be used to access the Internet when you record Agendas.
4. If your organization has a Proxy Server:
• Determine the proxy name and port number.
• If the proxy port that it uses is not the proxy port number found in the Record Options dialog box - Proxy Options tab, go to step 6.
• If the proxy port number is the proxy port number found in the Record Options dialog box - Proxy Options tab, go to step 7.
5. If your organization does not use a Proxy Server, go to step 7.
6. Configure your organization proxy as the secondary proxy in WebLOAD IDE. To do so, complete the following steps:
• Open WebLOAD IDE.
• Select Tools ?? Record Options and then select the Proxy Options tab.
• Select the Use Secondary Proxy option.
• In the Secondary Proxy Name field, type the name of your organization’s proxy.
• In the Secondary Proxy Port field, type the port number of your organization’s proxy.
• Click OK.
7. Open Internet Explorer.
8. Select Tools Internet Options and then select the Connections tab.
9. Click LAN Settings.
10. In the Local Area Network LAN Settings dialog box, select the Use a proxy server option.
11. In the Address field, type loathsome.
12. In the Port field, type the proxy port number found in the Record Options dialog box - Proxy Options tab.
13. Be sure that the Bypass proxy server for local addresses check box is cleared.
14. Click OK.
You are finished configuring your proxy value.

click here for reference

7. Guidance to learn this tool

• For this tutorial install open source edition of WebLOAD.

click here to download

• After installation open WebLOAD IDE from installed WebLOAD open source edition.

click here to learn recording

• You can do debugging with IDE by putting breakpoints before a line.

click here to learn debugging

• With IDE you can parameterize your Agenda[recorded sessions]. You can use Global Input file Building block to create a database.

click here to learn parameterization

Now after saving the sessions at IDE you are prepared for load testing using WebLOAD console.

Before you start running the recorded tests you can speed up the process by selecting the option “ignore recorded sleep time” from project properties.
Remember to clear all breakpoints in the Agenda before opening session in the console.

• You can schedule your load testing using this application. You can select which criteria you want to measure like response time, page time, hits per second time etc.

click here to learn load scheduling

• You can do functional testing with WebLOAD console also. You can verify whether a text is present while load testing.

click here to learn functional testing

We think the main problem we are facing are scalability limitations and generating standard report

8. Tweak
Here is a small tweak to generate standard and professional report.
In the open source edition of WebLOAD “WebLOAD Reporter” is missing, but present in evaluation edition of WebLOAD. In this evaluation edition IDE and console application can't be open but reporter can be opened. You can do recording, load testing with open source version and can generate standard report about the testing with this reporter by opening the saved sessions done by open source IDE and Console.
• Install, evaluation copy of WebLOAD to use only WebLOAD Reporter.

click here to download

You have to fill up a form to get access to the download site.
Remember not to install two versions in the same directory (default installation will do just fine.
• With WebLOAD Reporter we can do the listed things and much more:
1. Generate reports on application performance during a test session.
2. Determine what specific failures occurred during a test session.
3. Provide details about these failures.
4. Report on the load produced in terms of users, hits per page, transactions per second and amount of data managed (throughput) to prove the application was tested thoroughly.
5. You can export reports into excel, pdf, html, RTF, txt format.
6. After selecting a session from which to generate a report you can generate a custom report that displays only selected data pertaining to the session, a specific Agenda, or a combination of the two.
7. We can use custom logo while creating reports. tools->options-> Browse and select desired logo.
Well, there are few tutorial for WebLOAD reporter. But given user manual should be enough to learn it.
• It is better to install WebLOAD professional evaluation edition after doing all the recording and load testing cause it creates some error message opening menus and functions of WebLOAD IDE and Console of open source version after installing evaluation edition of WebLOAD.


9. FAQ

http://www.webload.org/
http://www.goldb.org/goldblog/2007/09/11/WebLOADOpenSourceAintSoOpenSource.aspx
10. Conclusion
In the end we can say that it’s a pretty handy tool as a testing tool. With professional edition we can advanced level testing which can’t be done with open source edition.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Suriya:
Hey This is suriya; i work in a small company, in our company we are planning to do web service testing using webload, could you please help me , how to do it. Your help is much appreciated. My email id: stl.keepintouch@gmail.com

Unknown said...

hello Suriya,

I am not sure about what kind of help you want. My best advise is "Google". That's how i learned it.

First : Clear your mission first like what web service you want put load on to. And whether web service plugin is present in your webload tool or not. There are many types of web service. See whether webload can properly record your web service session or not.

Second: Try to learn Webload tool from tutorials to how to load test a web service.

Third: Record the session you want test with webload.

Four: put load using webload.

Five: Analyze the result.

There are other good tools to test web service with and that is "soupUI", "JMeter". You can try that out too.

Unknown said...

We are planning to do performance test for SOAP,LDAP and htpp/https, Could you please let me know which is best tool to use.

SOAP UI i can use but I am not getting proper report there, Which tool will generate proper report, Do you have any idea. Jmeter also i dont think it will create proper report.

Could you please advise me, Whether can i use loadrunner, Is it a better option for SOAP/XML/HTTP and HTTPS performance testing?

Venkata Ramana R said...

Hi,

I am complete newbie for performance world and I just downloaded WebLOAD_Open_Source_Load_Engine_Source_code_8.1.0.118.en.src

This came as some bunch of folders and now I just don't know how should I install and start using it?

Please help me to get over this.

Thanks ~Venkat.

STC Technologies said...

The WebLOAD Open Source Load Generation Engine is an open source project sponsored by RadView Software.STC Technologies