Table of Contents

• 1. Adding Blazemeter Plugin to Browser
• 2. Recording Script via BlazeMeter Plugin
• 3. Importing Script (.jmx file) into JMeter
• 4. Adding JMeter Listeners
• 5. Viewing Result Tree Listener
• 6. Running and Validating Our Script

Honestly speaking if you already have a mature or established process using ‘native’ JMeter from Apache, without any kind of wrappers utilities or third-party tools then this article is of little value to you.

However, there are many companies and/or projects out there who may employ some wrappers or third-party tools, plugins etc. around JMeter, in order to ease out their NFT process while addressing limitations of ‘native’ Apache JMeter. In this regard, there are a number of solutions and plugins available from Blazemeter.

If you don’t want to work natively with JMeter then one such solution from Blazemeter is the Chrome Plugin. The Chrome extension records all of the HTTP/S requests and can create a synced JMeter and Selenium scripts. Furthermore, If you are a registered or licensed user of Blazemeter then it automatically uploads it to BlazeMeter, where you can execute it with a single click.

In this case, there is no need to install JMeter nor Selenium to record or run your performance test, the Chrome extension will create the JMeter and Selenium scripts automatically. The extension will also allow you to debug and test your recorded Selenium session on your local Chrome browser.

However, in this article, we shall be only demonstrating a quick recording scenario using BlazeMeter chrome plugin.We’ll be doing a Login test on a website called demo.taotesting.com.

1. Adding Blazemeter Plugin to Browser

You will need to download and install the BlazeMeter plugin form the Chrome Web store.Simply add the plugin and you are good to go.

2. Recording Script via BlazeMeter Plugin

If you are new to BlazeMeter, you will need to Sign-up. If you are already registered, just Login

Step 1: Name your test.

Step 2: Click the Record button to begin recording the steps of the test.

Step 3: Go to the demo testing site.

Step 4: Enter the Login ID and Password provided therein.

Step 5: Click Log in and ensure that you have successfully logged in.

Step 6: Click “Stop”. BlazeMeter will begin to process your test.

Step 7: Download the .jmx file by clicking the Save Button. In the prompted screen, select “JMeter only” and the domain as taotesting.com. Now click “Save” and the .jmx file will be downloaded.

Now we can start our work with JMeter.

3. Importing Script (.jmx file) into JMeter

Let’s import the test that we just recorded.

Step 1: Click Open in the menu bar and open the downloaded.jmx file into JMeter and save it with your project name.

Step 2. Then you will see the imported components under your Test Plan. Under the Thread Group, you will find the Test scenarios.

The Login ID and Password that was used under the Test will be displayed
>> Test>>https://demo.taotesting.com/tao/Main/login.

4. Adding JMeter Listeners

Listeners are used to display test results in JMeter. They help to monitor the requests sent by JMeter and analyze responses from the server while testing. Time and capacity related information collected for requests and responses from JMeter and statistical information such as distribution and percentages are the main things that listeners deal with.

We have to add a Result Tree listener to view our results.

Right-click on your Test Plan (Testing 2 in my case) >>Add >>Listener >>View Result Tree and you can have the result tree pane.

5. Viewing Result Tree Listener

This listener displays the samplers generated by JMeter and their assertion results. This listener provides request parameters, response parameters, and the response data. It displays the results under the relevant tabs named Sampler Result, Request, and Response Data.

In the Sampler Result, tab you will find information about headers, response code, time-related information such as latency, cookies, error count, etc. The Request tab gives information about HTTP methods, Cookies added, the URL and about the JMeter Script added.

This Listener is able to render the information transmitted into simple formats such as text, HTML or XML. Also, the substrings are filtered by this listener, this helps to construct and validate some post processors. Apart from that, it can display the unsuccessful assertions and compare the actual and expected results. These are some valuable features of View Result Tree Listener.

6. Running and Validating Our Script

Let’s follow these steps to validate our test.

Step 1: Run the test by clicking Start in the menu bar. You will see the verified results in the Result Tree Listener.

Step 2: Check the validated Sampler result, Request, and Response data to see the sample, code verified results, HTML scripts, and Response Headers respectively.

Hint: Change the names of your HTTP Requests to identify them easily. A meaningful name can be provided instead of the HTTP address.

Apache JMeter with BlazeMeter is surely one of the top solutions if you are thinking of venturing with non-native JMeter territory. Even though JMeter has many built-in solutions and features, BlazeMeter is more useful because of the additional features it provides.

Its worth giving a shot, so try it out and see if it works for you. Cheers!

The post How To Record Using BlazeMeter Plugin (JMeter) appeared first on Automation Dojos.

About Listeners

Listeners are used for displaying test results in JMeter. Listeners allow system engineers to analyze the responses from the testing system and monetize the request sent from JMeter.

You can show the listener results in a table, tree, graph, or write into a file. These demonstrated effects consist of time details,capacity-related information, percentages, and distributions.

1. How to add a listener

Listeners can be placed by right-clicking on a thread group or a sample and clicking Add >> Listener >> the Listener you prefer to have. Plenty of listeners with different aspects have added to the Listeners menu. The required listener has selected the sample and the relevance of the data. These listeners collect data from their level or high level of its placement position.

I have created two thread groups in the above Test Plan. A “View Results Tree Listener” has been placed in three different positions in the Test Plan. “View Results Tree 1”  Listener has is added as a child element of the “FTP Request Post” sample. So it will only display the results of its parent sample.“View Results Tree 2”  listener has placed under the” Thread Group.” So it will present results of all samplers in “Thread Group.” “View Results Tree 3” listener will show the results of all samplers in both “Thread Group ” and “New Thread Group.” Following is how a listener shows results based on its position.

2. Basic listeners for viewing results

I have created an HTTP Request Sampler to demonstrate the listeners below. I have used the Apache JMeter User Manual page to test the listeners, and you can find it from this link. The image below shows the settings of the HTTP Request Sampler. Also, I have to change the Thread Group properties for ten users. Use the path mentioned above to add.

2.1) View Results in Table Listener

This listener displays the data in the form of a table. The ten users obtain the following results. These results are in order of the time samples that were issued. Below is a useful listener to estimate a system under test quickly. Let’s understand the outputs from this listener.

“Sample” is the number of the sample of 10 samples that we have used. Then the start time and the Thread Name are displayed. 1-1 in that indicates the first iteration of example 1. “Label” shows the type of request we have used. “Sample Time” is the response time for each sample in milliseconds. “Status” is displayed based on the assertion we use. If the claim passes, it shows in green, and if it fails, it shows in red. “Sent Bytes” are the size of our sample. “Latency” means the time that takes to receive a response from the start time. “Connect time” is the time that seeks to connect to the server.

2.2) View Results Tree Listener

This listener displays the samples and the results related to them. It displays request parameters, response parameters, and response data of the samples. ”Sampler Result” section also shows the data discussed in the above listener. In addition to that, it displays “Error count,” Data type,” Response Message,” Content-Type” data.

“Request” shows the Get request to the server for receiving the information.

Response data shows the data received from the server. In this case, it is an HTML code of the web page.

2.3) Graph Results Listener

This listener generates the results in the form of a graph. It can give the Average, Median, Deviation, and Throughput data of the samples in a graphical view.“ Loop Count” property of the Thread Group should be set to infinite to get a continuous graph. The following listener is highly memory-consuming. So if you are testing a massive load test, it is better to get your results into a file.

2.4) Save Responses to a File Listener

You can see a field called Filename in all these listeners. So you can give a “.CSV” or. “XML” file to save these data from the listeners in the runtime to that file. Give the path of that file in the desired location to the “Filename” field and run it. I have given a file as “Logged Data” for View results tree Listener,” and it has saved all the response data as in the below. “CSV” file.this is a beneficial way to observe test results when you are testing large systems.

These are the most used listeners in JMeter, and you can try them to see their performance according to your test plans.

The post Working with JMeter Listeners appeared first on Automation Dojos.

1. Introduction

As a developer, you may have tested the functionality of your code hundreds of times during development. This is known as functional testing. Despite how familiar you are with your product, users will approach it differently and have many different use cases. That’s why you need Non-Functional Testing (NFT).

Performance, Security, Usability, and Reliability are just some of the many NF aspects that can be tested to ensure a better user experience. Apache JMeter is one of the best ‘Open Source and Free Tool’ that you can use for NFT. It can be used to perform Load Testing, Performance Testing, Scalability Testing, and more.

2. Watch Installation Video

3. Download and Install

Now you have a basic idea of JMeter and its components. Let’s try a real-world example for a better understanding. Simply follow these steps to test youtube.com as our website.

4. Creating a Test Plan

Let’s start by creating a New Test Plan for our test.

1. Start JMeter
2. Go to File > New and add a Test Plan and give it a name.

5. Adding a Thread Group

This section details setting up a certain number of Threads that will be used for our test. You can do so by following these steps:

1. Right-click on the newly created Test Plan which will be displayed in the Test Plan Pane.
2. Click Add > Threads (Users) > click Thread Group

Then you have to add the thread properties by clicking your thread group. You can add the Thread name and thread properties that are suitable for your test. I added data as follows:

Based on my values:

1. Number of Threads: 100 users being connected to our Server application will be simulated.
2. Ramp-up Period: The 100 threads will be generated within a period of 10 seconds.
3. Loop Count: The test will be looped (repeated) 10 times.

Also, you can define thread time and thread start delay if needed. I have not used those features in order to keep this tutorial simple.

6. Adding JMeter Elements

Elements are individual tests that will be executed as part of our Test Plan.

HTTP requests can be added by right-clicking the newly created Thread Group and selecting Add > Config Element > HTTP Request Defaults.

In the HTTP Request Defaults add your website name under Basic > WebServer > Server Name or IP:

7. Making HTTP Requests

You can add an HTTP Request by right-clicking on Thread Group and selecting Add > Sampler > HTTP Request.

JMeter HTTP Request Sampler lets the user send HTTP/HTTPS requests to the webserver that we need to access. If we need to access the trending section on YouTube we can simply add /feed/trending in the path section.

I have not added the path here so that our tests are executed on Youtube.com servers.

8. Graph Result Implementation

To add graphically viewable results just Right-click the newly created Test Plan, select Add > Listener > Graph Results.

9. Run and Get the Results

Firstly, save your work. Now run your tests and obtain the results by clicking the “Run” button on the Menu Bar. The real-time results will be displayed on Graph Results.

The above results show the results for our tests on youtube.com:

Throughput and Deviation are the most important parameters that we can use to analyze our results. If the throughput is high, we can generally assume that the server has performed well, though this is not always the case. On the other hand, if the Deviation is low, we can assume our web application has performed well.

The above graph results show high throughput and low deviation. These results are very good and they are no surprise considering that YouTube is a popular service. It has been highly optimized in terms of both server performance and web application performance.

I recommend that you try JMeter to analyze your web application because of its simple GUI, free open-source nature, support for a variety of server types, and platform-independent nature. It will make your testing process much smoother and more convenient.

The post Getting Started with Apache JMeter appeared first on Automation Dojos.

HP Load Runner is the most popular tool from HP for performance, load and stress testing tasks. Using the LR, you can check different aspects of performance testing on a native system or a remote system.

However, remote networks are always behind a firewall. When a firewall is used, it blocks the commonly used port 80. So, the LR controller cannot establish a connection with LR agents on remote systems. However, you can use MI listener to communicate with remote LR agents over a secure HTTPS connection using port 443.

How it works?

LR agents are installed on all remote machines wherein Vusers on load generators are running.  Mi Listener is an effective tool that acts as a router to facilitate communication between the controller and the agent. When the agent connects to the MI Listener, it identifies itself with a unique name. This information is stored with the MI Listener. The agent uses port 443 to securely communicate with the MI Listener. On the other hand, the controller uses port 50500 to communicate with the MI Listener.

How to create this setup?

To facilitate performance testing over a firewall, you have to configure three components

1. Mi Listener
2. LR Agent
3. Controller

The post Performance Testing on Firewall-Protected Networks appeared first on Automation Dojos.

Table of Contents

• Virtual User Generator (VuGen)
• Controller and Load Generator
• Result Analysis
• Common issues with Load Runner

HP Load Runner is a popular automated load and performance testing tool that emulates actual load to check the performance and behavior of a product. Load Runner comprises three important components namely Virtual User Generator (VuGen), Controller and Load Generator and Analysis.

In fact, before we start discussing the ‘common issues’, let’s take a moment to go through the main LoadRunner components in brief as this would make the terms used in this article more meaningful and clear.

Virtual User Generator (VuGen)

For load and performance testing, you need to create scripts for simulating transactions. That is what VUGen does, in fact, it is one of the most important and most frequently used components of LoadRunner. As a scripting tool, VuGen enables you to create specific user scripts that record various transactions. In addition to creating user scripts, VuGen allows the following tasks:

Controller and Load Generator

The controller is responsible for executing scripts. When VuGen creates user scripts to simulate transactions, the next requirement is the creation of user case scenarios that simulate the behaviour of a user. These user cases or Vusers are executed and managed by the controller from a single workstation. In addition to passing scripts to the Load Generator which executes Vuser scripts, the controller collects the resulting information for analysis.

Result Analysis

HP Load Runner offers analytic tools that enable you to create detailed reports from Vuser logs generated after the execution of tests. You can either analyze reports from a single test or compare multiple tests.

Common issues with Load Runner

While HP Load Runner is a great tool to increase the quality of a product, technical issues can be frustrating as well. Here are some of the common issues experienced while working with Load Runner.

The post Common Issues with HP Load Runner appeared first on Automation Dojos.

Performance testing is one of the important processes of the software QA segment. While the application is efficiently designed and tested for functionality, it might lack the power to accommodate thousands of concurrent users.

Performance testing gauges the actual potentiality of an application. It replicates a scenario wherein thousands of concurrent users are running the application and thereby calculates the performance of the applications in terms of load balancing, stress management, endurance and scalability.

As the testing environment requires thousands of concurrent users, automated software is used to carry performance testing. HP is the leader in this segment with its HP load Runner software tool.

What is HP Load Runner?

HP Load Runner is a software testing tool from HP that is designed to perform non-functionality testing like performance testing. It unleashes the actual potentiality of an application before it goes live. With rapid advancement in technology and increasing cloud computing networks, it is important to check every application for load balancing and scalability features before releasing it for customers.

The need for HP Load Runner

In today’s fast-paced world, people need instant results. With several options available to customers, businesses only have few seconds to convince a customer to stay on the application. In such conditions, application load time is very essential. You have to make sure that the application loads in quick time. At the same time response time should be minimal too. When a user inputs data into the application, he expects a quick output. In addition, scalability is another factor wherein multiple users login at the same time and expect the application to deliver the same performance. All these issues have to be sorted out before launching a software application. HP load Runner offers intuitive testing tools that automate non-functional testing processes to analyze the performance of an application.

HP Load Runner in the cloud

With increased use of cloud-based applications, there is a greater need for cloud testing in recent times. HP Load Runner was lacking this feature earlier.

However, users can now make use of cloud-based HP Load Runner services to optimize resources and enjoy maximum ROI. HP Load Runner works with Amazon EC2 to offer highly scalable testing solutions to businesses of all sizes. With on-demand services, you can quickly deploy the testing environment and enjoy world-class technologies at cost-effective prices.

One of the important benefits of cloud-based testing is the provision of real-time network testing environments. While testing the application from your on-premise lab, several aspects like the latency, data loss, packet loss and bandwidth issues can be evaluated. On-premise lab testing does not effectively simulate these aspects. As load testing tools are required to test the performance of an application with thousands of concurrent users, cloud-based load testing achieves this task to perfection.

Tips to make the most out of HP Load Runner

While the testing software is packed with innovative features, it requires some expertise and experience to squeeze maximum performance from the application.

By following these simple tips, you can ensure that the testing procedure is optimized to the core.

The post A Prologue For HP Load Runner appeared first on Automation Dojos.