http://www.guru99.com/performance-testing-tools.html

 

 

 

Before learning about tools of performance testing, let’s understand –

Performance testing is the process of determining the speed, effectiveness, reliability, scalability and interoperability of the system, computer, network, program or application. The process can also check two or more application to compare system speed, data transfer rate, bandwidth, efficiency and reliability.

Can we do performance testing manually?

Its extremely difficult to find performance related information manually and check the system response. Best option is to use performance testing tool available in the market. You will either have a commercial product or an open source product.

Performance Testing Tools:

Tool is a must for performance testing. The following software testing tools are currently available:

Commercial Tools:

The following are the most recommended performance testing tools:

WebLOAD

Description:

WebLOAD is an enterprise scale load testing tool which features a comprehensive IDE, Load Generation Console and a sophisticated Analytics Dashboard.

Application:

WebLOAD has built-in flexibility, allowing QA and DevOps teams to create complex load testing scenarios thanks to native JavaScripting. WebLOAD supports hundreds of technologies – from web protocols to enterprise applications to network and server technologies.

WebLOAD Features:

  • Flexible test scenario creation
  • Supports every major web technology
  • Powerful correlation engine
  • Automatic bottleneck detection
  • Generate load on-premise or in the cloud

WebLOAD Pros and Cons

Pros
Cons
  • Native JavaScript scripting
  • Does not support Citrix
  • UI wizards to enhance the script
  • Does not support SAP GUI
  • Supports many technologies
  • Does not support RDP and RTE
  • Easy-to-reach customer support
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Read more about WebLOAD here

 

HP Performance Tester (LoadRunner)

This is an enterprise performance testing version of LoadRunner and a platform enabled both global standardization and formation Performance CoE.

Protocols:

All protocols are supported by Load Runner

Pros and Cons of HP Performance Tester tool:

Pros
Cons
  • Lower the cost of distributed load testing
  • Expensive compared to LoadRunner perpetual licenses
  • Scale from single projects to a full-scale testing Center of Excellence (CoEs) that consolidates hardware, standardizes best practices and leverages global testing resources
  • Additional investments needed to procure licenses for new protocol support
  • Reduce the risk of deploying systems that do not meet performance requirements through the use of effective enterprise load testing
  • SaaS:The licensing model requires procuring “Controllers” &”Vusers pack” separately. For concurrent test execution, multiple “Controllers” have to be procured which may be expensive
  • Lower hardware and software costs by accurately predicting system capacity
  • Requires 24*7 support for technical assistance during execution
  • Pinpoint the root cause of application performance problems quickly and accurately
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  • Effective tool utilization tracking
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  • Browser based access to global test resources and optimal usage of load generator farm.
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Borland SilkPerformer

Silkperformer tool is an enterprise class load and stress testing tool and has ability to test multiple application environments with the thousands of concurrent users. It also supports widest range of protocols.

Features:

There are good features in silkperformer and those are listed as follows:

  • Components -> Workbench, True Log Explorer and Performance Explorer
  • Requires minimum hardware resources for virtual user simulation
  • Simulates modifiable virtual users
  • Generates reports with tables and graphs and allows customization.
    • Supports six models of workloads.
    • Provides Agent Health Control
    • Server side diagnostics
    • Resource Management
    • Version Control Management

Protocols

Following are the good number of protocols supported by silk performer of Borland Corporation:

  • App. Server/Component Model:

    Oracle Forms; CORBA; EJB; .NET Remoting; Tuxedo; Jacada
  • Web:

    HTTP/HTML; HTTPS/HTML; HTTP/HTTPS; Flash;
  • Web Services:

    XML/SOAP; .NET
  • Internet:

    Email (SMTP/ POP); FTP; TCP/IP; LDAP
  • ERP/CRM:

    PeopleSoft 8; Siebel; SAP GUI
  • Terminal Services:

    Citrix Metaframe
  • Wireless:

    WAP; i-Mode; Radius
  • Databases:

    Oracle; DB2; CLI; ODBC; ADO;
  • Unit Testing:

    Junit; N-Unit; .NET
  • Frame Works:

    JAVA; .NET; Visual Basic

Pros and Cons of the tool:

Following discusses on the pros and cons of the silk performer tools:

Pros Cons
  • Supports integrated server monitoring
  • Customer friendly licensing
  • Correlation and Parameterization is user friendly
  • No License requirement for Controllers or Individual Protocols
  • Handles Load Test in Project approach
  • Pacing time feature is not readily available
  • Setting up Ramp down Pattern is not easy

 

Rational Performance Tester

Rational Performance Tester(RPT) is a performance and load testing tool developed by IBM Corporation. It is performance test creation, execution, and analysis tool that helps development team to validate the scalability and reliability of web based applications before deployment into production.

Features:

There are good features which gives confidence to the users that all performance related bottlenecks are resolved. Following are some of the features of this tool:

  • No coding involved
  • Scheduled and event based testing
  • Real time reporting for immediate performance problem identification
  • Run with large multi users tests
  • Accurate user profile workloads
  • Automated test data variation
  • Automatic identification of dynamic server responses
  • Rendered HTML view of web pages visited during test recordings
  • Environment and Platform support
  • Entrust security protocol support
  • Java code insertion for customization

Protocols:

Some of the protocols supported by RPT are:

  • Citrix
  • Socket Recording
  • Web HTTP
  • SOA
  • SAP

Pros and Cons of RPT

Following are the PROS and CONS of the application;

Pros Cons
  • Supports XML
  • No Programming knowledge required
  • Automatic Correlation
  • Diagnostics of Websphere and Weblogic application servers
  • Java Applet based applications not supported
  • Ramp up or Ramp down of resources not possible
  • Scheduling is not possible
  • Random selection of data in parameter files are not available

 

Open Source tools:

Apache Jmeter

JMeter is an open source tool that can be used for performance and load testing for analyzing and measuring the performance of variety of services. This tools mainly used for web and web service applications.

Features:

This tool doesn’t demand state of art infrastructure for load testing and supports multiple load injectors managed by a single controller

Protocols

  • Web : HTTP, HTTPS
  • WebServices : XML, SOAP, etc.
  • Java based protocols
  • FTP

Pros and Cons of JMeter:

Pros Cons
  • Highly portable and supports 100% all the Java based apps
  • Less scripting efforts as compared to other tools because of its user friendly GUI
  • Simple charts and graphs sufficient for analyzing key load related statistics and resource usage monitors.
  • Supports Integrated real-time, Tomcat collectors for Monitoring
  • Cannot record HTTPS Communication
  • Cannot intercept the AJAX traffic
  • Is not capable of monitoring any of Application server related statistics
  • Reporting framework has very limited features

Factors considered for selection of Performance tools:

Don’t Slog To Choose The Right Tool. Get Smart. Refer the points to Right. We have to consider some factors while selecting performance tools. Factors are as follows:

  • Customer Preference tool
  • Availability of license within customer machine
  • Additional protocol support
  • Availability of test environment
  • Efficiency of tool
  • License Cost
  • User Options for testing
  • Vendor support (IBM, Borland, HP support)

 

Technology V/s Performance Tools:

Following list down the choice of tools for each technology that we are going to test:

Technology/Protocols/Model Selection of tools
SOA Load Runner

Silk performer

SOA Test
SAP Load Runner

Silk Performer

Rational Performance Tester
Peoplesoft, Oracle Load Runner

Silk performer

Rational Performance Tester
.Net and Desktop Client Load Runner

Silk Performer

VSTS
Citrix related applications Load Runner

Silk Performer

Rational Performance Tester
Web based applications LoadRunner

Silk Performer

JMeter
CoE Operational Model Performance Center

LoadRunner

Silk Performer
Java SLAMD

Lobo

CLIF
OS Independent Soap Stone

p-unit

Benerator

Allmon
Linux Curl-loader

D-ITG

DOTS

Hammerhead
Javascript Raw Load Tester
Cross Platform Ostinato

Conclusion:

Thus, we concluded that performance testing tools is helping us to reduce risks and minimize costs. This is surely a complex testing which involved objectives of testing, cost, and resources involved and potential return.