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     ABOUT LOAD RUNNER

HPE LoadRunner is a software testing tool from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. It is used to test applications, measuring system behaviour and performance under load. HPE acquired LoadRunner as part of its acquisition ofMercury Interactive in November 2006.[1][2]

HPE LoadRunner can simulate thousands of users concurrently using application software, recording and later analysing the performance of key components of the application.

LoadRunner simulates user activity by generating messages between application components or by simulating interactions with the user interface such as keypresses or mouse movements. The messages/interactions to be generated are stored in scripts. LoadRunner can generate the scripts by recording them, such as logging HTTP requests between a client web browser and an application's web server.[3]

 

Contents

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Architecture[edit]

The key components of HPE LoadRunner are:

  • Load Generator generates the load against the application by following scripts

  • VuGen (Virtual User Generator) for generating and editing scripts

  • Controller controls, launches and sequences instances of Load Generator - specifying which script to use, for how long etc. During runs the Controller receives real-time monitoring data and displays status.

  • Agent process manages connection between Controller and Load Generator instances.

  • Analysis assembles logs from various load generators and formats reports for visualization of run result data and monitoring data.

Modules are available to enable HPE LoadRunner to capture, replay and script different application and networking technologies. These include support for:[4]

HPE LoadRunner can be run standalone or multiple instances can pooled for use by several people under the control of HP PerformanceCenter.

History[edit]

VersionService PackRelease dateNotes

5.0N/AApril 2000 

6.5N/AJune 2000Added "TurboLoad" technology.

7.8N/ASeptember 2003 

7.8Feature Pack 1September 2003Added support for Windows XP.

8.0N/AAugust 2004Added "Additional Attributes" to Runtime Settings.

9.10N/AFebruary 2008 

9.51N/AJuly 6, 2009 

9.52N/AJune 14, 2010 

11.0N/ASeptember 2010 

11.0Patch 1January 6, 2011 

11.0Patch 2February 22, 2011Added support for Visual Studio 2010 and Protocol Updates to Ajax TruClient, Citrix, Flex, Web.

11.0Patch 3June 20, 2011Added support for IE9, Mobile protocols, GraniteDS.

11.0Patch 4November 2011HP SV (Service Virtualization Integration) with Controller, GWT-DFE(Google Web Toolkit- Data Format Extension), RTMP Tunneled, Messaging support, Streaming support, Flex Correlations.

11.50N/ANovember 2011Added New VuGen IDE, Ajax TruClient for IE, Web Protocol Asynchronous Support, Flex, Mobile, .NET, Web Services, 64-bit applications recording, IPv6 support.

11.50Patch 1July 20, 2012Added Ajax TruClient IE protocol.

12.00N/AMarch 18, 2014Added ability to instantiate instances on Amazon EC2 directly from LoadRunner UI.

12.02N/AJanuary 21, 2015Added ability to instantiate instances on Microsoft Azure directly from LoadRunner UI.

12.50N/AAugust 2015

  • JavaScript as a new scripting language for the Web-HTTP/HTML protocol

  • Chrome TruClient support added

  • Google Compute Engine supported as cloud provider

  • Ability to record a TruClient script with one browser and replay it with any

  • Integrated Network Virtualization solution (formerly known as Shunra)

  • Docker-based Linux installation

  • Generating scripts from HAR files

  • Major enhancements in .NET and Citrix protocols

12.53N/AMay 2016

  • Git integration in VuGen

  • Java 8 support, 64-bit replay support in Java protocols

  • New PCoIP protocol

  • HTTP Video Streaming (HTML5, HLS) support

  • HTTP/2 support

  • Enhanced SAPUI5 recording in TruClient

  • REST step-builder editor in VuGen

  • Support of Win 10 and recording using MS Edge browser

  • Built-in Linux compatibility test in VuGen

  • Improved performance of Linux Load Generators, support of additional Linux distributions

HPE LoadRunner in the Cloud[edit]

From 2010 HP started to offer on-demand versions of LoadRunner available by cloud computing services such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and later Microsoft Azure.[5][6] Version 12.50 added the use of Google Compute Engine. Selected HP partners are also able to provide LoadRunner in the Cloud as an on-demand service from their SaaS platforms.

Scripting Languages[edit]

HPE LoadRunner client emulation scripts are usually created using the ANSI C programming language. However, Java and .Net programs can also be run by HPE LoadRunner. Version 12.50 added the use of JavaScript for Web-HTTP/HTML scripts.

Scripts from other testing tools such as Apache JMeter, NUnit, and Selenium can be run by LoadRunner by declaring an interface library. This enables scripts to send key-value pairs to the Controller as the script runs, enabling response times to be associated with specific conditions such as the number of items displayed in the User Interface.

LoadRunner scripts can also be called from within Jenkins.

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ Krazit, Tom. "HP snaps up Mercury Interactive". CNET. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

  2. Jump up^ "HP To Acquire Mercury Interactive For $4.5 Billion". Information Week. UBM Tech. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

  3. Jump up^ Mar, Wilson. "LoadRunner architecture". Wilsonmar.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

  4. Jump up^ Colantonio, Joe. "LoadRunner 11.50 Licensing Change and Protocol Bundles". JoeColantonio.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

  5. Jump up^ Broersma, Matthew. "HP puts LoadRunner in the cloud". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

  6. Jump up^ Fulton, Scott M. "HP Aims to Redefine Apps Performance Testing with Cloud Platform". ReadWrite. Wearable World Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

External links[edit]

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