Webinar Questions and Answers: AJAX Performance/Load Testing

As you know, we present webinars about eValid on a regular basis, each time trying to focus on a different aspect about eValid technology and applications.

Our webinar last week was aimed at the convergence of the need for testing AJAX applications, and the requirement to impose significant load on a server stack from multiple users. This was a very popular webinar -- one of the best attended ones that we've done -- and we plan to schedule a repeat very soon.

What made the webinar most interesting was the variety and depth of the questions attendees asked. Those questions ranged from basic details about using cloud resources to drive the servers, to details about how eValid can synchronize on arrival (or change) of DOM values.

Due to time constraints, we weren't able to answer every attendee question during the event, but we did prepare answers for every question asked, given here:

http://www.e-Valid.com/Promotion/Webinars/AJAX.Performance.Load.Testing/questions.asked.html

We hope everyone will find our responses interesting and valuable.

Selected User Forum Posts

Beginning in mid-2010 we have directed all technical support questions to the eValid User Forum. We have learned that when one user has an issue, all users can profit from the answer.

Here is an additional selection of some of the posts that we think would be of general interest.

• Different Scripts -- Practical comments about using different or similar scripts for loading.
• Can eValid validate the results of JavaScript executions? -- How to use special eValid structural commands to extract DOM data for validation.
• Is eValid Compatible with VS2010's CUIT System? -- Technology comparison between eValid and CUIT.
• Run 10 Users on One Machine for Loading -- How the EPRISEnn license works to support multiple users on one machine.
• Different Scripts -- Discusses allocation of scripts into loading scenarios.
• Generating Random values -- How to generate random inputs: use eV.Generate.

Webinar: AJAX Performance/Load Testing

Test Complex AJAX Applications Quickly, Easily
Run 1,000's of Browser Users (BU's)
Realistic Loads Can Pinpoint Your Server-Stack Issues

Thursday, 27 January 2011
2:00 PM Eastern Time / 11:00 AM Pacific Time

QA/Testing/Tuning/Performance projects need to qualify performance of complex AJAX web applications -- within strict budget and time constraints -- to make sure their server-stack setups can meet the load.

The traditional methods of ramping up load, based on using HTTP/S simulations or "VUs", don't always work when asynchronous AJAX applications are involved. VU's don't do AJAX. You need a browser.

eValid server loading methods offer both quick-to-create, realistic, and fully synchronized AJAX functional tests. Plus you can lift those tests into performance/loading scenarios that can involve 100's or 1,000's or 10,000's of Browser Users ("BUs") per machine.

In this webinar you'll learn: how special eValid commands overcome problems with variable-time playback dependency; how to create full-reality AJAX tests quickly; how to adjust tests to be totally self-synchronizing under stressed AJAX conditions; how to incorporate tests in an eValid LoadTest scenario; how to launch 100's or 1,000's or 10,000's of Browser User (BU) instances; and, how to analyze consolidated performance summary data to identify server-stack bottlenecks.

This unique approach demonstrates how eValid becomes a genuine force multiplier in your web application performance testing efforts.

Topic Summary:

* eValid Architecture and Structure: How eValid functional and performance testing works.
* Functional Testing: How to make reliable recordings of AJAX applications.
* Making AJAX Tests "LoadTest Safe": How to augment tests for complete AJAX synchronization.
* Creating LoadTest Scenarios: How to use the LoadTest scenario editor to organize realistic LoadTest control scripts.
* Running LoadTests: How to launch single and multiple-instance runs using "cloud computing" resources.
* Finding Bottlenecks: How to read the LoadTest and other raw data to help spot server-stack issues.

You are cordially invited to attend this free Webinar.
REGISTER NOW!

Selected User Forum Posts

Beginning in mid-2010 we have directed all technical support questions to the eValid User Forum. We have learned that when one user has an issue, all users can profit from the answer.

Here is an additional selection of some of the posts that we think would be of general interest.

• What Do You eValid Guys Do About AJAX Synchronization? -- Options to assure reliable AJAX playback. [12Nov10]
• Where Does eValid Do Its Site Analysis? -- Explantion of Site Analysis operational details. [14Nov10]
• How Often Does An AJAX Application Fail To Sync? -- Practical AJAX application failure rates. [14Nov10]
• Problem with IndexElement -- Diagnosing an IndexFindElement Command. [29Nov10]
• HTTP Interface -- How to drive an HTTP interface directly. [30Nov10]
• Bug while playing back -- Discussion of properties of DWindowSet command [01Dec10]

eValid Positioning

Question Recently Posted On The eValid User Forum:
Been going around looking at all of the different kinds of test tools in the past few months and I'm just wondering if someone there could clarify where eValid is positioned, technology-wise and market-wise?

Our Response On The Forum:
That's a very broad question, but here are some of the key points that may give you the answer you're looking for.

• eValid tests web applications primarly, but also tests web/windows interactions. eValid is thus intended to be a complete web application test engine.



• eValid is self-contained, implemented inside an IE compatible browser -- it is in fact a "clone" of the installed IE browser (IE 5.50 and later only).



• Because of the implementation as a browser eValid does NOT interfere with the JavaScript operations that support AJAX at all. This is important because eValid then can do non-JavaScript synchronization commands that solve tricky AJAX playback stability issues.



• eValid playbacks scale nicely, which leads to the LoadTest solution that eValid provides: multiple, parallel, simultaneous eValid instances produce real Browser User (BU) load on your application.



• eValid is sold as a complete solution, and not as a toolkit. A QA/Test group's needs are usually completely met by the eValid solution.



• eValid is aimed mainly for use in small and medium enterprises, where the QA/Test and PerformanceTest teams may not necessarily have deep programming skill. eValid gets real results, quickly and efficiently, and withoutrequiring programming skill -- although having such skill may make learning eValid easier.



• Finally, eValid licensing and pricing is aimed to scale in with the budget contraints of small and medium enterprises.

eValid Support Team

Selected User Forum Posts

Beginning in mid-2010 we have directed all technical support questions to the eValid User Forum. We have learned that when one user has an issue, all users can profit from the answer.

Here is an additional selection of some of the posts that we think would be of general interest.

• A Comparison of eValid with the New VS2010 CUIT -- Techology assessment of eValid relative to Microsoft's newest offering.
• Does eValid Support XPATH? -- How eValid's IndexFindElementEx works as a faster version of "xpath".
• How Does eValid Support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)? -- General characteristics of eValid that work well with SMEs.
• The Largest Number of eValid BUs -- An explanation of the sizing rule for eValid.
• Can eValid do Monitoring from the Cloud? -- Discussion of criteria for monitoring from cloud images.
• Can You Explain How the IndexFindElementEX Command Works? -- Details about the RegEx Find command.

User Forum Posts

Beginning in mid-2010 we have directed all technical support questions to the eValid User Forum. We have learned that when one user has an issue, all users can profit from the answer.

Here is an additional selection of some of the posts that we think would be of general interest.

• Can you put ANY script into monitoring mode? -- Some simple groundrules for incorporating a script in "monitoring mode" operation.
• What is that situation about eValid and IE9? -- Confirmatino of IE9 Operation with eValid V9.
• Checking Links -- Discussion of mixing functional testing and site analysis processes.
• Record the Set of Times My Multi-step Playback Takes -- How to set up a test script to record internal "step times" into an external file.
• Saturate My T1 Connection -- About the capacity of eValid to saturate input/output channels.
• How Does eValid Know Which DOM To Use? -- Discussion of eValid access to a current page's DOM structure.