Follow these performance
testing guidelines to ensure that you record a reliable test.
Verify Internet Explorer browser settings
Make
sure that your Internet options are set correctly before you start
to record. To set Internet options on Internet Explorer:
- Open Internet Explorer, and click .
- On the Connections page, click LAN Settings. The Local Area Network (LAN)
Settings window opens.
- If you are recording directly with Internet Explorer (that is,
you are not using a proxy), clear all fields in the Local
Area Network (LAN) Settings window. The window must look
like this illustration:
- If you are using a proxy with Internet Explorer,
- Set the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window options the same way as in the previous step, except select Use a proxy server for your LAN. Be sure that the Bypass proxy server for local address check box is cleared.
- Click Advanced, and in the Proxy
Settings window, set the fields as follows:
| Field |
Description |
| HTTP |
Points to the proxy server and port (typically the same address
and port as the secure proxy) |
| Secure |
Points to the secure proxy server |
| Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning
with |
Must be cleared |
The Proxy Settings window must
look like this, with information specific to your proxies:
- If your Internet Explorer browser was originally set up with no
proxy, verify that the registry key setting reflects that you are
using a proxy. To verify the registry key:
- Click .
- In the Registry editor window, click .
- Select Internet Settings.
- In the right pane, verify that the value of ProxyEnable is 1.
Note: If your security settings do not allow for changes to the Windows registry, you might not
be able to record HTTP tests using Internet Explorer in the default
mode. The HTTP recorder sets up a network proxy recorder process and
attempts to redirect browser traffic through the port of the proxy
recorder. By default, this port is localhost:1080. If the HTTP recorder cannot set up a network proxy recorder process
because of your security settings, you must either use a different
browser or you must change your security settings. Change your browser
settings to use a proxy at localhost:1080. Change
the browser settings back to their original values after you have
finished recording tests. While the HTTP recorder is not running and
the proxy settings are still in the changed state, you will not be
able to use Internet Explorer. The proxy is only active during recording.
Verify Firefox browser settings
Make sure that
your Internet options are set correctly before you start to record.
To set Internet options on Firefox:
- Open Firefix, and click .
- On the Network page, click Settings. The Connection Settings window opens.
- If you are recording directly with Firefox (that is, you are not
using a proxy), click No Proxy in the Connection Settings window, and then click OK.
- If you are using a proxy with Firefox, the fields must be set
as follows:
| Field |
Description |
| HTTP Proxy |
Points to the proxy server and port (typically the same address
and port as the secure proxy) |
| SSL Proxy |
Points to the secure proxy server |
| No Proxy for |
Must be cleared |
The Connection Settings window
must look like this, with information specific to your proxies:
Set Mozilla environment variables
If you plan to record with Mozilla, set the Linux environment variable MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME
to point to the directory that contains Mozilla. By default, Mozilla
is installed in /usr/local/mozilla on most Linux computers. Therefore, to
set the environment variable correctly, issue the following command
before you start IBM® Rational® Performance Tester:
export MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME=/usr/local/mozilla
Verify that the Agent Controller
is running
Verify that the Agent Controller is running on
your local computer and on the remote locations that will add load
to the schedule. To verify that the Agent Controller is running:
- Click , expand Agent Controller, and
click Hosts.
- Your local computer is listed. To verify other computers, click Add, and type the host name (or IP address), the port,
and then click OK.
- Select the computer to test, and click Test Connection. A message is displayed that says that the Agent Controller is running
or tells you why the connection failed.
On Linux, the Agent
Controller must be run with root user permissions.
If you run
the Agent Controller in a secure environment, you cannot collect response
time breakdown data. To learn more about enabling and disabling Agent
Controller security, see Configuring the Agent Controller in a secure environment.
Remove temporary files
To make sure that your recording accurately captures HTTP traffic,
remove temporary files (page history cache files) before you record
a test. To remove temporary files from the Internet Explorer cache:
- Right-click the Internet Explorer icon,
and select Properties.
- On the General page, click Delete
files.
- In the Delete Files window, select Delete all offline content, and then click OK.
- Click OK to close the Internet
Properties window.
To remove temporary files from the Firefox cache:
To remove temporary files from the Mozilla cache:
- Click .
- In the Preferences window, expand Advanced, and then click Cache.
- In the Set Cache Options area, click Clear Cache.
- Click OK to close the Preferences window.
Allow recorded pages to
load completely
During recording, wait for each page to
load completely. This wait will not affect performance results, because
you can remove extra "waiting time" (think time) when you play back
the test.
However, if your recording still contains errors, consult
the product-specific error message section: Click .
Recording with IP addresses
When recording, you
can enter the IP address of the web site to connect to instead of
entering the host name. When playing back the test, however, make
sure that the IP address can be resolved to a host name. Typically,
this resolution occurs via a reverse DNS lookup.
To resolve
the IP address, map each IP address to a host name in the /etc/hosts file (C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts on Windows XP and Windows 2000).
If an address
cannot be resolved, your test shows a slower-than-expected connection
time. This time might be delayed by as much as 8 seconds, depending
on the network configuration of the computer, and your test results
are skewed.