Recording a reliable test

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:
  1. Open Internet Explorer, and click Tools > Internet Options.
  2. On the Connections page, click LAN Settings. The Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window opens.
  3. 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:
    LAN settings with nothing checked
  4. If you are using a proxy with Internet Explorer,
    1. 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.
    2. 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:
      Proxy settings with HTTP, Secure, and Ports fields filled in
    3. 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:
      1. Click Start > Run > regedit.
      2. In the Registry editor window, click My computer > HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion.
      3. Select Internet Settings.
      4. 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:
  1. Open Firefix, and click Tools > Options.
  2. On the Network page, click Settings. The Connection Settings window opens.
  3. 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.
  4. 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:
    Proxy settings with HTTP Proxy and SSL Proxy fields filled in

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:

  1. Click Window > Preferences, expand Agent Controller, and click Hosts.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

  1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon, and select Properties.
  2. On the General page, click Delete files.
  3. In the Delete Files window, select Delete all offline content, and then click OK.
  4. Click OK to close the Internet Properties window.
To remove temporary files from the Firefox cache:
  • Click Edit > Preferences > Privacy > Clear Cache.
To remove temporary files from the Mozilla cache:
  1. Click Edit > Preferences.
  2. In the Preferences window, expand Advanced, and then click Cache.
  3. In the Set Cache Options area, click Clear Cache.
  4. 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 Help > Help Contents > Troubleshooting and support > Performance testing error messages.

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.


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