LoadRunner Tutorial

LoadRunner Tutorial

Welcome to the LoadRunner tutorial. The tutorial is a self-paced guide that leads you through the process of load testing, and helps familiarize you with the LoadRunner testing environment.

The tutorial is accessible as part of the LoadRunner Help Center, or a printer-friendly version is available as a PDF file. Click LoadRunner Tutorial, or on a LoadRunner machine, select Start > All Programs > HP Software > HP LoadRunner > Documentation > Tutorial > Tutorial - Print Version.

What will you learn during this tutorial?

• Lessons 1 through 4 describe how to develop a Vuser script using VuGen - the Virtual User Generator.
• Lessons 5 and 6 explain how to design and run load tests using the LoadRunner Controller.
• Lesson 7 introduces the Analysis tool, showing you how to create graphs and reports which will help you analyze your load test.

At the conclusion of this tutorial, you will be ready to design, run, and monitor a simple load test on your own system. It is recommended that you work through the tutorial in the order in which the information is presented.

What are the LoadRunner components?

LoadRunner contains the following components:

• The Virtual User Generator or VuGen records end-user business processes and creates an automated performance testing script, known as a Vuser script.
• The Controller organizes, drives, manages, and monitors the load test.

• Analysis helps you view, dissect, and compare the results of the load tests.

  

• Load Generators, computers that run Vusers to generate a load on the system.

LoadRunner Terminology

Term	Description
Transaction	You define transactions to measure the performance of your system. A transaction is a set of end-user actions that represent typical application activity. For example: Log in, navigate to a search dialog, enter a search string, click the search button, and log out.
Business Process	A sequence of steps in your application that represent a use case or a business function. It includes one or more transactions. For example: Searching a product catalog, booking a flight, or placing an order.
Scenario	A collection of business processes. A scenario defines the events that occur during a testing session, based on performance requirements. For example, a scenario might include a combination of "Create new account", "Search for flight", and "Purchase ticket" business processes.
Virtual Users or Vusers	Vusers emulate the actions of human users working on your system. A scenario can contain tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Vusers.
Vuser Script	The recorded actions of a business process performed in your application.
Protocol	The method of communication between a client and the server.
Script footprint	The script footprint is defined by the quantities of the various load generator resources that are required to execute the Vuser script. Typical resources include memory, CPU power, and disk space.

What is the LoadRunner load testing process?

Load testing with LoadRunner typically consists of five phases: planning, script creation, scenario definition, scenario execution, and results analysis.

1. Plan Load Test. Define your performance testing requirements, for example, number of concurrent users, typical business processes, and required response times.
2. Create Vuser Scripts. Use VuGen to capture the end-user activities into automated scripts.
3. Define a Scenario. Use the Controller to set up the load test environment.
4. Run a Scenario. Use the Controller to drive, manage, and monitor the load test.
5. Analyze the Results. Use LoadRunner Analysis to create graphs and reports, and evaluate the system performance.

Define Performance Requirements

This tutorial will use a travel service application. Imagine that you are the performance engineer responsible for signing off that the application meets the needs of your business. Your project manager has given you four criteria for approving the product for release:

1. The application must successfully handle 10 concurrent travel agents.
2. The application must be able to process 10 simultaneous flight bookings with response time not exceeding 90 seconds.
3. The application must be able to handle 10 travel agents running simultaneous itinerary checks with response time not exceeding 120 seconds.
4. The application must be able to handle 10 agents signing in and signing out of the system with response time not exceeding 10 seconds.

This tutorial will walk you through the process of building load tests that validate each of the business requirements.

Where to go from here

Now that you have been introduced to the LoadRunner basics, you can proceed to Using the HP Web Tours Sample Application.

http://lrhelp.saas.hp.com/en/latest/help/WebHelp/Content/Tutorial/Introducing_LoadRunner.htm