What is LoadRunner?
LoadRunner is a popular software testing tool from Micro Focus. It is known as Micro Focus LoadRunner and earlier as HP LoadRunner.
LoadRunner is used for testing the applications, measuring system behaviour and performance under load.
LoadRunner can simulate thousands of concurrent users, using application software, recording and analyzing the performance of key components of the application. It helps the users to produce real-time load transactions and analyze results.
LoadRunner can simulate the user activity by generating messages between application components or by simulating interactions with the user interface such as keypresses or mouse movements.
The to be generated messages and interactions are stored in scripts. LoadRunner can generate the scripts by recording them like logging HTTP requests between a client web browser and an application’s web server.
LoadRunner with total 50+ protocols, can test any Web, HTML, Java, SOAP and many more applications, which makes the LoadRunner the best choices for load testing.
The key components of LoadRunner
- Load Generator – which generates the load against the application by following the scripts
- VuGen or Virtual User Generator – to generate and edit scripts
- Controller controls – which controls launches and sequences instances of Load Generator by specifying which script to use and for how long etc. During the runs the Controller receives real time monitoring data and also displays status.
- Agent process – it manages connection between the Controller and the Load Generator instances.
- Analysis – it assembles logs from various load generators and formats the reports for visualization of run result data and for monitoring data.
Different modules are available to enable LoadRunner to capture, replay and script the different applications and networking technologies.
These support :
- the database servers like Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle
- remote client technologies like Citrix ICA and RDP.
- e-mail protocols including IMAP, MAPI, POP3 & SMTP
- internetworking protocols such as DNS, FTP and LDAP