Use the Microsoft Exchange Server Load Simulator (Loadsim.exe) to help you determine the acceptable level of performance for your organization. The tool is designed to provide you with a load level that is realistic by simulating the user behavior on one or more client computers. It provides a user interface for defining test topologies, user behavior, and controlling simulations. Load Simulator is a multiclient emulator program that allows you to carry out large-scale user load experiments without actually configuring a large group of client computers. The tool sends user messages to the server on which you are running Load Simulator by simulating an actual client. With Load Simulator, you can test how your messaging server will perform under different message loads. It allows accurate observations of server behavior under controlled conditions. You can then use this information to determine the optimum number of users per server, pinpoint performance bottlenecks, and evaluate server hardware performance.
Load Simulator can be used in the following ways:
Load Simulator takes advantage of multithreading, multiprocessing, and shared-memory features in Windows NT Server to create and manage up to several hundred simulated users on a single client computer. This makes it possible to run large server load simulations with a relatively small amount of hardware.
The number of users that can be emulated on a single client machine varies with the protocol module and the client hardware being used. A Pentium 200 with 256 MB memory can emulate 400 Microsoft Exchange users.