Administering an ISP Installation

Testing Applications with the Web Application Stress Tool

The Web Application Stress Tool, available on the Resource Kit companion CD, simulates having multiple browsers request pages from a Web application at the same time. By masking some of the complexities of Web server testing, the Web Application Stress Tool allows you to focus on gathering performance data on a Web site. This version of the Web Application Stress Tool offers the most up-to-date features for stress testing three-tier personalized Web sites that contain ASP pages and that run on Microsoft® Windows® NT Server version 4.0 and Windows 2000 Server. For more information about three-tier sites, see Building a Web Cluster.

The following list highlights some of the features offered by the Web Application Stress Tool. These features allow you to:

Create scripts by hand, by recording browser activity, by pointing to an IIS 5.0 log file, or by selecting files in your content directory. For details, see the Web Application Stress Tool documentation included on the Resource Kit companion CD.
Run a test script with any number of client machines, all of which are controlled from one centralized master client. The Web Application Stress Tool handles the allocation of threads and users, and collects report data from all computers.
Control Web stress tests from a remote location through either the C++ or the ASP version of the Web Application Stress Tool client.
Create multiple users so that authenticated and personalized Web sites can be accurately stress tested.
Personalize realistic test scenarios. By default, support for ASP sessions allows cookies to be associated with users.
Log off the client without interrupting a test, because the Web Application Stress Tool runs as a Windows service.
Simulate modem throughput and increase the number of concurrent users, utilizing the Web Application Stress Tool’s built-in bandwidth throttling.
Customize your own stress run by using the stress templates provided with the Web Application Stress Tool. These templates change the number of users who are requesting pages on a site, simulating real-life site activity.
Import, store, and edit complex query-string name-value pairs by using the query-string editor.
Use the object model in order to create your own test client. By exposing all of the properties, methods, and constants, you can customize your own interface.
Assign the IP address or DNS name of a specific server to make the Web Application Stress Tool round-robin among the servers in your cluster.
Test for racing conditions, because the Web Application Stress Tool contains a delay between requests that is changeable.
Complete online definition help using expert discussions about stress testing techniques.
Customize all your test data, which the Web Application Stress Tool stores in a Microsoft® Access database.