Approaches to Performance Testing. Part 1

1. Diversity of Approaches to Performance Testing

• There are many variations within the broad framework of performance testing.
• There is no universal or consistent set of terminology, and many organizations have their own terms such as “work load testing” and “sweet spot testing”

2. Amount of Load that is put onto the server

• It can come from two different areas:
  • the number of connections (or virtual users) that are hitting the server simultaneously
  • the amount of think-time each virtual user has between requests to the server
• The more users hitting the server, the more load will be generated.
• The shorter the think-time between requests from each user, the greater the load will be on the server.
• Keep in mind that as you put more load on the server, the throughput will climb, to a point.

3. Baseline/Performance Testing. Concept

• Baseline — a range of measurements that represent acceptable performance under typical operating conditions.
• Testers have a baseline for how the system behaves under normal conditions.
• Baseline can then be used in regression tests to gauge how well a new version of the software performs.
• Baseline provides a reference point that makes it easier to spot problems when they occur.

4. Benchmark Testing. Concept

• The key to benchmark testing is to have consistently reproducible results.
• Benchmark tests should be used to determine if any performance regressions are in the application.
• Benchmark tests are great for gathering repeatable results in a relatively short period of time.
• The best way to benchmark is to change one and only one parameter between tests.

5. Benchmark Testing. “Flat” and “Ramp-Up”. Run Modes

• In case of “Flat” run mode, all of the users are loaded at once, and then run them for a predetermined amount of time.
• In case of “Rump-Up” run mode, users are loaded step by step.