HP LoadRunner
 | |
| Developer(s) | Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Software |
|---|---|
| Stable release |
12.53
|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows and Linux (Load Generator only) |
| Available in | 11 languages |
|
List of languages Simplified Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese-Brazilian, Russian, Spanish. | |
| Type | Load testing tools |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | HPE LoadRunner |
HPE LoadRunner is a software testing tool from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In Sept 2016, HPE announced it is selling its software business, including Mercury products, to Micro Focus.[1] It is used to test applications, measuring system behaviour and performance under load. HPE acquired LoadRunner as part of its acquisition of Mercury Interactive in November 2006.[2][3]
HPE LoadRunner can simulate thousands of users concurrently using application software, recording and later analyzing the performance of key components of the application.
LoadRunner simulates user activity by generating messages between application components or by simulating interactions with the user interface such as keypresses or mouse movements. The messages/interactions to be generated are stored in scripts. LoadRunner can generate the scripts by recording them, such as logging HTTP requests between a client web browser and an application's web server.[4]
Architecture
The key components of HPE LoadRunner are:
- Load Generator generates the load against the application by following scripts
- VuGen (Virtual User Generator) for generating and editing scripts
- Controller controls, launches and sequences instances of Load Generator - specifying which script to use, for how long etc. During runs the Controller receives real-time monitoring data and displays status.
- Agent process manages connection between Controller and Load Generator instances.
- Analysis assembles logs from various load generators and formats reports for visualization of run result data and monitoring data.
Modules are available to enable HPE LoadRunner to capture, replay and script different application and networking technologies. These include support for:[5]
- applications using Microsoft .NET and Java
- database servers such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle
- internetworking protocols such as DNS, FTP and LDAP
- e-mail protocols including IMAP, MAPI, POP3 & SMTP
- remote client technologies such as Citrix ICA and RDP.
HPE LoadRunner can be run standalone or multiple instances can pooled for use by several people under the control of HP PerformanceCenter.
History
| Version | Service Pack | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | N/A | April 2000 | |
| 6.5 | N/A | June 2000 | Added "TurboLoad" technology. |
| 7.8 | N/A | September 2003 | |
| 7.8 | Feature Pack 1 | September 2003 | Added support for Windows XP. |
| 8.0 | N/A | August 2004 | Added "Additional Attributes" to Runtime Settings. |
| 9.10 | N/A | February 2008 | |
| 9.51 | N/A | July 6, 2009 | |
| 9.52 | N/A | June 14, 2010 | |
| 11.0 | N/A | September 2010 | |
| 11.0 | Patch 1 | January 6, 2011 | |
| 11.0 | Patch 2 | February 22, 2011 | Added support for Visual Studio 2010 and Protocol Updates to Ajax TruClient, Citrix, Flex, Web. |
| 11.0 | Patch 3 | June 20, 2011 | Added support for IE9, Mobile protocols, GraniteDS. |
| 11.0 | Patch 4 | November 2011 | HP SV (Service Virtualization Integration) with Controller, GWT-DFE(Google Web Toolkit- Data Format Extension), RTMP Tunneled, Messaging support, Streaming support, Flex Correlations. |
| 11.50 | N/A | November 2011 | Added New VuGen IDE, Ajax TruClient for IE, Web Protocol Asynchronous Support, Flex, Mobile, .NET, Web Services, 64-bit applications recording, IPv6 support. |
| 11.50 | Patch 1 | July 20, 2012 | Added Ajax TruClient IE protocol. |
| 12.00 | N/A | March 18, 2014 | Added ability to instantiate instances on Amazon EC2 directly from LoadRunner UI. |
| 12.02 | N/A | January 21, 2015 | Added ability to instantiate instances on Microsoft Azure directly from LoadRunner UI. |
| 12.50 | N/A | August 2015 |
|
| 12.50 | Patch 3 | May 5, 2016 |
|
| 12.53 | N/A | May 2016 |
|
| 12.53 | Patch 1 | June 15, 2016 | Fixes a memory allocation issue that can impact Web HTTP/HTML protocols. |
HPE LoadRunner in the Cloud
From 2010 HP started to offer on-demand versions of LoadRunner available by cloud computing services such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and later Microsoft Azure.[6][7] Version 12.50 added the use of Google Compute Engine. Selected HP partners are also able to provide LoadRunner in the Cloud as an on-demand service from their SaaS platforms.
Scripting Languages
HPE LoadRunner client emulation scripts are usually created using the ANSI C programming language. However, Java and .Net programs can also be run by HPE LoadRunner. Version 12.50 added the use of JavaScript for Web-HTTP/HTML scripts.
Scripts from other testing tools such as Apache JMeter, NUnit, and Selenium can be run by LoadRunner by declaring an interface library. This enables scripts to send key-value pairs to the Controller as the script runs, enabling response times to be associated with specific conditions such as the number of items displayed in the User Interface.
LoadRunner scripts can also be called from within Jenkins.
References
- ↑ "HPE selling software business to Micro Focus". www.zdnet.com. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Krazit, Tom. "HP snaps up Mercury Interactive". CNET. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ "HP To Acquire Mercury Interactive For $4.5 Billion". Information Week. UBM Tech. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ Mar, Wilson. "LoadRunner architecture". Wilsonmar.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ Colantonio, Joe. "LoadRunner 11.50 Licensing Change and Protocol Bundles". JoeColantonio.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ Broersma, Matthew. "HP puts LoadRunner in the cloud". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ Fulton, Scott M. "HP Aims to Redefine Apps Performance Testing with Cloud Platform". ReadWrite. Wearable World Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2015.