Hosts module

This module enables you to view and manage hosts used for test execution.

To access

From the Performance Center navigation toolbar, click and select Hosts (under Resources).

Important information

You can provision hosts from the cloud for use in performance testing. For details, see Provision cloud load generators.

Relevant tasks

User interface elements are described below (unlabeled elements are shown in angle brackets):

UI Elements

Description

<My Performance Center common UI elements>

For My PC menus and buttons, see Performance Center user interface.

Add Host Opens the Add Host Dialog box, enabling you to create a testing host. For details, Add a host.
Cloud Hosts > Provision Host Opens the Provision Cloud Hosts dialog box, enabling you to provision hosts. You can choose how many hosts to provision and where the hosts are provisioned, and you can select all necessary host configurations. For details, see Provision cloud load generators.
Cloud Hosts > Provisioning Report Opens the provisioning report for the selected cloud host. For details, see Provisioning report. This option is disabled if the selected host is not a cloud host.
Maintenance > LoadRunner Agent Configuration

Opens the LoadRunner Agent Configuration dialog box for the selected host. For details, see Reconfigure the LoadRunner Agent user.

Note: Available for Windows hosts that are Operational and in Idle state only.

Maintenance > Reconfigure Host

Resets the following on the selected host machine:

  • Host license

  • System user (IUSR_METRO)

  • Communication Security passphrase

Note: You can reconfigure only one host at a time.

Maintenance > Data Processor Queue

Opens the Data Processor Queue window, enabling you to view the pending data processing requests.

Maintenance > Reboot Host

Enables you to remotely reboot host machines.

Note:

  • You can only reboot Controller and Load Generator hosts when they are in the Idle state.

  • You cannot reboot a UNIX load generator host.

  • Available only for hosts with Performance purposes.
Maintenance > Check Host

Enables you to check the connection to the selected host.

Delete Host. Deletes the selected host.

<Group or sort data>

Right-click in a column heading to sort or group data by the selected column. For more details, see Personalize your display.

Refresh. Refreshes the grid so that it displays the most up-to-date information.

Filter. Enables you to filter the information being displayed in the hosts grid. Click the filter box under the column you want to filter, and select a filter. For more details, see Personalize your display.

Select Columns. Enables you to select columns to be displayed in the view.
Export to XLS. Enable you to export the hosts grid to an Excel file..
Hosts Grid
ID The ID of the testing host.
Location The name of the host location.
Name The name or IP address of the host. Click the host name link to display additional details about the host and the host tabs. For details, see View or edit host details.
Status

Displays the status of the host and enables you to change the status of a selected host. The possible statuses are:

  • Operational. The host machine is up and running.

  • Non-operational. The host machine is down.

  • Unavailable. There is no information available about the status of the host.

Runtime State

The current activity on the host.

  • Idle. Indicates that the host is not being used.

  • Installing. Indicates that a patch is being installed on the host.

  • Rebooting. Indicates that the host is rebooting.

  • <Run states>. Indicates the host state during a performance test run.

  • <Data processing states>. Indicates the state of the host during a data processing task.

  • <Provisioning states>. Indicates the provisioning status of a cloud host. Host State changes to idle once the host is provisioned.

Purpose

The testing tools available on the host. For example:  Controller, Load generator, Data processor.

Note:

  • If the host machine is located over a firewall, or is a UNIX machine, it cannot function as a Controller or Data processor.

  • If you selected Windows Standalone LG or Unix Load Generator as the installation option, Load Generator is automatically selected as the purpose for the host and the other options are disabled.

Installation

The installation type of the host:

  • Windows Host. Indicates that this Windows host can be used for performance purposes (Controller, Load Generator, or Data Processor).

  • Unix Load Generator. Indicates that this Unix host is used as a load generator for performance tests.

  • Windows Standalone LG. Indicates that this Windows host is used as a standalone load generator for performance tests.

Note:

  • The load generator uses SSL to communicate with the Controller during runtime only. For non runtime functionality, such as including collating results, the load generator does not use SSL as the communication protocol.

  • Relevant only for load generator hosts located over a firewall.

Priority

A rank assigned to the host (between 1-9). The higher the priority you give the host, the more likely the host will be allocated to a test. There are a number of criteria to consider when assigning priority. The main considerations are whether the host is a dedicated machine or a shared resource, and the type of hardware installed on the machine.

SSL Enabled

Indicates whether the load generator host will communicate with the Controller via SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or not.

Note:

  • The load generator uses SSL to communicate with the Controller during runtime only. For non runtime functionality, such as including collating results, the load generator does not use SSL as the communication protocol.

  • Relevant only for load generator hosts located over a firewall.

Last Run Time Displays the date and time that the host was last run in a test. Click the last run time link to open the run page for the selected test.
Active Reservation ID Displays the timeslot ID. Click the link to open the timeslot for which the host is reserved.
Source

The testing host's source:

  • Local. The host exists in your testing lab.
  • Cloud. The host was provisioned from a cloud provider.
Attributes

The system attributes of the host.

Example: Memory, strength, installed components.

Tip: You can customize the host attributes in Lab Management. For details, see Customizing Project Entities in the ALM Lab Management Guide.

Privacy Type

The privacy type of the host. You can modify all hosts in Lab Management, including private hosts. In ALM, you can only create and modify private hosts within the project's pool.

LoadRunner Agent User Displays the domain and user name of the agent that enables communication between the Controller, Load Generators, and MI Listeners. If the field is empty, the default LocalSystem user account is being used. For details, see Reconfigure the LoadRunner Agent user.
MI Listener

The IP address or name of the MI Listener that enables data collection. Relevant only for hosts located over a firewall.

Description Describes the currently selected host.
Cloud Account

The name of the cloud account from which the host was provisioned.

Cloud Host Identifier

A unique ID for the host assigned by the cloud provider.

Cloud Image

The machine image applied to the cloud host.

Cloud Instance Type

The hardware specs of the cloud host.

Cloud Region

The region from which a cloud host was provisioned.

Cloud Request Id

The cloud provider's ID for a single provision request. A provision request includes all requested batches of hosts. Each batch has its own Cloud Request Item ID.

Tip: You can filter by Cloud Request ID to see all hosts that were provisioned in a single provision request.

Available in: Cloud Load Generators

Cloud Template

The host template used to provision the host. Changing a host template does not affect existing hosts that were provisioned from the template.

Available in: Cloud Load Generators

Tabs
Main Details Describes the currently selected host. For user interface details, see Hosts Grid.
Event Logs Displays detailed information about the tasks performed on the selected host, including the event type (an indication of the event's severity: error, warning, or info), a description of any errors, and the category of action where the event occurred.
Installed Components Displays a list of the Performance Center components installed on the host machine, including versions and patches.
Installed Programs Displays a list of all of the programs installed on the host machine. Details include the version, the publisher of the software, and the date it was installed on the host machine.
Processes

Displays information about the processes and resource usage of the selected host, including the percentage of processor time and memory used by the process, and the amount of elapsed time since the process started.

Services Lists all the services on the selected host, including service status (Running or Stopped), and the way the service is set to start up (automatically, manually, or if the service is disabled).
Check Host Status Displays the checks performed on the selected host, including the areas (Configuration, Connectivity, Installation, Performance) and sub-areas (Processor, Memory, System) that were checked, the expected and actual value resulting from the host check, and the host check status (Passed or Failed).

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