Load test profiles

This topic describes how to set the load profile for scripts, including the scheduling mode and the load generator location for each script.

For information on how to schedule an entire load test, see Schedule a test run.

Creating a load test profile

You create a profile for your test in the Load Profile pane.

To create a load test profile:

  1. Add scripts. Click the Add from Assets button Add from assets button to select the scripts for your test from the existing assets. For details, see Scripts.

  2. Choose a scheduling mode. For details, see Scheduling modes.

  3. Select a location for the run: Cloud or On-premises.

  4. Set the basic setting from the script list pane. For details, see Basic settings.

  5. Set additional details about the Vusers and the run. For details, see Additional settings.

Back to top

Scheduling modes

The available scheduling modes are dependent on the load test's run mode.

Run mode Scheduling mode
Duration

There are three available modes of script schedules:

Simple: Configure the Vuser's start and stop times, at a consistent rate.

Manual: Configure ramp up and tear down values for a specific number of Vusers in given time intervals.

Advanced: Configure a schedule with multiple instances of Vusers starting and stopping during the test.
Iteration Simple mode only.
Goal Oriented Scheduling modes are not available.

To set a scheduling mode, expand the Scheduling dropdown in the script's row and select Simple, Manual, or Advancedas described below.

Schedule mode settings

Back to top

Basic settings

You can customize the settings for each script either in the table columns, or in the script's Details pane.

The visible columns depend on the script's run mode : Duration, Iterations, or Goal Oriented. The following table lists which columns are visible for each run mode.

Column name Description Run mode Remarks
Vusers The number of Vusers to run the script Duration, Iterations

Note:

  • For TruClient Native Mobile scripts, only one Vuser can run in the test.

  • This setting is only editable in the schedule profile pane for Manual and Advanced scheduling mode.
% of Vusers The percentage of Vusers to run this script Goal Oriented

Enter the percentage of the total Vusers for the load test that you want to allocate to run the selected script.

Note: The sum of percentages for all the scripts in the test must be 100%.
Start time The start time of the script Duration, Iterations

Enter a relative start time in hours, minutes, and seconds (hh:mm:ss) in which to start the script after the load test begins. If you do not enter a start time, the script runs at the start of the test.

Tip: If you have several scripts associated with your test, you can set a different start time for each script.

Ramp up The ramp up time for Vusers running the script Duration (Simple scheduling mode), Iterations

The pace at which Vusers are started in the following format: hours, minutes, and seconds (hh:mm:ss). The schedule profile pane shows a graphical representation of the ramp up on a time scale.

Note: This setting is editable in the schedule profile pane for Manual and Advanced scheduling mode.

Duration

The total test duration

Duration

Enter hours, minutes, and seconds (hh:mm:ss).

Note:

  • You cannot configure the test duration when using the Advanced scheduling mode as the duration is calculated automatically (the total time of all the ramp up, duration, and tear down steps).

  • This setting is editable in the schedule profile pane for Manual scheduling mode only.
Tear down The tear down time for Vusers running the script Duration (Simple scheduling mode)

The pace at which Vusers are stopped in the following format: hours, minutes, and seconds (hh:mm:ss). The schedule profile pane shows a graphical representation of the tear down on a time scale.

Note: This setting is editable in the schedule profile pane for Manual and Advanced scheduling mode.
Iterations The number of iterations of the script in the load test Iterations

No remarks.

Max duration

The maximum length of time in which the script should complete the number of specified iterations

Iterations

Enter hours, minutes, and seconds (hh:mm:ss).

If the script has not completed the number of configured iterations within the maximum duration time, the Vusers for the script are terminated.

Location

The location of the load generators that run the script—Cloud or On-premises All
  • Only those locations that support the specific script type are enabled.

  • When you change the location for a script that is configured for On-premises, if the script is assigned to run on a specific load generator, it is unassigned automatically.

    For details, see Load test profiles

Activate or Deactivate a script toggle

Activates or deactivates a script All

This option includes or excludes a script from the test. It is useful for skipping a script for a specific run.

After you set the values int he Load profile page, you can configure additional settings in the script's Details pane.

Script profile pane

A graph in the Details pane displays a visual representation of the script schedule with the number of Vusers, duration, ramp up, and tear down. (A smaller version of the graph is also displayed in the row of the script.)

Back to top

Simple mode settings

Simple mode is the default schedule mode, and enables you to configure a time during which the Vusers are started or stopped, at a consistent rate. For example, if you assign ten Vusers for a script and a ramp up time of ten minutes, one Vuser is started each minute.

Simple mode scheduing example

Configure the following additional settings directly in the row of the selected script:

Action Task
Define the ramp up

Specify the ramp up time to start Vusers at a consistent rate.

  1. Click the Ramp up column.

  2. Enter hours, minutes, seconds (hh:mm:ss).

Note: For TruClient Native Mobile scripts, only one Vuser runs, so there is no ramp up.
Define the tear down

Specify the tear down time to stop Vusers at a consistent rate.

  1. Click the Tear down column.

  2. Enter hours, minutes, and seconds (hh:mm:ss).

Note: For TruClient Native Mobile scripts, only one Vuser runs, so there is no tear down.

Back to top

Manual mode settings

Note: The Manual scheduling mode is only enabled for load tests configured to run in Duration mode.

Manual mode enables you to simulate a slightly more complex scenario by configuring the ramp up and tear down values for a specific number of users in time intervals. For example, you can configure three Vusers to be started every two minutes until all the Vusers for the test have been started.

Manual scheduling mode example

Select Manual scheduling mode, and configure the following additional settings in the schedule profile pane:

Action Task
Define the ramp up, the rate at which Vusers are added.

Specify how many Vusers are added and at what time intervals.

  1. Specify the time interval.
  2. Specify the number of Vusers to start in each time interval.
Define the tear down, the pace at which Vusers are stopped.

Specify how many Vusers are stopped and in what time intervals.

  1. Specify the time interval.
  2. Specify the number of Vusers to stop in each time interval.

Back to top

Advanced mode settings

Note: The Advanced scheduling mode is only enabled for load tests configured to run in Duration mode.

The Advanced mode enables you to configure a schedule that more accurately reflects a real life scenario, with multiple instances of Vusers starting and stopping during the test.

Select Advanced scheduling mode. In the schedule profile pane, configure multiple steps using the following settings:

Action Task
Define the ramp up, the rate at which Vusers are added.

Click Add ramp up to add a Ramp Up step and specify how many Vusers are added and in what time intervals.

  1. Specify the time interval.
  2. Specify the number of Vusers to start in each time interval.
  3. Specify the total number of Vusers to start in the step.

For example, you can configure two Vusers to be started every four minutes until a total of twelve Vusers have been started.

Set a duration.

Click Add duration to add a Duration step and specify the time the test runs before executing the next scheduling step.

Duration does not include ramp up and tear down times.
Define the tear down, the pace at which Vusers are stopped.

Click Add tear down to add a Tear Down step and specify how many Vusers are stopped and in what time intervals.

  1. Specify the time interval.
  2. Specify the number of Vusers to stop in each time interval.
  3. Specify to total number of Vusers to stop in the step.

For example, you can configure three Vusers to be stopped every two minutes until a total of nine Vusers have been stopped.

Note:  

  • Advanced mode is unavailable for:

    • Scripts in a load test configured for the iterations run mode.

    • TruClient Native Mobile scripts.

    • Scripts with the Test settings > Add Vusers option selected. For details, see Configure test settings.

  • The first step must be a Ramp up.

  • The last step must be a Tear down.

  • The schedule must include at least one Ramp up step, one Duration step, and one Tear down step.

  • You can include a maximum of forty steps in the schedule.

Back to top

Additional settings

For all scheduling modes, you can configure the following additional settings:

Action Task
Set pacing

Controls the time between iterations. The pace tells the Vuser how long to wait between iterations of your actions.

You can control pacing either from the Load test > Load profile tab or from Runtime settings > Pacing.

To set the pacing in the Load test > Load profile tab:

  1. In the schedule profile pane for the script, turn on the Local pacing switch.

  2. Enter time in seconds.

    Tip: To set the time in milliseconds, enter the time in decimals. For example, 250 milliseconds = 0.250.

    Pacing defaults to 1 second.

For LoadRunner scripts, if your script contains fixed pacing, pacing defaults to the script value. You can manually change the value.

To set the pacing using runtime settings, Open the runtime settings.

Note: If local pacing is turned off, the runtime settings values are used by default.

Back to top

Next steps: