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# Topologies

This section describes topologies and how to design a topology for your performance test.

Note: This feature is planned for removal in a future major version of LoadRunner Enterprise.

In this topic:

## Topologies overview

LoadRunner Enterprise can articulate the topology of your application under test (AUT) and use it as an interface for defining performance monitors by integrating with SiteScope.

Using topologies, you can:

- Manage an inventory of application under test (AUT) hosts which are grouped into AUT host pools, similar to LoadRunner Enterprise hosts and host pools

- Visually understand the tested environment

- Configure monitors using best practice monitor templates

- Configure monitors using templates from production environments

- Pinpoint runtime performance issues by highlighting a topology node's status based on the SiteScope monitor thresholds

The SiteScope user interface hosted in LoadRunner Enterprise enables leveraging SiteScope functionality in a use-case oriented approach, without requiring additional monitor configuration on the LoadRunner Enterprise side.

During runtime, the AUT schema with comprehensive SiteScope monitor data is displayed in different monitor graphs in the LoadRunner Enterprise run screen and measurement names can be identified and filtered.

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## Design a topology

This task describes how to design a topology.

Tip: For a use-case scenario related to this task, see Design a topology - Use-case scenario.

To design a topology:

1. Prerequisite

   Ensure that SiteScope is installed and configured to integrate with LoadRunner Enterprise. For details, see the section about installing SiteScope in the LoadRunner Enterprise Installation Guide (available from Installation).

2. Create an empty topology

   1. In LoadRunner Enterprise, click Open the navigation toolbar and select Topologies (under Assets).

   2. To create a topology folder, click the New Folder button, and enter the folder name.

   3. Click the New Topology button and enter a name for the topology. To add SiteScope monitors to the topology, specify the SiteScope server details.

      UI Elements | Description
      --- | ---
      SiteScope Server | The name of the SiteScope server.
      SiteScope Port | The port defined for SiteScope during installation of SiteScope. Default value: Non-SSL: 8080 SSL: 8443
      SiteScope SSL | Indicates whether SiteScope uses SSL.
      Enable Monitors | Always enables SiteScope monitors, or enables SiteScope monitor automatically during monitor configuration and performance test runs.

3. Design the topology

   Note: The Topology Designer window opens automatically when you create a new topology. If the Topology Designer window did not open, select a topology and click Design Topology.

   In the Topology Designer window:

   1. From the palette on the left, select relevant nodes representing the components in your AUT and drag them onto the Topology canvas.

   2. To connect two components, click one component (ensure that it is not selected) and drag the cursor to the other component.

   User interface elements are described below:

   UI Elements | Description
   --- | ---
   | Save Topology. Enables you to save your topology.
   | Cut/Paste selected items. Enables you to cut and paste the selected topology from one topology folder to another.
   | Copy selected items. Enables you to copy items selected on the canvas.
   | Delete selected items. Enables you to delete items selected on the canvas.
   | Undo/Redo. Enables you to undo or redo the previous action.
   | Zoom in/Zoom out. Enables you to zoom in and out of the canvas.
   | Actual size. Restores the whole topology design to its normal size. This button is enabled when the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons are in use.
   | Fit whole screen. Enables you to fit the entire topology design to the current screen size.
   | Configure Monitors. Opens the Configure Monitors dialog box, enabling you to manually configure SiteScope monitors on the selected node. For details about creating SiteScope monitors, see the SiteScope User Guide. Note: When configuring monitors for these components in SiteScope, the value for Monitor Run Settings > Frequency should be changed to a more suitable value, such as 5 - 15 seconds.
   | Deploy Monitor Templates. Opens the Deploy Monitor Templates Status dialog box, enabling you to configure SiteScope monitors on the selected node automatically by deploying a template monitor set.
   Palette tab | Enables you to select components to add to the canvas. The palette includes various types of server categories, as well as a Miscellaneous category. This category includes nodes that are not necessarily AUT-specific but that complete the topology design, such as a user or a client workstation.
   AUT Hosts tab | Enables you to manage all AUT hosts defined in the AUT host pool. Includes the following options: Add New AUT Host. Opens the Add AUT Host dialog box, enabling you to add a new AUT host. Update AUT Host. Opens the Update AUT Host dialog box, enabling you to modify AUT host details. Delete AUT Host. Deletes selected AUT host. For details, see Add the AUT hosts.
   Topology canvas | Provides a canvas where you can lay out the topology by dragging components/server nodes and linking them to each other.
   Properties | Enables you to define properties for the node selected on the canvas. The lower section of the Properties pane displays a description of the selected property.
   Navigator | Enables you to drag the topology's structure to a new position on the canvas.

4. Add the AUT hosts

   1. On the Topology Designer window, select AUT Hosts and click Add New AUT Host .

   2. Define the machines hosting your AUT:

      UI Elements | Description
      --- | ---
      Machine Name/IP | The name or IP of the AUT host machine.
      Logical Name | The logical name given to the AUT host.
      Platform | The base operating system of the AUT host machine: Window or UNIX.
      Protocols | The network protocol used for communication with the AUT host (for monitoring purposes). Default value: NetBIOS, WMI, SSH.
      User | The user name for logging in to the AUT host machine.
      Password | The password for logging in to the AUT host machine.

      For details on defining the machines that host the relevant components of the AUT, see Manage Application Under Test hosts.

   3. You can view the list of AUT hosts in the AUT Hosts tab on the left.

      To edit topology details, select Topologies and click Design Topology, and then click AUT Hosts. Select an AUT host and click Update AUT Host .

   Note: When creating an AUT host in LoadRunner Enterprise, the AUT host is automatically added to the AUT Pool of the project.

5. Configure the component properties

   Select a component and, in the Properties pane in the top right corner of the Topology Designer, enter the relevant properties for that component. For successful integration with SiteScope, ensure that you select the relevant AUT host, and that all of the relevant properties are accurate.

   Tip: When you click a property, a description is displayed in the lower area of the Properties pane.

   Repeat this procedure for each of the relevant components.

6. Configure monitors on the components

   You can configure groups of monitors for the components on AUT hosts. Ensure that the AUT host details are accurate for each relevant component.

   - To deploy relevant monitors on specific components on your canvas, select the components, right-click the selection, and select Deploy Monitor Templates. Monitor groups are created in SiteScope for each selected component, and each group is automatically configured with relevant system-defined monitors.

   - To configure monitors for a component manually in SiteScope, right-click the component and select Configure Monitors. For more details about configuring monitors in SiteScope, see the SiteScope User Guide available from the Software Documentation Portal at https://docs.microfocus.com/.

   Note: The AUT host defined in a component's properties is passed to SiteScope as a remote host and is inserted as the default monitored server for all monitors created for this component.

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## Associate a topology with your test

After you have designed a topology for your performance test, associate it with your test.

To associate a topology with a test:

1. In LoadRunner Enterprise, click Open the navigation toolbar and select Test Management (under Testing). Select a performance test in the test management tree and click Edit Test.

2. In the Performance Test Designer window, click the Assets tab and select Topology.

3. Click Select Topology and select a topology for the test.

4. Click Associate topology to performance test . The selected topology is added to the Topology page for the test.

5. Run the test and view results.

   During a test run, you can view the SiteScope monitor activity on the relevant components in your AUT. For details, see View running tests in the online screen.

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## Design a topology - Use-case scenario

This use-case scenario describes how to design a topology that graphically displays the logical components that make up your AUT and the relationships between the components.

1. Background

   John is a performance engineer working with Web Tours. He would like to design a performance test for the application.

   As a first step, he would like to model the application in LoadRunner Enterprise so that he can keep track of the topology of his application under test. Using this model, he can benefit from the monitoring and online view features that the topology feature offers.

2. Create the topology and design the outline

   1. From the LoadRunner Enterprise navigation toolbar, John selects Topologies to open the Topology module, and clicks the New Topology button to create a new topology. He calls the topology WebTours, and enters the details of the SiteScope server with which the application interacts for monitoring purposes.

   When John clicks OK, the Topology Designer window opens, displaying the Topology canvas which, at this stage, is empty.

   1. John's Web Tours application comprises the following components: A web server, an application server, and a database server. The user accesses the application through a client workstation.

   In the Topology Designer window, from the palette on the left, John drags the nodes representing these components onto the Topology canvas, and changes their captions to names that are relevant to the components they represent.

   John drags the following nodes:

   Palette Category | Component | New Caption
   --- | --- | ---
   Web Servers | Microsoft IIS | Web Server
   Application | Microsoft ASP Server | Application Server
   Database | Microsoft SQL Server | Database Server
   Miscellaneous | Workstation | Client
   Miscellaneous | User | User

   2. John connects the application server to the web server by clicking the application server (ensuring that it is not selected) and dragging the cursor over to the web server.

   Similarly, he connects the application server to the database server, the client workstation to the web server, and the user to the client.

3. Add the AUT hosts

   The AUT hosts are the physical machines that host the relevant components of the application under test.

   On the Topology Designer window, John clicks AUT Hosts. He then clicks Add New AUT Host , and enters the name and details of the machine that hosts the database server:

   John then adds the AUT host that hosts both the application and web servers.

   Tip: John can view the list of AUT hosts in the AUT Hosts tab by clicking AUT Hosts next to the Palette tab.

4. Define the component properties

   For successful integration with SiteScope, John needs to ensure that the properties for each component are defined correctly.

   John selects each component and, in the Properties pane in the top right corner of the Topology Designer window, he provides the relevant properties. The properties differ from one type of component to another.

   Tip: A description for each property is displayed in the lower area of the Properties pane, and helps John to understand what information to provide for each property.

   For example, for the database server, John selects machine33 from the AUT Host drop-down list, and accepts the default values for all of the other properties. Then he provides the relevant details for the application and web servers.

5. Deploy the monitor templates

   John selects the three servers and clicks Deploy Monitor Templates. LoadRunner Enterprise creates a monitor group in SiteScope for each of the selected components, and deploys the relevant system-defined monitor templates for each component. Because the AUT Host Templates property is enabled, the templates for the actual AUT host are deployed as well.

   Tip: If John wants to view or modify these monitors, he can do so by clicking Configure Monitors on the toolbar, which opens SiteScope and displays the monitor trees that were created for each component.

6. Results

   John saves the topology and closes the Topology Designer window. He selects this topology when designing the performance test for the Web Tours application. When he runs the test, he can view the SiteScope monitor activity on the relevant components in the application in the Performance Test Run page.

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## Troubleshooting topology – SiteScope integration

This section provides information for troubleshooting issues related to the topology – SiteScope integration.

Configure Monitors dialog box displays empty content or an error message

Problem Description

When clicking the Configure Monitors button, the dialog box opens with empty content, displaying either a red ‘x’ in the upper left corner, or an error message.

Troubleshooting

- If the window displays empty content:

  Possible Cause | Action
  --- | ---
  The problem may be related to the SiteScope user interface integration. To check this: | Open SiteScope directly (that is, not through the topology integration) using the following URL: `http://<SiteScope server>:8080/SiteScope`.
  If the SiteScope window fails to open correctly, perform the following steps: | Ensure that Java (version 1.6 and above) is installed on the client machine. Open the Java Control Panel, and in the General tab, click Network Settings. Select Direct Connection.
  If the SiteScope window opens correctly, and the problem persists when you open the SiteScope window from within the topology, verify that SiteScope is configured correctly for the topology integration as follows: | Verify that the SiteScope Administrator account has a defined username and password. In SiteScope General Settings, verify that the Communication Security Passphrase from LW SSO Setting matches the one defined in LoadRunner Enterprise.

- If you receive an error message, check the table below for an explanation or resolution.

  Error Message | Explanation/Resolution
  --- | ---
  SiteScope authentication failed due to invalid passphrase. Verify that the Communication Security Passphrase defined on the LoadRunner Enterprise server and the SiteScope server match. | In SiteScope General Settings, verify that the Communication Security Passphrase from LW SSO Setting matches the one defined in LoadRunner Enterprise.
  You have reached SiteScope points limit (500). To obtain additional points for free, contact support via your administrator. | LoadRunner Enterprise customers are entitled to free additional points. To request the points, contact Support.
  Trying to connect to an unsupported SiteScope version - this feature requires SiteScope 11.01 and above. Please contact your administrator. | Contact your administrator to ensure that the correct version is installed.
  Could not connect to SiteScope at the given URL: <SiteScope URL>. Error: <network error message> | The SiteScope server name, port, or SSL was not entered correctly, the SiteScope service is down, or the SiteScope server is not accessible from the client machine over the network. Check if the included network error message provides an indication of the actual problem.
  SiteScope internal error. Please contact your administrator. | The exact SiteScope exception can be found in the LoadRunner Enterprise client log file. Contact Support for further assistance.

Template deployment fails

Problem Description

An error message appears in the Fail Reason column of the Deploy Template Results dialog box.

Troubleshooting

- Check if the error message you receive is listed in Configure Monitors dialog box displays empty content or an error message above.

- If the error message is not listed above, refer to the SiteScope documentation in the Software Documentation Portal.

Topology graphs do not appear during runtime

Problem Description

The topology graphs do not appear in the Topology tab of the Performance Test Run page.

Troubleshooting

- Check that the topology contains nodes with configured monitors, and that it is associated to the performance test.

- Open the SiteScope window (from: `http://<SiteScope server>:8080/SiteScope`), and locate the group that corresponds to the topology. Verify that the group exists, that it has monitors, and that it is enabled in SiteScope. If the group is disabled, check the Controller log for related errors.

Topology graphs appear without data during runtime

Problem Description

The topology graphs appear in the Topology tab of the Performance Test Run page, but do not contain any data.

Troubleshooting

- In the Topology Designer Window, click the Configure Monitors button. In the Configure Monitors dialog box, verify that SiteScope can connect to and monitor topology machines.

- Open the SiteScope window (from: `http://<SiteScope server>:8080/SiteScope`), and locate the group that corresponds to the topology. Verify that the group exists, that it has monitors, and that it is enabled in SiteScope. If the group is disabled, check the Controller log for related errors.

Use SiteScope instead of SiteScope for Load Testing with LoadRunner Enterprise

Problem Description

You have installed SiteScope instead of SiteScope for Load Testing, and want to use the SiteScope server for integrating with the Topology feature without reinstalling it.

Troubleshooting

SiteScope has a minimum monitor frequency of 15 seconds, which is usually too long for working with LoadRunner Enterprise.

On the SiteScope Server, add the following entries to the master.config file. Alternatively, you can add them in the Infrastructure Preferences page.

- _monitorMinInterval=1

- _topazPageSkipEmptyValues=true

- _maxMonitorSkips=60

- _shutdownOnSkips=

For details about accessing the master.config file and the Infrastructure Preferences page, see the SiteScope documentation in the Software Documentation Portal.

Note: The maxMonitorSkips=60 and shutdownOnSkips= properties may affect SiteScope monitors which are unrelated to performance testing.

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See also:

- Create test assets
- Design a test

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