Provision elastic cloud load generators

This section describes how to reserve (or provision) a load generator on the cloud with a specific configuration for running tests.

Alternatively you can specify an image that is included in a custom configuration. For details, see Create custom image for cloud hosts.

Configure a performance test with cloud-based load generators

This task describes how to configure a performance test with elastic cloud load generators. You can perform this from the LoadRunner Enterprise user interface or the REST API.

Configure a test from the LoadRunner Enterprise user interface

  1. Prerequisites

    • You must have at least one cloud account and at least one host template linked to your project. For details, see Cloud accounts and Host templates.

    • When provisioning hosts, you need to supply the Security Group and Key Pair. For details, see Security group rules.

      Note:  

      • Provisioning is currently supported only for Amazon cloud accounts.

      • Security groups and key pairs are created separately for each cloud location. Make sure that you have configured the necessary security groups and key pairs for the locations you will provision from.

    • Other considerations when provisioning hosts:

      Location The location where you provision hosts can impact the effectiveness of your testing. Make sure to select a cloud location that matches your testing needs.
      Host templates are created separately for each location, so a template that exists in one location may not exist in a different location. Make sure that you know which locations contain the templates you need or that you add your desired templates to the locations you intend to provision from.
      Remote Connectivity

      If you need to connect remotely to the provisioned hosts, make sure to select a key pair for which you have the private key and to select a security group that allows remote connections.

  2. Provision load generators in a specific subnet in a VPC

    LoadRunner Enterprise supports provisioning load generators in Amazon default and custom virtual private cloud (VPC).

    If you are using a specific subnet in a VPC, you need to supply the subnet in a VPC in a host template. For details on how to set this up, see Provision load generators in a specific subnet in a VPC.

  3. Assign elastic cloud load generators to the groups for the test

    1. From the LoadRunner Enterprise navigation toolbar, click 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 Groups & Workload. On the Groups pane toolbar, click Assign LG. The Assign Load Generators dialog box opens. For user interface details, see Assign Load Generators to Groups dialog box.

    3. In the Groups column, select the groups to use in the test.

    4. In the Load Generators column, expand the Elastic Cloud panel.

    5. Click to open the Add New Elastic Cloud LG dialog box, which enables you to add more cloud load generators for the test.

    6. For each host template you select, enter the number of load generators you want to add to the test. You can filter the list of host templates in the grid by account, location, size, and/or operating system.

      For more details, see Assign elastic hosts to a test.

    7. Click Add to add the selected load generators and close the dialog box, or Add & Another to add and keep the dialog box open enabling you to add additional cloud load generators.

    8. After adding the cloud load generators you require, select the load generators that you want to assign to the selected groups.

  4. Set Post-Run Action to collate results (if your LoadRunner Enterprise administrator did not set a post-run action)

    1. Click Run and in the Run Test dialog box click the New Timeslot tab.

    2. Select Collate results or Collate and analyze to ensure that run results are not lost after a performance test ends. For details, see Run a test.

    Note: If a test is run without setting a collate results option, the results will be lost because all elastic cloud load generators are de-provisioned immediately after the test run finishes.

  5. Run the performance test

    Save and then run the test to check its performance. For details on running a test, see Run performance tests.

    When the test has finished, the elastic cloud hosts are automatically de-provisioned.

Configure a test using the LoadRunner Enterprise REST API

  1. Create or update load tests with elastic cloud-based hosts, by selecting dynamic type hosts for your groups.

    Add elastic load generator hosts named CLOUD1, CLOUD2 and so forth to the <Host> XML field.

    Example: 

    <Hosts>
       <Host>
          <Name>CLOUD1</Name>
          <Type>cloud</Type>
      <HostTemplateId>11</HostTemplateId>
    </Host>
        <Host>
          <Name>CLOUD2</Name>
          <Type>cloud</Type>
      <HostTemplateId>912</HostTemplateId>
        </Host>
    </Hosts>

    For API details, see test entity XML in the LoadRunner EnterpriseAdministration REST API Guide.

  2. Run the performance test

    1. Prerequisites

      Make sure you have created a performance test, and configured it to use non-specific (automatch) load generators. You can also use specific load generators, but then you need to update your test to use those load generators (this can be done using tests/{ID} in the LoadRunner Enterprise REST API Guide).

      You can create a test either from the LoadRunner Enterprise Administration REST API (see tests in the LoadRunner Enterprise REST API Guide), or manually from the LoadRunner Enterprise user interface (see Design performance tests).

    2. Run the performance test from the LoadRunner Enterprise REST API (see Start a Test Run in the LoadRunner Enterprise REST API Guide).

  3. Gather results

    When the performance test has finished running, collate (and analyze) performance test data using the REST API. For API details, see collate and analyze in the LoadRunner Enterprise REST API Guide.

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Provision load generators in a specific subnet in a VPC

If you are using a specific subnet in a VPC, you need to supply the subnet in a VPC in a host template.

  1. Create a VPC from Amazon Web Services.

    1. In the subnet configuration, set Auto-assign Public IP as required.

      Note: If Auto-assign Public IP is set to Disable, the load generators will not have a public IP. They will have a private IP only, and will need to establish a trust between the corporate network and the Amazon EC2 VPC.

    2. Create a relevant security group for the VPC.

  2. Create a host template.

    Create a host template and set the subnet ID in the VPC Subnet Id field of the template.

    For details, see Create an elastic cloud host template.

  3. Provision a load generator from LoadRunner Enterprise using one of the templates created for the VPC using the required subnet ID.

  4. Select a security group that was created for the selected VPC.

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Notes and limitations

The following notes and limitations apply to elastic cloud load generators:

  • Provisioning load generators in Amazon EC2 with an invalid image

    When you add an Amazon EC2 cloud account to LoadRunner Enterprise, the available images are retrieved from Amazon EC2.

    If any of the Amazon EC2 images in the templates subsequently become invalid (for example, if Micro Focus updates an image), and you try to provision Load Generators using a cloud template that points to an invalid Amazon EC2 image ID, the operation will fail.

    Troubleshooting: Identify the template that points to an invalid Amazon EC2 image, and create a custom template with a valid Amazon EC2 image.

  • A user must have Provision Cloud host permissions to be able to run a test with Elastic Cloud load generators. If you do not have these permissions, either contact your system administrator, or assign another type of load generator for the test.

  • Since provisioning Elastic Cloud load generators can be time-consuming, we recommend setting a timeslot duration of at least one hour.

  • Before deleting host templates, make sure there are no assigned projects with tests using the templates (deleting a host template that is used by a test will cause the test to fail).

  • For issues when running tests without collating results, or if collation fails, see Provision elastic cloud load generators above.

  • Network Virtualization is not supported when using elastic hosts.

  • Running over a firewall is not supported.

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See also: