WebLoad初印象

这几天简要看了一下WebLoad。写些东西下来，以备工具选型用。

相比起LoadRunner，它支持的协议要少一些，但是WebLoad的功能还是比较全面的，WebLoad IDE类似于LR中的VUGen，WebLoad Console类似于LR的Controller，WebLoad Analytics类似于LR的Analysis。

WebLoad IDE中的Agenda Tree + Execution View + Browser View 类似于LR中的TreeView视图。

WebLoad的脚本采用的是JavaScript。

试用版下载：

http://www.radview.com/DownloadCenter/ProductEvaluation.aspx

WebLoad在线Sample网站（WebLoad的很多视频和教程都基于这个网站来做的）：

http://www.webloadmpstore.com/index.php

Tutorials:

http://radview.cachefly.net/Tutorials/menu_page.html

WebLoad的开源版本由RadView公司支持和维护。

http://www.webload.org/

The WebLOAD Open Source Load Generation Engine is an open source project sponsored by RadView Software. This project is based on fourteen years of code development invested in WebLOAD Professional, the award winning performance testing solution. This project is intended for ISVs, SIs and software developers who need to integrate a professional load generation engine into their applications.

Why is RadView offering its precious load engine code under the GPL License? Many applications require a professional load-generation engine and RadView believes that fulfilling this need via an open source model can eventually create interesting commercial opportunities for the company.

WebLoad目前的最新版本是8.4，下面是它的新特性描述：

What’s New in WebLOAD Professional Version 8.4

WebLOAD Professional provides the complete load testing solution, guaranteeing performance, scalability and reliability of Internet applications. Version 8.4 introduces a new method for handling correlation, support for Flex Externalizable messages and major usability and functionality enhancements to the IDE, Console, and Analytics.

WebLOAD IDE Enhancements

1. Auto Discovery of correlation rules

· Auto Discovery of correlation rules assists in creating the test scenario without having to undergo a painful and time consuming process of manually identifying correlation rules and editing complex and lengthy scripts.

· The new Auto Discovery engine automatically scans over the recorded requests and responses, identifies the dynamic values and formulates the rules that should be used in the correlation process.

· It is possible to run the correlation discovery process at any time and not just after or during recording. The correlation process can be run several times on the same script with different sets of correlation rules.

· The Correlation Auto Discovery results screen presents the discovered rules and provides the user with full control over their use in the correlation process

· All newly discovered rules will be added automatically to the rule based engine.

· WebLOAD IDE now has a new menu and toolbar command: ‘Discover rules and correlate script’, which manually invokes the Auto Discovery process.

2. Recording and Recording Options Enhancements

· Options enhancements added to the Script Generation Tab :

o Generate client side cookies – When the web page sets cookies from its JavaScript, WebLOAD now automatically adds the right SetCookie command to the script.

o Save all redirection headers

o ‘Record redirection path’ enhancements – When ‘Record redirection path’ option is set, only the first URL will be recorded, the other URLs in the chain will be commented.

· The Rule Based Correlation Engine now supports additional settings for its Correlation Rules:

o Ability to correlate specific Filed name. The correlation replacement will only occur if the value being replaced has the specified name.

o Ability to correlate only values that have a minimum length.

· The Rule Based Correlation Engine now supports additional rule types:

o Replace with expression – The Engine will replace values with the specified expression

o Search in cookies – Ability to correlate values sent in Cookies

· The new Correlation level settings are now available in the ‘Correlation Options’ tab:

o Do not run – Do not run correlation process after the recording

o Rule-based – Run the Rule-based correlation engine automatically after the recording

o Auto Discovery - Run the Auto Discovery correlation engine automatically after the recording

o Prompt – After the recording WebLOAD will ask which correlation to run

· The following parameters can be set in the new ‘Auto Correlation’ page for Auto Discovery fine-tuning:

o Value delimiters – The Correlation engine will search for the value in the source, where the value is surrounded by a specific delimiter (like &,”,=,etc.)

o Score – This parameter defines the minimum rule score. A high –scored rule has a highly probability of being correct and vice versa .Rules with score values of less than the defined minimum will be ignored by the discovery process.

o Minimum value length – The Auto Discovery engine will ignore values whose length is less than the ‘Minimum value length’ parameter.

3. Editing Enhancements

· Visual editing of external Parameters File – It is now possible to edit a Global Input file node by simply clicking on the Agenda Tree and setting visual properties at any stage of the script’s lifecycle.

· It is now possible to add system and user-defined parameters to the script with one click inside the authoring window, eliminating the need for manual coding.

4. New Text Verification Building Block

The new Text Verification Building Block automatically generates code for response validation, eliminating the need for manual scripting. The new Text Verification can be applied to the specific response rather than the entire script, enabling greater efficiency, flexibility, and customization.

The following parameters can be set in the new Building Block:

· Text – Specify the text to verify

· Severity – Which error code to return in case of verification failure

· Find/Not to Find option – Specify the text search option

· Error Message – Specify the error message to be logged in the IDE and Console Log View in case of verification failure

5. Adobe Flex Add-on Enhancements
WebLOAD’s innovative Adobe Flex Add-on was improved to support the following functionality:

· The Flex Add-on now automatically supports Adobe Externalizeable objects. The Externalizeable objects are now represented in the WebLOAD Agenda as JavaScript elements rather than binary data using Java serialization/de-serialization technology

· Externalizable support makes the Flex script user-friendly and self-explanatory, and allows easy parameterization and editing

· WebLOAD IDE’s HTML and Browser View are now available for Externalizeable objects during recording and playback of the Agenda

WebLOAD Console Enhancements

1. Load generator health indication

· WebLOAD Console now automatically adds load generator performance metrics (CPU and memory usage) to any load session

· It is now possible to analyze load generator performance in real time, optimize hardware resources and avoid errors resulting from load generator overloading

HTTP Protocol Enhancements

1. Browser Cache enhancements
The Browser Cache emulation was enhanced with better and more efficient simulation of real browser cache behavior. The following options are now available:

· None - All Virtual Clients simulate a browser with no available cache

· Clear cache after each Request - Defines that the cache will be cleared after each request

· Check for newer version after each Request – WebLOAD will check for a newer version of the cached item on every request

· Clear cache after each Round - Defines that the cache will be cleared after each agenda execution round

· Check for newer version after each Round - WebLOAD will check for a newer version of the cached item after each round

· Never clear cache - Defines that the cache will never be cleared. Each client maintains its own cache

WebLOAD Analytics Enhancements

With a new intuitive and simplified user interface, WebLOAD Analytics provides new interactive charts and advanced export to Word, enabling a wealth of reporting, analysis and customization functionality:

· The chart area, showing collected performance measurements during load test execution was enhanced with better look & feel and additional functionality:

o Selected measurement in the chart is highlighted

o Enhanced coloring and marking for each measurement

o New zoom-in feature enables focusing on a specific segment of the Load Session

o The grid below the chart now contains more statistics for each measurement: min, max, average, and standard deviation

o Data view – shows the actual contents of the chart in a separate grid

o Ability to change chart content in any stage of report life cycle

· Report management – assign charts to a report and generate, save, print and publish them as a single report

· Advanced Export to Word supports inline editing and customization of system-generated performance reports

· User navigation flows have been improved to be clear and precise about the steps necessary to create a performance report

User Interface Enhancements

The entire WebLOAD user interface has been upgraded to the modern Win XP style.