Build Your Own Performance Test Lab in the Cloud. Leslie Segal Testware Associate, Inc.

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Build Your Own

Performance

Test Lab in the Cloud

Leslie Segal

Testware Associate, Inc.

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Problem(s) I was trying to Solve

2 Need more VUs Use Vendor Cloud Schedule Test

Can’t run test – Tool version

different Times up –

reschedule test Can’t run test –

need dll for login

Times up – reschedule test Don’t have Tool Use Vendor Cloud

Can’t run true test – can’t

spoof IPs Times up –

reschedule test Production Issue

– need to run test now

Crap! I should just build my own

Crap! How fast can I build my own ?

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Issues with Vendor Cloud

Test Lab

• Must schedule in advance

• Limit on number of Load Generators (LG) you

can use (1 LG per 1,000 vu)

• Can’t install anything on cloud machine

• Permissions typically locked down

• Different version of tool software

• Accessing your application under test

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Advantages of Setting up your Own

Cloud-Based Performance Test Lab

• Cost (hardware & tool)

• Need to look at all costs to determine if truly cost

effective

• Time (don't have to wait for long approval

processes for HW & SW)

• Control when (right-now), where (US, CAN, EU)

and how many Load Generators

• Easy way to try vendor tools

• Test tool upgrades

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Why Test from Different

Locations?

• Different Users in different locations will have

different experiences

• Those closest to your servers typically have the best experience

• Users inside and outside the firewall will have

different experiences

• Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN)?

• Need to test that time sensitive data is consistent throughout

• Are you mobile?

• Huge variety of mobile networks throughout the world

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Performance Test Architecture

6

Local Area Network

Load

Generators

Controller _Analysis

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Tool Components

HP LoadRunner

• Controllers individually licensed

• Multiple types of Virtual User protocols

• Have cloud offering (uses Amazon Cloud)

• Can supplement existing licenses with cloud licenses or use standalone

• Need license server

• Separate component for scripting

Borland SilkPerformer

• Unlimited controllers

• 3 Levels of Virtual User Protocols

• Have cloud offering (uses Amazon Cloud)

• Can supplement existing licenses with cloud licenses or use standalone

• Need license server

• Integrated scripting component

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Load Generators

• Number and size depends on several factors

• Number of virtual users (VU) you want to generate

• Type of VU

• Web service, DB, Web, Mobile

• Type of Application

• Thin client, fat client, amount of network traffic

• Distribution of Load and Transactions

• 50% of normal load from West Coast/20% Canada/30% East Coast

• 10% of users download content from your site

• 90% of users outside the firewall

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Load Testing on Physical

HW vs. VM

• Cloud machines are typically Virtual Machines

Differences Between Physical & VM

• VM is a slice of a physical machine

• VM needs to perform an extra step to ‘talk’ to actual

hardware

• Excessive requests can skew results

• VM can handle about 80% of load of same VU on

physical machine

• Need to actively monitor CPU, Memory, I/O, Network Utilization of LG while test is running

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Cloud Cost Components

10

Machine Size

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Machine Types

• Options

• On Demand

• Reserved

• Size

• Standard

• High Memory

• High CPU

• High I/O

• Operating Systems

• Linux

• Windows

• Ubuntu

• DB

• Oracle

• SQL Server

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Amazon Cloud Sample Pricing

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Netel Cloud (CAN $)

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Calculator - Amazon

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Cost for Data Transfer

Amazon

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Throughput limitations

• Rackspace

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IP Addresses (IPv4)

• Amazon

• Each AWS Cloud Server comes with a non-persistent private IP address NATed to a public IP address AWS allows 5 Elastic IP addresses per

account

• Cost for not used IP addresses - $0.005 per Elastic IP address not associated with a running instance per hour on a pro rata basis (~$44/yr)

• Rackspace

• Each Rackspace Cloud Server comes with a dedicated and persistent public IP address – get same IP if shut down and restart instance

• Note that the server must remain in Active state to retain IP and there is a charge for an Active Server that is powered off

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Locations (as of Jan 2013)

Amazon Rackspace

US East (N. Virginia) US (Dallas)

US West (Oregon) US (Chicago)

US West (Northern California) UK (but separate account required) EU (Ireland)

Asia Pacific (Singapore) Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Asia Pacific (Sydney)

South America (Sao Paulo)

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Addressing Security Issues

• Rackspace

• Isolated networking

• Windows Firewall

• Dedicated Servers

• Private Cloud (software)

• Amazon

• Dedicated servers

• Windows Firewall

• Private Cloud

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Other Considerations

• Image Backups

• Can be created at any time

• Minimal cost to store images (~$.10/GB/month)

• File Level Backups

• Backup tools

• Can set up separate drive and clone it

• Where are you writing your scripts?

• Do you need to spin up a cloud machine to create scripts or just for execution?

• Managed service level and/or monitoring agreements for additional cost

• Software to remind you if you leave instances running (or auto shut them down)

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Road Map to Set up your Own Performance

Test Lab in 24 Hours or Less

Sign up for Account Launch Controller Server Install Controller Software (and license) Launch Load Generator Server Install LG Software

Modify Firewall, User Access & install 3rd_{party SW}

Verify Connectively to Controller and

Image LG

Spawn N copies of LG Image

Start Testing

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Step 1: Start in the Right Place

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Step 3: Pick Good Name and

Enough Space

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Step 4: Wait

• Depending on size and number of instances will take between 5-15 minutes before the instances are available for use

• Best to create 1 instance, set it up and then clone it

• Setup includes

• User access (default only Admin)

• Set Admin Password

• Configure Firewall

• Install software

• In addition to testing software will also need browsers (only IE with no add-ins), add-ins for browsers (java, flash, etc.)

• General use software such as adobe reader, zip file handler, excel, etc.

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Step 5: Use (and Stop using)

• You will be charged for usage as soon as the machine starts spinning up

• You will be charged for any portion of an hour

• If you are not using a machine, remember to stop it

• 23 cents/hr. is nothing until you accidently leave 20 machines running over the weekend

• Consider Saving results & doing analysis locally

• Can also have separate drive that you can un-mount from cloud machine, turn off machine and access data from local machine

• Work on scripts locally or use smaller instance in cloud for script development

• Consider having license server in cloud (on small instance that is always on)