Performance testing: environment set up
After the development specification and scripts, your next step is environment set up. That the stage where you provide the conditions to successfully run the testing process. Let`s go through the DOs you shouldn’t ignore.
To set up the environment you are to go through several points:
- Data input
- Load generator set up
- Adjust monitoring and profiling
- Application set-up
Data input
Since you need to see how the system behaves in the real conditions, you need to put it in the state that would be close to the reality. To emulate the real system state, fill the data base with the necessary information using the SQL script. For you emulation you also need to create necessary files in the storage, several accounts in the application and kit of objects usually utilized by users.
Load generator set up
Following the testing strategy generators can be installed within the limits of the local network or outside it. As long as you set the generator, check its connection with the controllers, it shouldn`t be blocked by the firewall. Moreover, carefully verify the settings of the security system to avoid identification of testing procedures as DDoS attacks, it can break the whole testing process.
Monitoring and profiling adjustment
During the process of performance testing remember to collect all the data characterizing system work under the load, you`ll need them for the analysis. To held full scale monitoring you should track the changes in the hardware & software, and run profiling of the application code. The track list can be shortened, if you don `t need a profound analysis on the project.
Application set up
Before launching the tests check that all the system components are compliant with the production configuration. As during the development process the parameters like: data caching, logging level, components clustering, load balancing and accessing the third party servers get changed for a better application adjustment. That is why don`t forget to verify that the system parameters are upgraded and transferred to PROD scheme.
Following these simple though important steps you can prepare the environment and start the performance testing. Next time I`ll cover the stages of test execution and result analysis.
