WinRunner - As a GUI based load testing tool
We use WinRunner as a load testing tool operating at the GUI layer as it allows
us to record and playback user actions from a vast variety of user applications
as if a real user had manually executed those actions. We use WinRunner in
addition to LoadRunner when we want to record user experience
response time. Visit
mercuryinteractive.com/products/WinRunner/ for detailed information on WinRunner.
The following diagram shows how a GUI layer testing tool, such as WinRunner, operates.
The WinRunner screen print shown below simulates a user starting up an
Internet Explorer session and connecting to
www.google.com.au before performing a
Google search on the text: "Mercury Interactive".
As can be seen, WinRunner records each
of the actions that the user performed on the desktop to get to and search the
Google web site.
This is in contrast to the way that VUGen
records the protocol that the client application generates. However, both tools
have their part to play in a load
test.
The screen image below is a script example of how WinRunner recorded the events on the windows
desktop to "Press Start" and then Invoke Internet Explorer by selecting the
option marked "Internet". The text "google.com" was recorded as
being entered as a URL and the "return" key (<kReturn>) was then recorded so the
IE loaded the Google site into the browser window. The characters "Mercury
Interactive" were then recorded as they were typed into the Google search field,
followed by another <kReturn> to initiate the search.
As can be seen from this script example, WinRunner does nothing at the protocol layer (like VUGen would) but records and plays back user
events, so that the underlying application operates as if a person was sitting
at the desktop.
For WinRunner to operate, it needs to be in control of the PC, so that it can
execute the user actions that had been previously recorded. This is why
one can not execute a load test
with WinRunner as the means of load generation. In order to simulate 100
users, one would need 100 PCs with WinRunner on each PC.
However, WinRunner is a valuable piece of load testing technology when used
properly in a load test as it is
the only means of determining the actual
user response time, taking into account
the processing that is executed on the clients hardware. (As
VUGen operates at a protocol level it is only able to
measure at a protocol level.)
Please visit performance
tests and network
sensitivity tests for other testing situations where it is very appropriate
to use WinRunner. By using WinRunner in these situations, WinRunner usage
will be extended beyond automated functional testing, increasing it's value to
your testing team and organization.
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