IBM Rational Performance Tester Version 6.1 - Release notes
Table of contents
1.0 About this
release
2.0 Installation information
3.0 Uninstallation
information
4.0 Known limitations,
problems, and workarounds
5.0 Documentation updates
6.0 Contacting customer
support
7.0 About Eclipse
1.0 About this release
This release is a complete redesign of the IBM(R) Rational(R)
Performance Tester product, which tests system performance. In this new version,
Performance Tester supports multiuser testing of Web applications and provides
major improvements in ease-of-use, scalability, and multiple platform support. It
is hosted in the Eclipse Integrated Development Environment, using a Java-based
execution engine.
There are two components to the product: Performance Tester, which is installed
on your local computer, and the IBM Rational Agent Controller, which generates
load from remote computers. When installed on a remote computer, the agent controller runs a
driver that emulates users as part of a load test. When installed on your local
computer, as part of Performance Tester, the agent controller can run emulated
users from your local computer.
2.0 Installation information
For information about installing and configuring Performance Tester,
refer to Installing IBM Rational Performance Tester.
Obtaining a license server
Before using Performance Tester to run a load test consisting of more than
five virtual users or containing particular protocols you must check out IBM Rational Common License keys
from an IBM Rational License Server. These license keys are separately purchased and installed on a system
running the IBM Rational License server. You can obtain the license server from
the Passport Advantage download site.
Memory requirements
Do not install Performance Tester on a system with less than 768 MB physical
memory. If you proceed with installation, be aware that you might experience poor
performance, application crashes due to insufficient memory, or both, and that such
a configuration is not supported.
After the install wizard is finished, adjust the JVM heap size for your system.
To do this on Windows:
- Start Performance Tester.
- Click Window > Preferences.
- Expand the Test tree, and click Performance Test Workbench.
- The recommended JVM heap size is displayed. Type this number into the
Java Virtual Machine heap size field, then click OK.
After setting the JVM heap size, it is possible that
Performance Tester could fail to start the next time it is launched. This is
caused by a low memory or severely fragmented memory condition. Closing some
active programs or stopping some services can free up enough memory to allow
Performance Tester to start.
If this is not sufficient, reset the JVM heap size by editing the configuration
file. This file, RationalSDP.ini, is located in the product install directory
(by default, C:\Program Files\IBM\Rational\SDP\6.0
). Open the file in a text
editor (such as Notepad) and look for a line that begins with VMArgs=-Xmx
,
followed by a number, followed by m. The number should be what you entered for
the Java Virtual Machine heap size field on the Preferences page. Removing the line from the
configuration file allows Performance Tester to start.
2.1 Hardware requirements
Refer to Installing IBM Rational Performance Tester for hardware requirements.
2.2 Supported software
The following software is supported:
Operating
systems
|
|
Web browsers
|
- For performance test recording, all
HTTP-compliant Web browsers are supported.
For viewing the online help, the following browsers are supported:
- Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6 with Service Pack 1.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 with Service Pack 1 or 2.
- Mozilla 1.6
|
Application
servers
|
- All HTTP-compliant servers are supported as the target of performance testing.
|
Rational ClearCase
LT is
included with Performance Tester. Refer to Installing IBM Rational Performance Tester for instructions on how to install Clear Case LT.Other software configuration management (SCM) repositories can be
integrated with Performance Tester through SCM
team adapters. If you want to work with another SCM provider, SCM team
adapters for commercial SCM products are provided by the vendors of
those products. To find a list of SCM products and adapters
provided by IBM Business Partners, go to www.ibm.com/software/ad/studioappdev/partners/scm.html.
From this list, you can access the SCM product vendor Web sites to download an adapter. IBM does not endorse or
warrant these adapters. For support, or further information, contact the SCM product vendor directly.
Novell
LINUX Desktop Powered by SUSE Linux 9 is not supported.3.0 Uninstallation
information
Refer to Installing IBM Rational Performance Tester for information on uninstalling
Performance Tester.
4.0 Known limitations,
problems, and workarounds
Release notes cover release-specific information (such as problems and
limitations) that did not become available until after the product documentation
was final.
For information about known problems and workarounds in the Eclipse
base, refer to the readme_eclipse.html
file in the eclipse\readme
subdirectory of the product installation directory. This information is
available only in English.
4.1 Limitations
Problems with shell-sharing
When installing another IBM Rational Software Development Platform product on
the same system with Performance Tester, you must run the Rational Product Updater to bring the other products up to the latest version available. This step ensures proper operation of both Performance Tester and the other Rational
products.
Multiple applications accessing a single agent controller
Avoid having multiple Performance Tester
applications located on different computers concurrently accessing a single
agent controller. This configuration may produce unreliable test
execution results.
Multiple Performance Tester instances
Do not have multiple concurrent Performance
Tester application instances on a single operating system desktop. Browser
configuration problems and unreliable test execution can result.
Avoid the # character within test artifact naming
Do not use the # character within test
artifact naming.
Using this character in an artifact name can cause it to become
inaccessible or corrupt.
Windows user group privileges
Customers logging into Windows computers must have Administrative User privileges in order to use Performance Tester.
Error messages during a test or schedule run
During a test or schedule run, you might get a socket write error that resets
the connection. To fix this problem, restart the agent controller on the
computer that is encountering this problem. Make sure that you start the
controller as root.
Schedule deployment hangs at 48%
When you launch a schedule, the schedule never starts to run, the percentage
remains at 48%, and nothing is deployed on local or remote agent controllers.
To fix this problem, restart the agent controller on the computer that is
encountering this problem.
Cannot install in non-default location that contains double-byte pathname
characters
Do
not install Performance Tester into a directory whose name contains
double-byte characters or special characters such as a dollar sign. Doing so
will cause undesirable results.
Eclipse simple projects unsupported
Rational Performance Tester does not support the use of Eclipse-defined simple
projects. Simple projects are identified by the absence of a small letter J
on the project folder icon within the Test Navigator.
Recording through proxy servers
On Windows, the RPT recorder uses your Internet Explorer
configuration settings to perform the recording. Therefore, to
record through a company proxy server (or any HTTP proxy servers), you must
configure Internet Explorer to use the proxy server before starting a recording.
You must specify either "NO HTTP proxy entries" or "BOTH secure and regular HTTP
proxy entries." Note that many sites use the same proxy for both. Do not modify
these settings during recording.
Classes not recorded on Linux
On Linux, the RPT recorder is unable to record Java classes. This is because
Mozilla ignores proxy settings when fetching classes, thus bypassing the
recorder. The impact of this is that the classes will not be fetched during
playback, providing a less-than-expected load on the server.
Administrator privileges required to run the Rational Product Updater
To run the Rational Product Updater successfully, you need to have Administrator
privileges. Otherwise, your updates will fail.
4.2 Known problems and
workarounds
Creating tests
Legal filenames when recording a test
When you record a new performance test, the HTTP Proxy Recorder requests a Recording file name.
Use only alphanumeric characters in this name. If you include an illegal
character, the Finish button remains dimmed.
Recording local Web sites
When recording a test from Internet Explorer at a local Web site (a
Web site on your internal LAN), the IWAT3040E Registry Settings Error window
might open with the following message:
Your IE configuration setting for Proxy Server Exceptions is not
supported.
The recorder only supports either no Proxy or both HTTP and Secure
Proxy.
You can get a similar message with Mozilla or another Web browser. The
problem is a configuration setting that prevents use of proxies with local Web
sites.
To configure Internet Explorer so that it allows the use of a proxy with local
Web sites, start Internet Explorer and do the following:
- Click Tools > Internet Options.
- On the Internet Options window, click the Connections tab.
- Click LAN Settings.
- Check Use a proxy server for your LAN.
- Clear Bypass proxy server for local addresses.
- Click Advanced.
- In the Exceptions area at the bottom, inspect the Do not use proxy server for
addresses beginning with field. Remove any address string that is blocking the
Web site you are requiring to record, or clear the field.
- Click OK to close the Proxy Settings window.
- Clear Use a proxy server for your LAN.
- Click OK to close the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window.
- Click OK to close the Internet Options window.
If you get a similar error message with Mozilla or Netscape, the configuration
setting causing the problem is the No Proxy for field on the Proxies
window. Either clear this field or remove the address
that you are trying to record.
"Unable to create part" error with imported datapools
Performance tests (.testsuite files) with datapool associations might not open if
the parent performance test project was imported and a project containing the
associated datapool was not. An Unable to create part
error is shown in the test editor. Removing datapool associations
within tests before export or import can minimize this problem. However, if you
follow the steps
in the Help topic "Copying a project to another workspace" you can avoid this problem
entirely.
Editing tests
Renaming a custom code class requires Java refactoring
Changing the name of the Java class for a custom code action in the
test editor does not move or refactor the class to use the new name.
The previous Java class continues to contain modifications that were made to
the generated custom code, and the new Java class will be generated using the name from
a template provided in the test editor.
To change the name of the Java class, first refactor the Java class
to the new name, then edit the name in the test editor to refer
to that class.
Custom code must be located in test package
All custom code must be located within the test package in the test
project. It can be placed in a subpackage of test, but the subpackage name
must be lowercase (test.custom.VerifyID, for example).
Representing workloads
Edit locations only through the schedule editor
Although you can create a location by clicking New > Other, then
expanding the test tree until you see the location icon, this practice
is not recommended. A location created by this method does not contain the
necessary attributes to work in a schedule. To create a location that works
correctly, follow the steps in the Help topic "Running user groups at a remote
location."
Running schedules or tests
Memory leak in workbench when running performance tests
There is a memory leak associated with running a performance test.
When running a large number of tests, you should periodically restart the Performance Tester workbench.
Playback may fail when tests attempt to upload large files
A test or schedule run might fail when a test attempts to upload files larger
than 500 KB. This is because the generated Java test will exceed the maximum allowable size of
the Java class file.
To fix this problem, split the uploaded file into smaller parts.
"Test run aborted due to error" message
when an application requires a restart
If you need to restart any single application, you should also restart all agent controllers
and the local computer.
This collective restart is necessary to reset the open network connections created by schedule or test
runs.
If you do not perform a collective restart of all agent controllers and the
local computer, you see the message "Test run aborted due to error."
Cookie cache must be cleared
A cookie is a piece of information that a Web browser allows the Web server to
store locally for maintaining useful state information across Web pages or Web sessions. The cookie cache is the dynamic memory of all these states.
Performance Tester simulates the Web browser's cookie cache automatically.
In certain instances, you might want Performance Tester to clear all the cookies
it has dynamically stored for a particular virtual user. One example is
when a loop exists around the invocation of a test. If cookies should not be
remembered from one iteration to the next, then the user must indicate to Performance Tester to clear the cookie cache of the current virtual user.
To fix this problem, a Java API has been added to clear the cookie cache of the current virtual
user. Add custom code to the test to call this API and clear the
cookie cache when the custom code is executed. This can be done in the
following steps:
- As explained in the help topic "Adding custom code," add custom code
to the test at the location where you want the cookie
cache to be cleared. For example, at the end of the test.
- View the custom code Java file.
- Add the following Java import statement
Import com.ibm.rational.test.lt.execution.http.util.CookieCacheUtil;
- Add the following Java code inside the exec method
CookieCacheUtil.clearCookieCache(log);
The following example shows a custom code addition that clears the cookie
cache, with the lines that you need to add to the generated custom code
template shown in bold:
package test;
import com.ibm.rational.test.lt.execution.http.util.CookieCacheUtil;
import com.ibm.rational.test.lt.kernel.logging.IKLog;
public class Class1111180036738 implements com.ibm.rational.test.lt.kernel.custom.ICustomCode {
public Class1111180036738() {
}
public String exec(IKLog log, String[] args) {
CookieCacheUtil.clearCookieCache(log);
return null;
}
}
Troubleshooting CodeGen errors
Certain conditions can result in CodeGen errors. A CodeGen error can take the form of an
Unable to Persist error view
message, an Unable to Launch
message, or a Null Pointer
window when you
run a test or schedule. Altering the .classpath file and removing certain Java sources
might resolve the issue.
To alter the .classpath file:
- In the Eclipse Navigator view, open the .classpath file. It will look something like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<classpath>
<classpathentry kind="src" path="src"/>
<classpathentry kind="con" path="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.JRE_CONTAINER"/>
<classpathentry kind="lib" path="C:/Program Files/IBM/Rational/SDP/6.0/rpt_prod/eclipse/plugins/com.ibm.rational.test.lt.core_6.1.0/core.jar"/>
<classpathentry kind="lib" path="C:/Program Files/IBM/Rational/SDP/6.0/rpt_prod/eclipse/plugins/com.ibm.rational.test.lt.datacorrelation.execution.http_6.1.0/datacorrelation.execution.http.jar"/>
<classpathentry kind="lib" path="C:/Program Files/IBM/Rational/SDP/6.0/rpt_prod/eclipse/plugins/com.ibm.rational.test.lt.kernel_6.1.0/kernel.jar"/>
...
Files/IBM/Rational/SDP/6.0/rpt_prod/eclipse/plugins/com.ibm.rational.test.lt.execution.http_6.1.0/execution.http.jar"/>
<classpathentry kind="lib" path="C:/Program Files/IBM/Rational/SDP/6.0/rpt_prod/eclipse/plugins/com.ibm.rational.test.lt.provider_6.1.0/provider.jar"/>
<classpathentry kind="output" path="bin"/>
</classpath>
- Remove all lines with
classpathentry kind="lib"
at the beginning.
- Save the file.
- To remove Java sources:
- In the Eclipse Navigator view, open all folders containing files
like
text-string_hex-string.java
, where the text string contains either Test or Schedule, and the long hexadecimal string varies. For example, MyTest_Test_C4B984B93C96709D96B4E6C0284611D9.java
.
- Delete all such files.
- Run the test or schedule again. The .classpath and .java files will be re-created in the proper form.
Evaluating results
Execution history may be incomplete if run stops suddenly
When a performance test or schedule is not able to run to completion, the
execution history might be incomplete. This can occur when the execution is
stopped by the user or when a schedule time limit has been set. When this
occurs, some of the stop events (schedule stop, user group stop, virtual user
stop, and so on) and some of the verdict rollup events are absent from the
execution history.
Execution history may be incomplete if extremely large amounts of data are
logged
The amount of data logged during a run is based on the two schedule settings:
Execution history log level and Only sample execution history from a
subset of users. When running a large workload, the amount of
the data logged can be huge, especially the logging level is set to Request
or All and there is no sampling (therefore, all users are logged). In these cases, some events
near the end of the run are not saved in the execution history. The types of events that
can be missing are generally
those contained within some executed tests. You should still be able to see
hierarchical events including schedule, user group and user-related events.
One workaround is to sample the users. This is generally a good idea when you
are emulating large numbers of users. Another workaround is to keep the Execution
history log level at the Page
level.
Execution history can be misleading when sampling
Performance Tester adds an additional verification point for pages that fail
or produce an error. These verification points are required for displaying
verdicts within the execution history and are aggregated into the total
verification point stats counters. If sampling is enabled (the default), pages
that fail might be excluded. If they are, the test results are misleading
because the overall verdict is Pass although some pages have failed.
Exporting run statistics does not work if path is entered directly in
CSV file field
The performance test run statistics are not exported if you select File > Export and enter
the path directly in the CSV file field (without clicking the Browse
button).
To work around this problem, click the Browse button and browse to the
location you wish to store the file; name the file and click OK.
Run completion sometimes indicated long before data transfer is complete
At the end of a run, the Performance report may indicate that the run is
complete before data transfer has completed. In this situation, the CPU will be
nearly saturated with seemingly no explanation.
The true test to see if data transfer has completed is to open the execution
history. When a run stop time has been placed in the execution history, then
data transfer has completed.
A firewall on the local computer may prevent the return of execution
history and statistics data
Performance Tester uses network ports to pass data between its components.
Network firewalls can disrupt this operation and cause errors during a run. If
you cannot see the execution history after the run has
completed, this might indicate a firewall issue.
Most network firewalls let you create an exception list for applications that should not be blocked from network access.
To ensure that communication between the components of Performance Tester is uninterrupted,
add the following applications to your exception list. If the network firewall
is installed only on the agent controller, then only the second application
listed for each operating system needs to be added to the list.
For Windows:
RPT_install_path\IBM\Rational\SDP\6.0\eclipse\jre\bin\javaw.exe
RPT_install_path\IBM\Rational\SDP\6.0\IBM_Agent_Controller\bin\RAService.exe
For Linux:
RPT_install_path\IBM\Rational\SDP\6.0\eclipse\jre\bin\javaw RPT_install_path\IBM\Rational\SDP\6.0\IBM_Agent_Controller\bin\RAServer
Note: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 installs a restrictive firewall. It
must be disabled or adjusted as indicated above to allow proper communication
between the components of Performance Tester.
CPU use reaches 100% during a run
During test runs that involve multiple test drivers, the CPU of the local
machine might become very busy. If you use the default statistical sample interval of 5 seconds
to collect test results, the CPU can become
busy and the program might fail to respond. To fix this problem, change the sample interval to a longer duration; from
30 seconds to 1 minute. This allows the incoming data to be processed without
causing the CPU to reach 100%.
Linux
MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME environment variable must be set
If you are running Performance Tester on Red Hat Linux, you must set the
MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME
environment variable. If you do not set this variable,
the online help will not be displayed correctly, execution details will not be displayed in the
Protocol Data view, and you will encounter other problems.
To set this environment variable, add the following lines to shortcut_rpt
(in the install directory, /opt/IBM/Rational/SPD/6.0
by default):
MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME=/usr/lib/mozilla-1.4.3
export MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME
/usr/lib/mozilla-1.4.3
might be different on your system; it is where libxpcom.so
is located.
License client cannot parse the license server information file
When running on Linux, the license server information is placed in the
$HOME/.flexlmrc
file. If this file contains an EOF, instead of a
carriage return or line feed, the license client cannot parse the file. To fix
this problem,
make sure that a carriage return or line feed marks the end of the file.
Normal users cannot remove the workspace if the agent controller is run as root
When the agent controller is started by the root user, this user owns the files
that are created to enable Performance Tester to run. If the workbench and
the agent controller are located on the same Linux machine and the
agent controller was started by the root user, files are created in a workspace
directory that can be deleted only by the root user.
Mozilla must be installed from the SuSE install discs
With SuSE Linux, installing the Mozilla browser from an internet download does
not create the appropriate configuration files. To avoid this problem, be sure
to install the Mozilla browser from the SuSE install discs using the install
tools available on SuSE. The Mozilla install on SuSE has been customized for the
operating system.
5.0 Documentation updates
Both the product
home page and IBM
developerWorks have Library
sections that provide updates to tutorial documents and other
documentation.
The IBM Rational zone at www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational
offers technical articles, "how to" information, tutorials, samples,
and previews of new technology.
Updates to Installing IBM Rational Performance Tester
Step 6 in the section "Installing Rational
Performance Tester from the CD-ROM" states that the Integrated Development
Environment (IDE), Agent Controller, and Common Licensing are selected by
default. This is true only if Common Licensing has not been installed. If the
Common Licensing client has been installed, only the IDE and the Agent
Controller are selected by default.
The section "Creating a network installation image" explains how to copy the product installation CDs to a
network server so that users can install the product across the network rather
than from the CDs. The instructions are correct but the "Note" underneath the
instructions is misleading. Replace this note with the following text:
To install the product across the network on a Windows client, do the following:
- On the client machine, map a drive letter to the location of the installation
image on the network (for example,
x:/install_image
).
Note that if you fail to map a drive letter to the network location ,
the Agent Controller will not be installed with the product, and you might
get an error message alerting you that there is a problem with the
installation.
- Change to the mapped drive letter (for example, x:) and enter the disk1
folder (
cd rpt_win\disk1
).
- Double-click launchpad.exe.
The section "Installing license keys on Linux" is
incorrect. This section should read:
To install license keys on a Linux client, create the file $HOME/.flexlmrc
,
containing a line with the computer name or the IP address of the Rational license server. For
example, add the lines RATIONAL_LICENSE_FILE=@server-name.com
or RATIONAL_LICENSE_FILE=@ip-address
to the .flexlmrc file.
The .flexlmrc file must be created in the home directory of every user on the
target system who will run more than five virtual testers.
Flash plug-in requirement
In order to properly view multimedia user assistance, such as Tours, Tutorials, and Show me viewlets, you need to have Flash Player version 6.0r65 or later installed.
6.0 Contacting customer
support
Refer to the "Troubleshooting and support" section of the online help for
information on how to contact IBM
Software Support.
The product home page for Performance Tester is www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/rationalappdev.
For FAQs, lists of known problems and fixes, and other support
information, visit the Support
page on the product home page.
7.0 About Eclipse
Eclipse is an open-source project that creates royalty-free technology
and a universal platform for tools integration. Eclipse-based tools
give developers freedom of choice in a multilanguage, multiplatform
environment. Eclipse delivers a framework for developing plug-ins that
make it easier to create, integrate, and use software tools. By
collaborating and sharing core integration technology, tool producers
can concentrate on their areas of expertise and the creation of new
development technology. The Eclipse platform is written in the JavaTM
language and comes with extensive toolkits and examples for
construction plug-ins. It has already been deployed on a range of
operating system environments including Linux, MAC OS X, QNX, and
Windows-based systems. Full details of the Eclipse community and white
papers documenting the design of the Eclipse platform are available at www.eclipse.org.
Plug-in
tools from other vendors, also built using the open-source Eclipse
platform, integrate with the Rational environment to provide
additional value.
Copyright and
notices