IBM Rational Performance Tester, Version 7.0.2 Release Notes

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2000, 2008. All rights reserved. US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.

Contents

Description

The information in this file applies to IBM® Rational® Performance Tester and to products powered by Rational Performance Tester.

This release includes defect fixes and the following updates:
  • The Rational Performance Tester Extension for Socket Protocols supports testing applications that use custom protocols over TCP Sockets.
  • Performance schedules now support multiple independent user stages.
  • Emulating various WAN connection speeds is now supported for HTTP tests.
  • HTTP tests now support scalable delays. HTTP test elements can be easily disabled and enabled. Secondary HTTP requests can also be disabled.
  • Random selectors have been added in tests, which support running multiple user scenarios.
  • Custom percentages are now supported in Percentile reports, and there is a new Transaction Percentile report and new throughput counters.
  • New functional reports have been added to improve usability of functional test results for SOA and SAP.
  • Browser results are displayed in real time during HTTP test playback, making tests easier to validate and debug.
  • Test logs that are larger than available memory are now supported.
  • Data correlation references are automatically named. Automated correlation of XML data is now supported.
  • Schedule loops and test loops that run for a specific time can be created.
  • The Rational Performance Tester Extension for SOA Quality now supports SOAP 1.2, Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism (MTOM), and asynchronous Web services.
  • Performance testing is now supported on Siebel 8.0.

Products powered by IBM Rational Performance Tester can come with one virtual user or with multiple virtual users. Products with one virtual user are used for different purposes from products with multiple virtual users. Products with one virtual user are designed to test the functional behavior of systems. The concept of a performance schedule, described in the "Emulating workloads in tests" section of the online help, does not apply to these products. The reports of interest are the Test log and Verification Point report, not the Performance report.

The Rational Performance Tester resource roadmap is available at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/roadmaps/rptroadmap.html.

The Rational Performance Tester Information Center is available at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rpthelp/v7r0m0/index.jsp.

Release notes for previous (7.0.x) versions of Rational Performance Tester are available at http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/v7/rpt/70/docs/readme/readme.html.

Release notes for previous (7.0.x) versions of Rational Tester for SOA Quality are available at http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/v7/rtsoaq/70/docs/readme/readme.html.

System requirements

For installation requirements specific to this release of Rational Performance Tester, see the download document at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24018512.

For installation requirements specific to this release of Rational Tester for SOA Quality, see the download document at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24018513.

For information about hardware and software compatibility for Rational Performance Tester, see the system requirements document at http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/performance/sysreq/index.html.

For information about hardware and software compatibility for Rational Tester for SOA Quality, see the system requirements document at http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/soa/sysreq/index.html.

Installing Rational Performance Tester 7.0.2

For step-by-step installation instructions, see the Installation Guide at http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/v7/rpt/70/docs/install_instruction/install.html.

Installing Rational Tester for SOA Quality 7.0.2

For step-by-step installation instructions, see the Installation Guide at http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/v7/rtsoaq/70/docs/install_instruction/install.html.

Known problems

Known problems are documented in the form of individual technotes in the Support knowledge base at http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/performance/support/. As problems are discovered and resolved, the knowledge base is updated. By searching the knowledge base, you can quickly find workarounds or solutions to problems.

Contacting IBM Rational Software Support

IBM Rational Software Support provides you with technical assistance.

For contact information and guidelines or reference materials that you will need when you require support, read the IBM Software Support Handbook.

For product information about Rational Performance Tester, visit the product home page at www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/performance/.

For product information about Rational Tester for SOA Quality, visit the product home page at www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/soa/.

For FAQs, lists of known problems and fixes, and other support information, visit the product support pages at www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/performance/support/index.html for Rational Performance Tester and www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/soa/support/index.html for Rational Tester for SOA Quality.

For personalized support, including notifications of significant upgrades, register at http://www.ibm.com/support/mysupport/.

For Rational software product news, events, and other information, visit the IBM Rational Software Web site.

Before you contact IBM Rational Software Support, gather the background information that you will need to describe your problem. When describing a problem to an IBM software support specialist, be as specific as possible and include all relevant background information so that the specialist can help you solve the problem efficiently. To save time, know the answers to these questions:
  • What software versions were you running when the problem occurred?
  • Do you have logs, traces, or messages that are related to the problem?
  • Can you reproduce the problem? If so, what steps do you take to reproduce it?
  • Is there a workaround for the problem? If so, be prepared to describe the workaround.