Method and apparatus for simulating application workloads on an e-business application server

• US 20030036897A1
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hand, Leonard S., Reed, Philip E., Flores, Romelia
• Granted Patent: US 7,090,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for simulating application workloads on an e-business application server hosting e-business application programs. A test driver is provided that can simulate different workloads and enable monitoring of e-business applications. A work request for a placebo transaction can be forwarded to the application server for processing. The work request can be a request to process a specified workload. The placebo transaction can be a workload used to test the application server by placing a load on the application server. The placebo transaction can include any kind of data traffic which can emulate realtime tasks and activities that can happen within the application server and its e-business applications environment. The workloads for the placebo transactions can be defined such that they require varying levels of processing resources. The placebo transaction can include hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) traffic which is typical of Internet website traffic. Although HTTP can be utilized, other transfer protocols such as file transfer protocol (FTP) can be employed. Consequently, a work request can include HTTP requests for accomplishing e-business related calculations, and retrieving and/or storing information in a database.

Claims

1. A method for simulating application workload on an e-business application server hosting a plurality of e-business application programs, comprising:

forwarding a placebo transaction work request to the e-business application server;

translating said forwarded placebo transaction work request into a computer program operation to be performed in the e-business application server; and

executing said computer program operation in the e-business application server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said translating step further comprises:

determining a workload based on said forwarded placebo transaction work request; and

determining based on said determined workload, said computer program operation to be performed for said workload.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said forwarding step further comprises sending a user identification (UID), a user priority and a workload identification (WLID) to a workload driver in the e-business application server.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising encapsulating said user identification (UID), said user priority and said workload identification (WLID) in a HTTP header prior to said forwarding step.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising encapsulating said user identification (UID), said priority and said workload identification (WLID) in a URL string prior to said forwarding step.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said forwarding step further comprises sending said UID, said user priority and said WLID from a user driver to said workload driver.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said forwarded placebo transaction work request by a workload driver; and

applying a load for said placebo transaction work request resulting from said executing step to said e-business application server.

8. The method according to claim 8, further comprising instantiating said workload driver by the application server.

9. A system for application workload simulation on an e-business application server hosting a plurality of e-business application programs, the system comprising:

a user driver for generating placebo transaction work requests;

a configuration file comprising computer program commands associated with said transaction work requests; and

a workload driver for determining based on configuration information in said configuration file, which of said computer program commands will be executed for said placebo transaction work requests by said user driver.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said workload driver is a servlet instantiated by the application server.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein each of the placebo transaction work requests generated by said user driver comprises a user identification (UID), a priority and a workload identification (WLID).

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising command classes having varying load processing requirements.

13. The system according to 9, further comprising a URL string having encapsulated therein, a UID, a priority and a WLID, said URL string for communicating said placebo transaction work requests from said user driver to said workload driver.

14. The system according to 9, further comprising a HTTP header having encapsulated therein, a UID, a priority and a WLID, said HTTP header for communicating said placebo transaction work requests from said user driver to said workload driver.

15. A machine readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

forwarding a placebo transaction work request to the e-business application server, said forwarding step for simulating application workload on an e-business application server hosting a plurality of e-business application programs;

translating said forwarded placebo transaction work request into a computer program operation to be performed in the e-business application server; and

executing said computer program operation in the e-business application server.

16. The machine readable storage according to claim 15, wherein said translating step further comprises:

determining a workload based on said forwarded placebo transaction work request; and

determining based on said determined workload, said computer program operation to be performed for said workload.

17. The machine readable storage according to claim 16, wherein said forwarding step further comprises sending a user identification (UID), a user priority and a workload identification (WLID) to a workload driver in the e-business application server.

18. The machine readable storage according to claim 17, further comprising

encapsulating said user identification (UID), said user priority and said workload identification (WLID) in a HTTP header prior to said forwarding step.

19. The machine readable storage according to claim 17, further comprising

encapsulating said user identification (UID), said priority and said workload identification (WLID) in a URL string prior to said forwarding step.

20. The machine readable storage according to claim 15, wherein said forwarding step further comprises sending said UID, said user priority and said WLID from a user driver to said workload driver.

21. The machine readable storage according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving said forwarded placebo transaction work request by a workload driver; and

applying a load for said placebo transaction work request resulting from said executing step to said e-business application server.

22. The machine readable storage according to claim 21, further comprising

instantiating said workload driver by said application server.