Systems and methods for website monitoring and load testing via simulation

• US 20060276997A1
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vercara LLC
• Original Assignee: Neustar Incorporated
• Inventors: Drees, Timothy Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,770,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• 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 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for website or web based application monitoring and load testing. A server is configured to execute monitoring or load testing agents on various agent devices that are placed in various locations across a network. The agents receive a playback script from the server and execute the script to simulate a user session that is part of a website monitoring or load testing project. Execution of the playback script may cause the agent to send commands to a generic browser application that in turn carries out those commands. Alternatively, or in combination, execution of the script may cause the agent to simulate operating system commands such as mouse, keyboard, and voice commands. The results of the script execution by the agent are stored and sent back to the server for potential real time alerting notification and compilation into a related report. Methods for recording the playback scripts are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for interactive testing of a website through simulated operating system and web browser commands, comprising:

a controller server communicatively coupled with a plurality of agent devices via a communication network, the controller server configured to compile a testing result from testing information received from said plurality of agent devices;

a target website communicatively coupled with said plurality of agent devices via a communication network;

a plurality of playback agents, each playback agent deployed on an agent device, wherein each playback agent is configured to be executed by the server controller and carry out a sequence of instructions received from the server controller, each playback agent further configured to record testing information in response to the execution of said sequence of instructions and provide said testing information to said controller server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sequence of instructions comprises operating system commands and web browser commands.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a playback agent comprises a browser module and an operating system module, wherein the browser module is configured to instruct a standard web browser to execute web browser command and the operating system module is configured to instruct the operating system to execute operating system commands.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operating system commands comprise text entry.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the operating system commands comprise keyboard input.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the operating system commands comprise mouse input.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the operating system commands comprise voice input.

8. A computer implemented method for interactive testing of a website through simulated operating system and web browser commands, comprising:

identifying a plurality of agent devices accessible via a communication network;

executing a playback agent on each of said agent devices;

providing each playback agent with a series of commands that comprise an interactive testing session;

instructing each playback agent to execute said series of commands on its respective agent device to generate testing information;

receiving the testing information from each of said playback agents; and

compiling said testing information into testing results.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein compiling said testing information comprises comparing textual results included in said testing information to determine the success of a command in the series of commands.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising obtaining error information from an agent device when a command in said series of commands fails.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said series of commands comprise operating system commands and web browser commands.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating system commands and web browser commands comprise a simulation of a user session for interactive testing of a website.