WEBSITE LOAD TESTING USING A PLURALITY OF REMOTELY OPERATING AGENTS DISTRIBUTED OVER A WIDE AREA

• US 20090055522A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dynatrace LLC (Dynatrace, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gomez Acquisition Corp.
• Inventors: Moulline, Imad, DeBettencout, Jason, Mateos, Arthur, Shen, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

Website load testing using agents is disclosed. An address of a website and a window of time in which to perform a load test are received. The address and the window of time are distributed to a plurality of remotely operating agents, distributed over a wide area. Each agent in the plurality is to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website. Data from the plurality of agents is received upon passage of the window of time, describing a load placed upon the website by the plurality of agents. The received data describing the load placed upon the website is presented. Alternatively, a script may be used to load test a website, the script a series of commands to be executed across the website as a simulation of a transaction, the script to be executed in the window of time.

Claims

1. A method of load testing a website using a plurality of agents, the method comprising:

receiving an address of a website and a window of time in which a load test is to be executed;

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website;

receiving data from the plurality of agents upon passage of the window of time, the data describing a load placed upon the website by the plurality of agents; and

presenting the received data describing the load placed upon the website.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving comprises:

receiving a script, wherein a script is a series of commands to be executed across a website as a simulation of a transaction, and a window of time in which the script is to be executed as a load test on the website;

and wherein distributing comprises;

distributing the script and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to execute the script during the window of time to load test the website.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising:

prior to distributing, receiving a selection of agents to comprise the plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, the selection of agents including agents grouped together according to one of geographic location and connection bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein presenting comprises:

presenting the received data describing the load placed upon the website, the presented data broken down according to one of geographic location and connection bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein distributing comprises:

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including agents connected to network connections of varying bandwidths.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

prior to distributing, determining agents to be included in the plurality of agents by;

setting a criterion for an agent to be included in the plurality of agents, the criterion related to a characteristic of the agent or of a computer system including the agent;

receiving a communication from available agents, each communication including information identifying a characteristic of the agent, or the computer system including the agent, that sent the communication;

determining if the characteristic in a received communication matches the criterion, and in response, including that agent in the plurality of agents.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein distributing comprises:

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including last-mile agents, a last mile agent requesting a task when the last mile agent is available.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein distributing comprises:

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including dynamically allocated virtualized agents, created as needed, the dynamically allocated virtualized agents receiving direct instructions at any time.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising:

assigning a priority to the load test such that agents within the plurality of agents that are assigned tasks other than the load test perform the load test prior to performing the other tasks.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising:

prior to receiving an address of a website and a window of time, presenting a display of already-scheduled load tests, the display assisting in determining a window of time for a load test to be executed.

11. A computer program product, stored on computer readable medium, for load testing a website using a plurality of agents, the computer program product comprising:

computer program code for receiving an address of a website and a window of time in which a load test is to be executed;

computer program code for distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website;

computer program code for receiving data from the plurality of agents upon passage of the window of time, the data describing a load placed upon the website by the plurality of agents; and

computer program code for presenting the received data describing the load placed upon the website.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein computer program code for receiving comprises:

computer program code for receiving a script, wherein a script is a series of commands to be executed across a website as a simulation of a transaction, and a window of time in which the script is to be executed as a load test on the website;

and wherein computer program code for distributing comprises;

computer program code for distributing the script and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to execute the script during the window of time to load test the website.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein computer program code for distributing comprises:

computer program code for distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including agents connected to network connections of varying bandwidths.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein computer program code for distributing comprises:

computer program code for distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including last-mile agents, a last mile agent requesting a task when the last mile agent is available.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein computer program code for distributing comprises:

computer program code for distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including dynamically allocated virtualized agents, created as needed, the dynamically allocated virtualized agents receiving direct instructions at any time.

16. A computer system comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a display;

a network interface; and

an interconnection mechanism coupling the memory, the processor, the display, and the network interface, allowing communication there between;

wherein the memory of the computer system is encoded with an agent load testing application, that when executed in the processor, provides an agent load testing process that load tests a website using a plurality of agents, by causing the computer system to perform operations of;

receiving an address of a website and a window of time in which a load test is to be executed;

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website;

for receiving data from the plurality of agents upon passage of the window of time, the data describing a load placed upon the website by the plurality of agents; and

for presenting the received data describing the load placed upon the website.

17. The computer system of claim 16 wherein receiving comprises:

receiving a script, wherein a script is a series of commands to be executed across a website as a simulation of a transaction, and a window of time in which the script is to be executed as a load test on the website;

and wherein distributing comprises;

distributing the script and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to execute the script during the window of time to load test the website.

18. The computer system of claim 16 wherein for distributing comprises:

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including agents connected to network connections of varying bandwidths.

19. The computer system of claim 16 wherein distributing comprises:

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including last-mile agents, a last mile agent requesting a task when the last mile agent is available.

20. The computer system of claim 16 wherein distributing comprises:

distributing the address and the window of time to a plurality of remotely operating agents distributed over a wide area, each agent in the plurality of agents to access the website at the received address during the window of time to load test the website, the plurality of agents including dynamically allocated virtualized agents, created as needed, the dynamically allocated virtualized agents receiving direct instructions at any time.