Automated recording and playback of application interactions

• US 9,558,097 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, James Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US11/985,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,367 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring

Abstract

Some embodiments of automated recording and playback of application interactions have been presented. In one embodiment, an application proxy server communicatively coupled between an application server and a client records responses and requests between an application server and a client during a transaction. Furthermore, the application proxy server generates a script based on the responses and requests recorded.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a processing device of an application proxy server, a secure communication connection between the application proxy server and a client machine, wherein the application proxy server is physically separate from and communicatively coupled between an application server and the client machine;

recording, by the processing device at the application proxy server, responses and requests of a transaction of a first version of an application, the responses and requests communicated between the application server and the client machine and passing through the application proxy server via the secure communication connection;

generating, by the processing device in view of the recorded responses and requests, a script for replaying the transaction;

executing, by the processing device at the application proxy server, the generated script to replay the transaction to test a second version of the application, wherein the second version of the application is different than the first version of the application, and wherein the transaction is replayed between the application proxy server and the application server without interaction from the client machine;

identifying one or more portions of the replayed transaction that are different from the recorded transaction in view of different response times between the recorded requests and responses in the respective recorded transaction and the replayed transaction;

determining, for each of the one or more identified portions, differences in response time between the recorded requests and responses between the recorded transaction and the replayed transaction; and

responsive to at least one of the determined differences in response time exceeded a threshold time limit, generating an alert that indicates a possible problem with at least one of the second version of the application or the application server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a user interface to allow users to modify the script generated.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining differences between responses that occur during a playback of the transaction and the responses recorded; and

examining tracking cookies to account for the differences.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

testing the application server by executing the script to play back the transaction; and

generating a report on results of the testing.

5. An application proxy server, comprising:

a storage device to store instructions; and

a processing device coupled to the storage device, to retrieve the instructions from the storage device and, in response to the instructions, to execute;

establish a secure communication connection between the application proxy server and a client machine, wherein the application proxy server is physically separate from and communicatively coupled between an application server and the client machine;

record responses and requests of a transaction of a first version of an application, the responses and requests communicated between the application server and the client machine and passing through the application proxy server via the secure communication connection;

generate, in view of the recorded responses and requests, a script for replaying the transaction;

execute the generated script to replay the transaction to test a second version of the application, wherein the second version of the application is different than the first version of the application, and wherein the transaction is replayed between the application proxy server and the application server without interaction from the client machine;

identify one or more portions of the replayed transaction that are different from the recorded transaction in view of different response times between the recorded requests and responses in the respective recorded transaction and the replayed transaction;

determine, for each of the one or more identified portions, differences in response time between the recorded requests and responses between the recorded transaction and the replayed transaction; and

responsive to at least one of the determined differences in response time exceeded a threshold time limit, generate an alert that indicates a possible problem with at least one of the second version of the application or the application server.

6. The application proxy server of claim 5, wherein the transaction information comprises data input by a user at the client.

7. The application proxy server of claim 5, wherein the processing device is further to execute:

a user interface module to create a user interface to allow users to modify the script generated.

8. The application proxy server of claim 5, wherein the processing device is further to execute:

a playback module coupled to the script replay engine, to determine differences between responses that occur during a playback of the transaction and the responses recorded, and to examine tracking cookies to account for the differences.

9. The application proxy server of claim 5, wherein the processing device is further to execute:

a testing module coupled to the script replay engine, to test the application server by causing the script replay engine to execute the script to play back the transaction; and

a reporting module coupled to the testing module, to generate a report on results of the testing.

10. A system comprising the application proxy server of claim 5, further comprising the application server.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processing device, cause the processing device:

establish, by the processing device of an application proxy server, a secure communication connection between the application proxy server and a client machine, wherein the application proxy server is physically separate from and communicatively coupled between an application server and the client machine;

record responses and requests of a transaction of a first version of an application, the responses and requests communicated between the application server and the client machine using the application proxy server and passing through the application proxy server via the secure communication connection;

generate, by the processing device in view of the recorded responses and requests, a script for replaying the transaction;

execute, by the processing device at the application proxy server, the generated script to replay the transaction to test a second version of the application, wherein the second version of the application is different than the first version of the application, and wherein the transaction is replayed between the application proxy server and the application server without interaction from the client machine;

identify one or more portions of the replayed transaction that are different from the recorded transaction in view of different response times between the recorded requests and responses in the respective recorded transaction and the replayed transaction;

determine, for each of the one or more identified portions, differences in response time between the recorded requests and responses between the recorded transaction and the replayed transaction; and

responsive to at least one of the determined differences in response time exceeded a threshold time limit, generate an alert that indicates a possible problem with at least one of the second version of the application or the application server.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the processing device is further to create a graphical user interface to allow users to modify the script generated.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

determining differences between responses that occur during a playback of the transaction and the responses recorded; and

examining tracking cookies to account for the differences.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the processing device is further to test the application server by executing the script to play back the transaction;

and generating a report on results of the testing.

15. A method comprising:

establishing, by a processing device of an application proxy server, a secure communication connection between the application proxy server and a client machine, wherein the application proxy server is physically separate from and communicatively coupled between an application server and the client machine;

recording, by the processing device at the application proxy server, responses and requests of a transaction of a first version of an application, the responses and requests communicated between the application server and the client machine and passing through the application proxy server via the secure communication connection;

generating, by the processing device in view of the recorded responses and requests, a script for replaying the transaction;

executing, by the processing device at the application proxy server, the generated script to replay the transaction to test a second version of the application, wherein the second version of the application is different than the first version of the application, and wherein the transaction is replayed between the application proxy server and the application server without interaction from the client machine;

identifying one or more portions of the replayed transaction that are different from the recorded transaction in view of different response times between the recorded requests and responses in the respective recorded transaction and the replayed transaction and by examining other information comprising tracking cookies and log files;

determining, for each of the one or more identified portions, differences in response time between the recorded requests and responses between the recorded transaction and the replayed transaction; and

responsive to at least one of the determined differences in response time, information in the tracking cookies, or information in the log files exceeded a threshold time limit, generating an alert that indicates a possible problem with at least one of the second version of the application or the application server.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating a user interface to allow users to modify the script generated.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising testing the application server by:

executing the script to play back the transaction; and

generating a report on results of the testing.