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A load is the total amount of activity (HTTP/HTTPS requests that the server receives during any given period of time) that is placed on the web application to be tested. This load consists of a certain number of virtual users who process a defined set of transactions in a specified time period. Assigning proper load is at the crux of web performance testing.
Normal - In this type of load, a constant number of virtual users are run against the web application for the duration of the test.
Ramp Up - In this type of load, an increasing load is run to help testers to find the limit of a web application’s work capacity. At the beginning of the load test, only a small number of virtual users are run. Virtual users are then added to the load step by step.
Ramp Down - In this type of load, at the beginning of the load test, a maximum number of virtual users are simulated based on the specified value. Virtual users are then removed from the load in a step by step approach at the specified time intervals. For example, assume first 50 users are run and at an interval of every 5 seconds, 10 users are removed from the load to ramp down from the peak value to the lowest value.
Burn-In - In this type of load, the response time of a URL is repeatedly measured with the specified number of virtual users based on the exit criteria specified. In performing a burn-in URL testing, you will often catch problems that would only arise after extended use of the URL by a large number of users.
Mixed Load - In this type of load, you can simulate a combination of loads (steady-state, ramp-up and ramp-down).
The load details can be configured in the Web Performance screen itself. Navigate to the appropriate loadtest through the left-side tree. In the load test details screen, assign the load in the 'Load Details' section, below the transaction details section.
The detailed steps are explained in the next topic. Please refer to the same.
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