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There are three steps to configuring the browser:
- Configure Browser Proxy Settings
- Test Browser Settings
- Initialize Cache
- Delete Cookies
- Using a Proxy Server
Step #1: Configure Browser Proxy Settings
In order to record a test case the browser needs to be configured to use Web Performance
TrainerTM as a proxy server.
What if your local network configuration requires you to use a proxy server to access the server
to be tested? We recommend NOT executing performance tests through a proxy server, because the test results will be constrained by the
bandwidth of the proxy server. Additionally, if other users are accessing the proxy server, the results will be affected by this usage
and may result in tests that are not repeatable. However, in some situations it is necessary (or even desirable) to test through a proxy
server. Web Performance TrainerTM version 2.3 supports recording and executing test scripts through
a proxy server. Please see the Using a Proxy Server section for more details.
If your local LAN already uses a proxy server to access the internet, you'll have to either use a separate
test machine to do your recording, or reconfigure your browser when you need to access the internet. While you have your browser configured
to do recording via Web Performance TrainerTM, you'll only be able to access the web servers on your local
LAN.
Important:
- Before reconfiguring the browser, try to view the web site with the browser to confirm the network and browser
are currently working.
- While your browser is configured to use Web Performance TrainerTM as a proxy
server, your browser will only function while Web Performance TrainerTM is running. When you finish recording,
be sure to set your browser settings back to the original configuration.
The following sections show how to configure:
Internet Explorer 4.0
Bring up the Internet Options Dialog by choosing the View Menu, and then Internet Options. Click on the Connection Tab to view the screen below. In the Proxy Server section check the "Access the Internet using a proxy server" box. Then verify that the "Bypass proxy server for local (Intranet) addresses" checkbox is unchecked. Next, click the "Advanced..." button.
On the "Proxy Settings" dialog, IE must be provided with the address where Web Performance TrainerTM will be listening for requests. On the line for "HTTP", enter "127.0.0.1" for the address, and 8081 as the port. Under certain configurations, you may have to try substituting the machine name "localhost" for the address. On the line for "Secure", enter "127.0.0.1" for the Address, and 808ess, and 8082 as the port. Note that the "Secure" line may not always be the second line. It is also important to verify that none of the entries in the "Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with:" textbox will prevent the browser from using a proxy for the servers that will be recorded from or tested against. Now click the OK button
The next step is to configure the HTTP connection for the browser for a proxy using the "Advanced" tab of the same Options Dialog. Make sure that the "Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections" option is unchecked. The actual screen may look different on the various versions of IE, but the option exists on 4.x and 5.x browsers.
The next step is to test the proxy connection.
Internet Explorer 5.0
Bring up the Internet Options Dialog by choosing the Tools Menu, and then Internet Options. Click on the LAN Settings button to view the screen below. In the Proxy Server section check the "Access the Internet using a proxy server" box. Then verify that the "Bypass proxy server for local (Intranet) addresses" checkbox is unchecked. Next, click the "Advanced..." button.
On the "Proxy Settings" dialog, IE must be provided with the address where Web Performance TrainerTM will be listening for requests. On the line for "HTTP", enter "127.0.0.1" for the address, and 8081 as the port. Under certain configurations, you may have to try substituting the machine name "localhost" for the address. On the line for "Secure", enter "127.0.0.1" for the Address, and 8082 as the port. Note that the "Secure" line may not always be the second line. It is also important to verify that none of the entries in the "Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with:" textbox will prevent the browser fromfrom using a proxy for the servers that will be recorded from or tested against. Now click the OK button
The next step is to click on the Advanced button of the Local Area (LAN) Settings dialog, and find the box that says "Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with:". Make sure that this box is empty so that the browser uses Web Performance TrainerTM to access your local web servers.
The final step in the browser configuration is to configure the HTTP connection for the browser for a proxy using the "Advanced" tab of the same Options Dialog. Make sure that the "Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections" option is unchecked. The actual screen may look different on the various versions of IE, but the option exists on 4.x and 5.x browsers in the HTTP 1.1 settings heading.
The next step is to test the proxy connection.
Netscape Navigator
Select Preferences from the Edit Menu to bring up the following dialog. Expand the "Advanced" category on the left-side of the dialog, and select Proxies. The screen will appear as below. Select the Manual Proxy Configure option and then click on the View Button.
On the "Manual Proxy Configuration" dialog, Netscape must be provided with the address where Web Performance TrainerTM will be listening for requests. Enter "127.0.0.1" or "localhost;" for the HTTP proxy address and "8081" for the corresponding port. Enter "127.0.0.1" or "localhost;" for the Security proxy address and "8082" for the corresponding port. It is also important to verify that none of the entries in the "Do not use proxy servers for domains beginning with:" textbox will prevent the browser from using a proxy for ing a proxy for the servers that will be recorded from or tested against. Now click the OK button
The next step is to test the proxy connection.
Step #2: Testing the Browser Proxy Settings
To test the proxy configuration of your browser, start Web Performance TrainerTM. In your browser enter the following URL: "http://wptrainer". If you see a welcome page, then your browser is correctly configured for the HTTP protocol. If you will be using SSL, then you also need to test the SSL proxy configuration. Enter this URL: "https://wptrainer" (note the https:). This may take quite some time (up to a minute on slow processors...see the section on SSL for more details). If you see another welcome page, then your browser is correctly configured for the HTTP protocol using SSL security.
Now you're ready to try browsing to a website. The best web server st web server to use in this test is the web server on your local LAN you're planning to load test. Try to browse the web site as you would normally and see if you can view any of the web pages. If the web page does not appear as normal, try setting your browser back to its normal configuration (i.e. no proxy) and verify that the web page is currently accessible.
Step #3: Initializing Stored Cache Files
When you run a performance test you'll want the files to be transferred from the web server, not taken from a browser's cache. Before recording a session you'll want to initialize the cache to prevent this. Note that nothing bad will happen if you don't initialize the cache-- the only thing that will happen is instead of transferring the entire file, the web server will simply report that the file hasn't changed.
Step #4: Deleting Cookies (optional)
Note: Skip this section if your back-end code does not take advantage of session tracking.
If your web server uses session tracking, your web browser already has a cookie for your web site. In order to
test your web site in exactly the same way as a user, you'll need to delete those cookies, so you can be identified as a new user.
The following sections show how to initialize cookies on the various operating system/browser
combinations. Be sure to quit your browser before following these instructions!
Windows: Internet
Explorer
Cookies are stored in files with a ".dat" extension in the directory
C:\WINNT\Cookies. To make sure they aren't used change the names
from ".dat" to ".dat.old" or any other name. When you ame. When you are done testing change the names back to store your
cookie settings.
Windows: Netscape
Cookies are stored in the file:
C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\your_user_name\cookies.txt
The phrase "your_user_name" is tquot;your_user_name" is the user name you used to log into NT.
Rename the file "cookies.txt" to "cookies.txt.old". When you are done testing delete "cookies.txt" and
copy "cookies.txt.old" to "cookies.txt".
UNIX: Netscape
Cookies are stored
in the file:
~/.netscape/cookies
The notation "~/" signified to look in the home directory of your UNIX account. Rename the
file "cookies" to "cookies.old". When you are finished testing, simply rename the file back to "cookies".
Step #5: Using a Proxy Server (optional)
Note: Skip this section if you do not normally need to use a proxy server to access the
web server to be tested.
To use a proxy server during the recording and test execution process, Web Performance TrainerTM
must know the proxy server address and port number. This information can be configured in the "Proxy" tab of the properties dialog (to
access this dialog from the menu, choose: Edit->Properties). Here is an example:
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