Load Testing and Performance Testing Results Analysis

Please review our Analyzing Results load testing guide. This document explains the different views in our load testing results and describes the meaning of each statistic included in those results. Please let us know if we can assist you further.

I am working on creating a new in-depth document for analyzing load. Can you provide a screenshot of the load test behavior you are describing? 

I'm sorry you're running into this behavior. Did the test create a large proportion of faulted users? You can select this as a metric in the chart view. If so, and if you enabled one or more dynamic targets for your load test, you may be experiencing a known issue with 2013 R1 load tests. To resolve this behavior, please install this custom build, and let us know if this resolves this behavior. 

If this does not describe your situation, please attach a copy of your test project  so we can attempt to reproduce your behavior.

I'm stepping in to assist with your load test problems so that Byron can return to his documentation duties.

Faulted users is a very bad sign. A faulted user is one that never finished running through all the steps of the user profile. It can explain why you only see one URL  in the page specific metrics. We need to find out why you're getting faulted users. The next step is to enable logging and view what the logs tell us. Please follow the steps at the last half of this page. Locate the log file and attach that to this ticket. Place it into a .zip file first.

I apologize for the delay getting back to you on this.

I looked at the trace log but I don't see anything abnormal. All of the content indicates normal load testing. We need to dig deeper to figure out what's going on. To that end I'd like to look at this problem on your computer via GoToMeeting. Let me know what timezone you're in and your available and I'll setup the meeting. I'm located in Seattle, WA, which is GMT -8.

All right let's try your 10am, my 7pm.

1.  Please join my meeting, Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 7:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
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2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

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My apologies for not showing up on time. I accidentally got side tracked. I am online now waiting for you. I'll standby for a while hoping you get this message in soon.

Sorry we were unable to connect today. Your 10am on most days works best for me. Let me know which day will work for you and I'll setup another meeting.

That's my Monday evening, your Tuesday morning. I can do that:

1.  Please join my meeting, Monday, August 26, 2013 at 7:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/148078837

2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

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I just got your message. Yes that will work. I already starting the meeting and am waiting for you.

I now believe you meant to move the meeting one hour later. I'm sorry you're not aware I'm now in Austin, TX, (GMT -6) such that one hour later would be my 10pm (I was in Seattle for only the last week). I am sorry but that's too late for me. Tomorrow evening will be hard for me. My 9pm, your 10am is the earliest I can meet tomorrow evening. Do you want to try then?

Sure here's the new invite:

1.  Please join my meeting, Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 9:00 PM Central Daylight Time.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/752220989

2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

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Meeting ID: 752-220-989

You're in luck. I can do that. I just started the meeting and am online now waiting for you. Use the link from my last email to join.

We found what is causing the faulted users. Your website is setting this cookie:

ctl00_NavigationPaneItems={'SelectedItems':['1'],'ExpandedItems':[]}

We are using .NET for our cookie bag in our load test code, and .NET doesn't allow the , character in the values for cookies. Even though most browser do work with cookies like this, technically it is not valid according to accepted HTTP standards.

I'm afraid there is no workaround within Test Studio to this. Your only option to continue trying to use Test Studio load test is to "fix" your website in this area e.g. URL encode the cookie being set by the server.

I can still meet with you at your 10am.

First I promised you the video from our first session. Here it is:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12886581/2013-08-27%2008.49%20654262%20Load%20Testing.wmv

To actually see the cookie being set is probably easiest using Fiddler. If you run Fiddler then access your application normally by launching a browser (not using Test Studio) you'll capture the HTTP traffic between the browser and your web server. All you need to do is capture the initial sign on screen plus logging on. Then look at the responses coming from the server. Look at the SetCookie's as shown in the attached screen shot.

P.S. We saw the cookie in the background communication of our load test running, which only we would be able to understand. Your web developers will better see and understand what Fiddler captures.

<telerik:RadPanelBar runat="server" ID="NavigationPaneItems" Width="100%" PersistStateInCookie="True"

                                OnClientItemClicked="RadPanelBar1_OnClientItemClicked" OnClientItemClicking="RadPanelBar1_OnClientItemClicking"

                                OnItemClick="RadPanelBar1ItemClick" CausesValidation="false">

I would like to validate if the screenshot you attached below is refering to SetCookie's you are mentioning?

The screen shot I attached was just an example of where/how to find SetCookie in the traffic. It's not of the cookie we believe is causing the problem. For that we need a new Fiddler capture of running your application normally in a browser (without Test Studio). We won't see the problem cookie in Fiddler while the load test is running because our load agent is crashing at the time it's building the next HTTP request to be sent to the server. It never got sent. Since it wasn't sent there was no HTTP request for Fiddler to capture.

I am sorry I was not available to meet with you at the time you requested. I am busy late this evening and Monday is a national holiday in the US.

I think the easiest way to proceed, now that your developers have implemented a code change, is to ask you to capture a new Fiddler trace of your application running in just a browser and send us that trace. We'll study this new trace to see if there's still a cookie problem or not.

Based on the results of us studying the new Fiddler trace, we'll can decide what is the next step we need to take.

Thank you for the new Fiddler trace. The changes made by your developers looks good. The , character no longer appears in the Set Cookie, so we should be good there.

You'll need to record a new load test now. The old load test still has the , character in it and it won't work, so go ahead and delete it.

I can meet in 45 minutes for a little while (no more than 30 minutes this time).

1.  Please join my meeting, Tuesday, September 03, 2013 at 8:30 PM Central Daylight Time.
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2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

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I don't know why... the new Fiddler trace doesn't show any actual traffic being sent to your web server from the load test. There is only a lot of background overhead communication in the trace.

Can you also send me the application log like you did before (just like the Tracelog sent on 27-Aug-2013)?

Thank you for the trace log. I'm consulting with our load test developer now. I'll get back to you shortly with what our next step needs to be.

I apologize for the delay. (it took me a while to get my software developer to study this with me).

The log indicates a problem with Dynamic Targets. Did you create a new load test and try running that, or did you run the old one you recorded before the website got changed? We would expect this if you wan the old trace. Make sure you have deleted it.

I can meet you online tonight:

1.  Please join my meeting, Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 9:00 PM Central Daylight Time.
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2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

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Meeting ID: 185-658-117

A lost test with a lot of 401 HTTP response codes is normal and benign in a load test. They happen because of the way load tests work. Load tests do not keep any of the connections open when it makes a new HTTP requests. So effectively what happens over and over again is this sequence:

1. Open a new connection
2. Send the request to the server
3. Server responds "401" basically asking "who are you"
4. Load test responds with the Windows authentication credentials
5. Server responds 200 OK
6. Close connection

Because of step 6, the close connection step, the web server will insist on re-authenticating every time we open a new connection. We realize this is not the most efficient way of communicating to a web application that requires Windows authentication, but it does get the job done. The fact that you do get a new case created in your application is proof that the authentication is working.

1.  Please join my meeting, Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 9:00 PM Central Daylight Time.
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Any chance we can start early? I have somethings I'd like to do later if possible. I can start now if you're available.

I will let you know when our GoToMeeting account is available. At the moment it's being used by another support technician for another customer (we can only do one session at a time with our account).

I am online now. I'll wait 15 minutes.
1.  Please join my meeting.
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2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

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Meeting ID: 397-145-757

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Do you want to try again on Monday? I can my 10am (your 11pm) or my 8pm (your Tuesday 9am). Let me know what you'd like and I'll send out a new invite.

I am so sorry we keep missing each other. Unfortunately my normal office working hours are 9am -5:30pm. I received your latest request at 8:10pm, and I just wasn't ready/watching for it. In the past I would be expecting to meet and would be sitting at home waiting for it.

Let's try a different tactic instead.

Describe to me the technical problem you seem to be running into, and send me the following pieces of information:

• A copy of the load test. This is a .tstest file on disk, found in the test projects folder.
• A Fiddler trace of the load test trying to run. Make sure you select Start at 1 user, end at 1 user.
• A Fiddler trace of the application running normally in a browser, no Test Studio involved.

All right let's see if we can connect this time:
1.  Please join my meeting.
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2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1 (636) 277-0130
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Meeting ID: 544-916-445

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To summarize, you had just a few additional questions which I was able to answer. Your load testing seems to be running just fine.

I am closing this ticket as resolved. Please create a new one for any new unrelated problems.