Production Monitoring: Getting Started Guide

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Introduction

OpenSTA is a distributed testing architecture that enables you to create and run performance Tests to evaluate Web Application Environments (WAEs) and production systems. It can be employed at all stages of WAE development as well as being used to continuously monitor system performance once a WAE goes live.

Use it to develop load Tests that include an HTTP/S load element, known as Scripts, to help assess the performance of WAEs during development, and to create Tests that monitor and collect performance data from live WAEs within a production environment.

OpenSTA enables you to run Tests against the same target system within both load testing and production monitoring scenarios. This means that you can directly compare the performance of the target system within these two environments.

This guide is intended to give new users a practical introduction to OpenSTA by explaining how to create and run a simple production monitoring Test. It is structured according to the procedural sequence for creating a production monitoring Test, from creating a Collector through to running a Test and results display. It documents the key features and procedures you need to use.

Before working through the guide, make sure you have downloaded and installed OpenSTA version 1.2 and that the target Host computers in the system under test are operational.

Launch http://opensta.org/download.html for download and installation instructions.

Contents

• OpenSTA Overview
• Creating a Collector
• Creating a Test
• Running a Test
• Displaying Test Results

Notes

• Make use of the Glossary at the end of this guide if you come across unfamiliar terminology.
• If you have already used OpenSTA and want to know how to perform a specific task, please refer to the appropriate section in the HTTP/S Load User's Guide, which you can view or download from OpenSTA.org.
• If you want information on using OpenSTA to performance test WAEs, please refer to the HTTP/S Testing: Getting Started Guide, which you can view or download from OpenSTA.org.

Next Section: OpenSTA Overview