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Test Execution Specialist Guide
This guide describes tasks that you can perform on schedules, test execution with custom code, and Extending Rational® Performance Tester to support other protocols. This guide is intended for testers or test execution specialists.
Running schedules with performance testing
After you have added the user groups, tests, and other items to a schedule, and you are satisfied that it represents a realistic workload, you run the schedule.
Automating tests from command line
You can run a schedule from the command line. You can also set preferences to export results after the run completes from the command line or from the workbench. Together, these features let you run tests and analyze results without opening the workbench. You can even write scripts to process the exported results.
Creating a command-line config file
You can create a command-line config file from Rational® Performance Tester which you can use while running tests or schedules from the Command-line interface (CLI) and Maven.

Test Execution Specialist Guide
This guide describes tasks that you can perform on schedules, test execution with custom code, and Extending Rational® Performance Tester to support other protocols. This guide is intended for testers or test execution specialists.
- Running schedules with performance testing
  After you have added the user groups, tests, and other items to a schedule, and you are satisfied that it represents a realistic workload, you run the schedule.
  - Running a local schedule or test
    You can run a test locally or a schedule, in this context, is used to refer to both VU Schedule and Rate Schedule on remote locations with a default launch configuration.
  - Running a long run mode SAP GUI test
    When running a SAP GUI test that could last for many hours and could use up the operating system resources, you can choose to run the test with the Long Run Mode process. It is an external process that restarts automatically after the specified number of SAP sessions are over. So, tests of longer duration tests are more likely to finish.
  - Running long duration Citrix tests
    When tests exceed many hours, resource consumption issues can cause problems for the Citrix clients. The long run mode increases the reliability of long duration tests with the Citrix protocol by running the test using multiple processes.
  - Testing with Docker images
    IBM® Rational® Performance Tester, IBM Rational Functional Tester, and IBM Rational Performance Tester Agents are available for download as Docker images. You can use them to fulfill the continuous testing aspects of your DevOps lifecycle.
  - Testing with IBM Cloud Private
    You can automate your testing environment by using Docker container images of the workbench and agents on top of IBM® Cloud Private.
  - Adjusting delays in HTTP tests
    You can configure HTTP tests to use client-side processing delays. Client-side processing delays wait for the first character or last character that is received in a response for a previous request in order to better emulate the work done on the client computer. You can also scale the recorded delays in HTTP tests to change the rate at which a test runs.
  - Setting a launch configuration
    Instead of using the default launch configuration, you can specify the file name for the execution results, the name of the folder for the execution results, and, for a test, the number of users.
  - Running a configured schedule
    If you do not use the default launch configuration, you can configure the schedule and then run it.
  - Configuring multiple host names for a location
    You can run several locations on the same computer by configuring multiple host names for a location. This configuration affects all tests running at that location; all tests will run with the configured port.
  - Automating tests from command line
    You can run a schedule from the command line. You can also set preferences to export results after the run completes from the command line or from the workbench. Together, these features let you run tests and analyze results without opening the workbench. You can even write scripts to process the exported results.
    - Creating a command-line config file
      You can create a command-line config file from Rational® Performance Tester which you can use while running tests or schedules from the Command-line interface (CLI) and Maven.
    - Activating secure storage of dataset passwords
      You can store the encrypted dataset passwords in the Eclipse secure storage location, so that when you run the tests from the command line, Rational® Performance Tester automatically uses the password and completes the test run.
    - Configuring to export report counters automatically
      When you run a test or schedule from the Command-line interface (CLI), you can configure Rational® Performance Tester to export reports automatically.
    - Command-line parameters
      You can find the information about parameters that you can use while running tests from the command-line interface (CLI).
    - Running a test or schedule from a command line
      You can run a test or schedule without opening Rational® Performance Tester by using the command-line interface (CLI).
    - Stopping the test run from a command line
      After you run the test from the command-line interface (CLI), you can stop the test run to use additional parameters in your test run.
  - Controlling caches size
    If you use an infinite loop and the number of cached responses in a test increases exponentially, you can set a limit to cache for a user group in the schedule.
  - Increasing memory allocation
    The virtual users that access your web server require memory to prepare requests, send requests, and receive responses. Because the amount of memory is not automatically set on remote computers, you might receive an out-of-memory error. To correct this situation, increase the memory allocation for that computer.
  - Controlling execution of web analytic reports
    When a schedule is in the running state, you can perform the following actions from the web analytics reports to cater to your need.
  - Debugging HTTP tests
    If a test does not behave as expected during playback, you can use the protocol data and test log to assist in debugging the test.
  - Debugging Citrix tests
    The Citrix dashboard is an optional panel that displays detailed information and control commands for each virtual user during the run of a schedule. This is useful for debugging your tests and allows you to pause, interact, resume, or stop the execution of individual virtual user sessions.
- Extending test execution with custom code
  You can extend how you run your tests by writing custom Java™ code and calling the code from the test. You can also specify that results from the tests that are affected by your custom code be included in reports.
- Extending Rational® Performance Tester to support other protocols
  The Rational® Performance Tester Extensibility Software Development Kit (SDK) enables you to create extensions to support testing new protocols without modifying the core product code. You can create an extension that provides functionality for testing other protocols in addition to the HTTP protocol support that is standard in Rational Performance Tester.

Creating a command-line config file

You can create a command-line config file from Rational® Performance Tester which you can use while running tests or schedules from the Command-line interface (CLI) and Maven.

Before you begin

You must have completed the following tasks:

Created tests in Rational® Performance Tester. See Recording HTTP tests.
Installed Maven if you are running tests from the Maven build. For more information, refer to Apache Maven Documentation.

About this task

You can create a command-line config file from Rational® Performance Tester by right-clicking the test asset. The required parameters are automatically assigned, and you can specify any optional parameters, while creating the config file. You can use the config file to run the tests or schedules from the command-line interface and Maven plug-in that is provided with Rational® Performance Tester.

Procedure

Open Rational® Performance Tester.
Browse and select the test or schedule from the Test Navigator pane.
Right-click the selected test or schedule, and then click Create command line config file.
Enter a name for the new configuration file in the File name field, and then click Next.
Perform the following steps in the Command Line Arguments window:
1. Select the format of the config file from the following options:
  - Regular – Select this format to run tests or schedules from CLI.
  - Maven – Select this format to run tests or schedules from the Maven build.
2. Specify the values in the fields from the available configuration options, if you want to add more parameters to the config file.
Click Finish.
The Config file created dialog displays with the location of the config file.

Results

You have created the command line config file.

What to do next

You can run the tests either from the Maven build or CLI. See Running a test or schedule from a command line or Testing with Maven.