CitraTest VU F.A.Q.
What terminal server based environments does CitraTest VU support?
All of them: Citrix XenServer, Citrix Presentation Server, Citrix MetaFrame, Citrix NFuse, Microsoft Terminal Services, etc.
CitraTest VU scripts look at images on the screen, not underlying protocol, so all client types are supported: Citrix ICA, Citrix NFuse web client, Microsoft Terminal Services, RDP, etc.
What are the system requirements for the CitraTest VU Load Machine?
A Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 machine. As a benchmark, a dual CPU machine with 2GB memory will generate 100-150 CitraTest VU scripts.
How many users can CitraTest VU replicate during a load test?
There is no limit to the number of users that CitraTest VU can replicate during a load test. It is just a simple process of adding additional load generating servers to increase the overall load to the required number of users. We have customers that run as little as 50 virtual user load simulations up to well over 3000 virtual user load simulations.
How many CitraTest VU Load Machines will I need?
Typically 1-3 CitraTest VU Load Machines are deployed but there are no limitations to the ultimate number. Any amount of Virtual Users can be replicated via CitraTest VU, depending on what size subset of the server farm you want to benchmark.
For example, if you use 2 CitraTest VU Load Machines to test 3 servers-under-test, and client side End-to-End response times become unacceptable when approaching 300 virtual users, your servers will support approximately 100 concurrent users each.
You can plan the number of servers you need based on the results of a CitraTest VU Load Modeling Scenario.
Is CitraTest VU image searching logic "position dependent"?
No, it is dynamic and user configurable. As a global setting, CitraTest VU scripts limit screen searching to a buffer area around each image’s original location, which reduces resource consumption on the Load Machine and increases the number of VU scripts you can run. You can globally increase the buffer area, or within individual script functions you can choose to “search” the entire screen for the image. This would be the case when some aspects of your application, such as desktop icons, are not always displayed at the same location each time the VU script plays back.
What is the CitraTest VU Measurement Machine?
This machine is a stand-alone workstation, separate from the Load Machine. CitraTest VU scripts run on this machine and gather accurate (tenth of a second) End-to-End response metrics from the real user perspective while the Load Machine generates stress on the server(s)-under-test.
Where do I see the Measurement Machine response time results?
The CitraTest VU Measurement script records the timer results over the duration of the load test scenario. Response time results are stored in a results database, which is installed with CitraTest VU in Access, Oracle, MS SQL, and MySQL formats. Predefined Crystal Reports are also installed with CitraTest VU. These allow you to view Summary and Detail results of all the response timers from the Measurement Machine.
Can I observe server-under-test metrics while the VU Load Model Scenario plays back?
Yes. The Tevron Controller displays real-time processor and memory metrics from the server-under-test. Also, the Measurement Machine CitraTest VU scripts can benchmark server-under-test metrics during playback, from within the script logic.
How is CitraTest VU licensed?
The base licensing model includes:
What terminal server based environments does CitraTest VU support?
All of them: Citrix XenServer, Citrix Presentation Server, Citrix MetaFrame, Citrix NFuse, Microsoft Terminal Services, etc.
CitraTest VU scripts look at images on the screen, not underlying protocol, so all client types are supported: Citrix ICA, Citrix NFuse web client, Microsoft Terminal Services, RDP, etc.
What are the system requirements for the CitraTest VU Load Machine?
A Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 machine. As a benchmark, a dual CPU machine with 2GB memory will generate 100-150 CitraTest VU scripts.
How many users can CitraTest VU replicate during a load test?
There is no limit to the number of users that CitraTest VU can replicate during a load test. It is just a simple process of adding additional load generating servers to increase the overall load to the required number of users. We have customers that run as little as 50 virtual user load simulations up to well over 3000 virtual user load simulations.
How many CitraTest VU Load Machines will I need?
Typically 1-3 CitraTest VU Load Machines are deployed but there are no limitations to the ultimate number. Any amount of Virtual Users can be replicated via CitraTest VU, depending on what size subset of the server farm you want to benchmark.
For example, if you use 2 CitraTest VU Load Machines to test 3 servers-under-test, and client side End-to-End response times become unacceptable when approaching 300 virtual users, your servers will support approximately 100 concurrent users each.
You can plan the number of servers you need based on the results of a CitraTest VU Load Modeling Scenario.
Is CitraTest VU image searching logic "position dependent"?
No, it is dynamic and user configurable. As a global setting, CitraTest VU scripts limit screen searching to a buffer area around each image’s original location, which reduces resource consumption on the Load Machine and increases the number of VU scripts you can run. You can globally increase the buffer area, or within individual script functions you can choose to “search” the entire screen for the image. This would be the case when some aspects of your application, such as desktop icons, are not always displayed at the same location each time the VU script plays back.
What is the CitraTest VU Measurement Machine?
This machine is a stand-alone workstation, separate from the Load Machine. CitraTest VU scripts run on this machine and gather accurate (tenth of a second) End-to-End response metrics from the real user perspective while the Load Machine generates stress on the server(s)-under-test.
Where do I see the Measurement Machine response time results?
The CitraTest VU Measurement script records the timer results over the duration of the load test scenario. Response time results are stored in a results database, which is installed with CitraTest VU in Access, Oracle, MS SQL, and MySQL formats. Predefined Crystal Reports are also installed with CitraTest VU. These allow you to view Summary and Detail results of all the response timers from the Measurement Machine.
Can I observe server-under-test metrics while the VU Load Model Scenario plays back?
Yes. The Tevron Controller displays real-time processor and memory metrics from the server-under-test. Also, the Measurement Machine CitraTest VU scripts can benchmark server-under-test metrics during playback, from within the script logic.
How is CitraTest VU licensed?
The base licensing model includes:
- CitraTest VU script development license
- CitraTest VU license for X number of Virtual Users
- Tevron Controller license
- CitraTest VU Measuring License