Web Performance

Bottleneck Definition

A bottleneck occurs when a server in a web application environment (either an application or database server) does not respond to a request quickly or efficiently. The reason for slow response or poor performance on the part of a server might include the following:

-Experiencing a heavy load
-Performing a task in an inefficient manner
-Lacking the processing capacity to perform the task quickly

Spike Testing A Definition

Spike testing is the process of testings a web application to the toughest standard within the boundary of a particular scenario. Perhaps all of the users have logged onto a system at the same time.

Regression Testing Definition

Regression testing is the process of comparing the previous version of a web application with the latest version. Did some new code or component cause any problems in the application?

Capacity Testing Definition

Capacity testing occurs when you simulate a surge in the number of users stressing a web application’s hardware infrastructure. A good example of this scenario would be a successful marketing promotion, or a successful media event or publication. Your company has to ensure their system can withstand the results of such success on your web site.

Web Performance Definition

If you want customers to stay or return to your web site you have to make, sure the performance of your web site is good. If customers have long wait times to use your web site applications they will get frustrated and go to your competitor. You must ensure that web pages download quickly, the web site is available to the customer, and there are few errors or bugs.

Performance can be measured either manually or automatically; it is rather difficult to co-ordinate several customers hitting your web site at the same time. My recommendation is to use an automated testing tool. You need to come up with criteria for selecting a tool, more on a tool selection criteria in another posting.

A Definition of Scalability

Scalability – As the number of server requests or users increases, a web application continues to perform well. Reasons for problems with scalability include:

· Databases that were not properly tuned.

· Coding design that hinders performance.

· Server hardware infrastructure that is unable to support increasing user load.

· Network capacity issues.

Performance scalability also depends on the original goals of the system. As each application is different, an application manager may set different business goals for the system. You might set a goal of having a system manage the load of a number of concurrent users, or set the goal of more transactions per second.

Stress Testing

Stress testing is performed to evaluate a web application or components of a web application environment at or beyond the limits of its specified requirements. Often this is performance testing using a very high level of simulated load. Rather than conduct manual testing you can use an automated testing tool to simulate a very high load.

Automated testing tools include Mercury Interactive,Rational Software, Quotium Technologies, Empirix, RadView and Compuware.

Web Load Testing Definition

Chatting with many industry professionals in recent months I have learnt that often people don't worry about load testing their web applications until after the application is launched. I also get lots of people attempting to understand the whole testing process, especially in the area of load testing. I thought it would be useful to provide a definition of web load testing.

Testing an application under heavy loads, such as testing of a web site under a range of loads to determine at what point the systems response time degrades or fails.