Stress testing a web server 1

[reportbrazil]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for a simple way of issuing several page requests to a web server. (I don't have to read the reply from the server, but that could be interesting too, humm...?)

I already have a tool that measures the average response time of the web server, however, this tool is set-up to run at a limited minimum interval of time (within minutes), measuring the average response time, but it doesn't create a huge load on the server (only hits the server at a minimum of 5min interval), so I can't use it for stress testing unless I have a way to run another program to simulate several users connecting to the web server at the same time.

This could be as simple as hardcoding the server name and URL (or URLs) into a configurable cout-down loop to issue an HTTP GET command, or, even better, read some config file so I can change the URL list (perhaps comma or semi-comma separated) and the frequency and quantity of web page hits.

I was thinking of using a multi-threading NT/2K service (so I could use only one "client" machine), but it seemed too complicated, but I'm making my way into it.

Would somebody have some sample code to do that? Or something similar?

Any help, hint or code would be very appreciated.

Thanks,

Marcelo.

 

[reportbrazil]

Ok... Nobody could help?

I think that any simple solution to just issue a bunch of http requests would help..

Tks,

Report Brazil

 

[Totte]

I might suspect that nobody helped out as it taste a little Denial Of Service-attack and serious programmers dislikes being .....the southend of a northbound mule. Totte

 

[reportbrazil]

Hi Totte,

Well, it could be, but sincerely, that's not my intention.

Actually, there's a lot of programs ready to do that.

What I need is a peice of software to stress test the web server.

Most of the tools I've found are to be installed in the web server and do not reflect the network load and/or the load-balance servers effectiveness.

However, I'm still learning (really a newby), so there's still a long way till I can build my own code for that.

Thanks anyway, your answer is very realistic and, at least, I didn't felt ignored.

Best regards,

Marcelo.

 

[cyprus106]

oh so THATS what they call DOS attacks nowdays... I oughtta go back and check in on the hacker "community". I'm losing it to all those damn script kiddies and their wannabe anarchist deal going down or w\e their thing is now.

OK, I'm pretty sure you can stress test a server by using the TClientSocket and TServerSocket components, as well as many of the components in the FastNet tab. You just type the IP of the webpage and hit it with some text or something... Actually, there's a chapter in the book "C++ Builder (5?) Developers Guide" (I think that's it) that deals with web servers, sending commands through a TWinSocket... If you can't find it, I think I may be able to dig up some code for you. Cyprus

 

[reportbrazil]

Hi Cyprus,

Thanks, not just for this hint, but I also used a LOT of code samples you've put in the forum.

Yea, Totte's right, you're skeptic, but it's really hard to find some good, usable code around, specially if you have to "learn-while-u-do". There's a lot of doodles around to get risky.

I'll look for that book, I really need to get seriously started in C/C++. I have a fair background on Perl, shell and an ancient version of Basic (Pick Basic), but this last one is dino-stuff!

Thanks a lot,

Cheers,

Marcelo.

 

[2ffat]

reportbrazil,
[tab]<offtopic>Believe it or not, we're still using Pick Basic.</offtopic>
James P. Cottingham

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
[tab][tab]Albert Einstein explaining his Theory of Relativity to a group of journalists.

 

[reportbrazil]

Ouch!!!

The las time I touched a Pick-like code was in late 94/95, and yet we were using UniVerse, from Vmark (I think they ceased operations??).

Are you using PICK-AP? Does it still exist?

I started with a 486 native pick-system (and lots of dumps to fix GFEs at those frames) with 10 dumb serial terminals (vt100) and ended up 5 years later with a dual clustered RS/6000 (HACMP mode1), 180 dumb terminals via TCP/IP terminal servers and a whole lot more PCs connected over the lan and a lot of leased lines. I used to run the Holding's financial systems.

Wow, that was a looong time ago!

Good memories, though #

SeeYa.

Marcelo.

 

[2ffat]

<off-topic>We still use Universe. VMark sold it to somebody who sold it to somebody else, who sold it to somebody else, who sold it to Informix, who sold it to IBM. It still works, IBM still supports it, and there are still people who know how to work on it so why change?</off-topic>
James P. Cottingham

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
[tab][tab]Albert Einstein explaining his Theory of Relativity to a group of journalists.

 

[reportbrazil]

<off-topic> Well this topic is history by now...

UniVerse is a hell of a system!
I used PICK and then UniVerse from 91-95 and we used to run all the financial apps for the holding on it. I left the company in 95.

All accounts payable/receivable, accounting, forecasting, etc...

Is it still being updated? Any new techs? Does it support OLAP and datawarehousing?

Here in Brazil they are still very strong in the insurance industry. I think it's still distributed by Sistran, and Argentinian company.

Anyway, it's good to hear that it's still doing well.

Cheers,

Marcelo.

 

[2ffat]

It remains to be seen in IBM will continue to update Universe but it now supports Windows, OLAP, warehousing, and is SQL complient. I don't do any development for it as we leave that for third-party techs to do.
James P. Cottingham

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
[tab][tab]Albert Einstein explaining his Theory of Relativity to a group of journalists.

 

[cyprus106]

Well, I'm honored! Actually, the sockets had been the largest point of my research and intrest for a while, so I got a darn lot of code while I was out on the net looking.

If you need any more code I'll see what I can do. Cyprus