Chossing the URL Sequencing

This setting determines how Webserver Stress Tool assigns the URLs to the users during the test.

There are 4 options:

·      Users select URL for each click randomly: Using the built in random function, Webserver Stress Tool simply selects one of the URLs for each click. Depending upon your website, this can be a good setting to create “real world” loads.

·      Users always click the same URL: In the beginning of the test, each user selects a URL and clicks only this URL during the test. To spread the load evenly on all URLs, set the number of users to the number of URLs or a multiple of that. This setting is very useful in comparing the request times of different webpages (e.g. with different implementations of a feature) or to find out what pages are slower than others.

·      Users follow complete sequence: All users will use URL#1 for the first click, URL#2 for the second click and so on. If a user reaches the last URL he will start with URL#1 again. Use this setting to simulate paths through your website, e.g. to put products into  and order from a shopping cart.

·      Users visit first X URLs, then random, then last X URLs: All users will use the first X URLs (top to bottom). After that, the remaining URLs are assigned randomly. For CLICKS tests you have the additional option to set a number of URLs at the bottom of the URL list the users should visit at the end of the test. This would be an appropriate test pattern if you have a website in which  users have to login using a couple of URLs, then surf around and log out at the end.