Performance Monitoring & TestingPerformance engineering is a multifaceted discipline focused on determining and reporting the performance of hardware and software. At Structured, we take this discipline seriously because a well-tuned system is more reliable, cost-effective and easier to manage.
Structured uses a proven process for monitoring and testing. It involves setting up the system under test, simulating a large number of concurrent users, managing the SUT, collecting diagnostic data, analyzing the data collected, and engineering performance improvements into the SUT. This process is repeated until the performance goal is reached. Our steps are:
Set up a Test Environment—The test environment must be able to model the production environment.
Simulate a User Load—A realistic user load deals with user behavior analysis and implementing efficient threading. A good workload simulator requires implementation of random functions and appropriate scalability.
Manage the System Under Test—On every trial, the SUT must be in the same state in order to produce repeatable results.
Collect Diagnostic Data on Every Machine—Diagnostic tools must start at the right time and with the right command. Structured can help with custom scripting to help you systematically collect data.
Repeat N Times—Because the purpose of performance testing is to reveal performance bottlenecks and execute performance improvement, you need to do an appropriate number of tests for user acceptance.
Analyze Data—Structured helps you examine the data collected and gives direction on what changes are necessary.
