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Tutorial: Set up LoadGen Load & Performance Testing with the LoadGen Core Agent for Linux and Windows

Updated

Please note

The components of the LoadGen test infrastructure, including the LoadGen Director, LoadGen Core Agents, and LoadGen Agents, all require network communication between them. In any setup, whether it's on-premises or remote, the network infrastructure plays a crucial role in ensuring seamless performance and data exchange. Therefore, it's essential to establish a reliable network connection.

If your LoadGen components are set up in different networks, you may need to create a secure connection between them. This can be achieved through techniques like establishing a Site-to-Site Virtual Private Network (VPN). This connection will ensure secure and reliable communication between your VDI environment and the network hosting your LoadGen Director and LoadGen Launcher Agents.

Remember that the specific setup and configuration will depend on your unique network architecture and the specifics of your testing requirements. Always consult with your network administrator or IT team to ensure optimal performance and security.

Read more about network traffic here. 

Step 1: Prepare the LoadGen Core Agents

Before reading this article first follow the Tutorial: Installation of the LoadGen Core Agent.

 

Step 2: Create the LoadGen Core Agent Load Profile

  1. Create a new LoadGen Director Canvas, by clicking the Add a canvas icon.

  2. Choose LoadGen Core Agent.

  3. Choose Citrix / Other Software.
  4. Add a name for your canvas.
  5. Press the Flows tab page.
  6. Create a new Flow or download a community build Workload (Flow) at GO-EUC. You can also the LoadGen Workload Exchange.

    LoadGen has streamlined the process of accessing and importing a wide variety of workloads via its integrated feature, the Workload Exchange. From within the LoadGen software itself, you can directly connect to the Workload Exchange. This hub allows you to browse through numerous workloads, all created and shared by our active LoadGen community.

    To utilize this feature, look for the 'Workload Exchange' option within the 'Flows' tab and click on it. This action will open a new window and connect you straight to the Workload Exchange. Once there, you're free to explore and find a workload that aligns with your testing requirements. Importing your chosen workload is a matter of a simple click. LoadGen will handle the rest - automatically downloading and importing the workload into your active profile.

    Once the process is complete, your newly imported workload is readily available in your 'Flows' tab, ready to be used in your LoadGen testing environment. This seamless integration of the Workload Exchange within LoadGen enhances your testing capabilities by providing quick and easy access to a diverse range of community-created workloads.

Step 3: Add one or multiple users

  1. The next step is to add the test users you will use during your test. It would be best if you used existing users from Azure Active Directory (or users who are created on-premises in Active Directory and synchronized to Azure AD). Add these users with the UserPrincipalName (demo@loadgen.com) and the password, leaving the domain empty.
  2. You are able to add one or multiple users at once.
  3. Fill in the Username and the Password, and leave the NetBIOS Domain empty (for test users we advise you to have the same password for the complete series).
  4. Choose OK.
  5. After you have pressed OK you will see the Testusers tab page in the LoadGen Load Profile, press Next.

Step 4: LoadGen Agents

LoadGen Core Agent versus LoadGen Agent

The LoadGen Core Agent is the Session Launcher (this can be any technology unless the technology supports a client which supports starting sessions with a command line), it will use the chosen technology client to actually launch the session in the context of the connecting user. The LoadGen Agent (which is installed in the VDI / Hosted Desktop) gets triggered by the LoadGen Director and will start the actual user simulation/workload.

  1. In this step you need to set up your LoadGen Core Agents, you can add any machine in your IT environment, read more about LoadGen Agents in this article.
  2. We advise you to add your local machine just to get familiar with LoadGen Agents and add more LoadGen Agents from the LoadGen Director at a later moment.
  3. Below you see the window that the LoadGen Director uses to connect to LoadGen Core Agents:
  4. With the Add button you can add the LoadGen Core Agent machine, please note if you use a name, make sure the LoadGen Director can resolve the IP Address of the LoadGen Core Agent.
  5. After this step you need to install the LoadGen Core Agent on the Launching Agent, please read about how to do this in this article.

Step 5: Load Scenario

A Load Scenario holds up 1 or more phases (Load Ramp-Up) where vUsers are triggered to start their session and thus place load or stress on the back-end infrastructure. In the full version, you also can use Custom Actions where you can send emails or start processes on multiple events during a load test. Read more about Load Scenarios in this article.

 

Step 6: Target Environment

On the Target Environment tab page, you can add either your Command-Line or Citrix connection information.

 

Command-Line

With the Command Line option, you can test basically any VDI / Hosted Desktop technology from Linux or Windows Agents (if the technology supports connecting to the VDI / Hosted Desktop from the command line). In the below screenshot, we used xfreerdp (sudo apt install freerdp2-x11) from Linux to connect to a Microsoft Remote Desktop server. You can also use the following variables:
  • {Username}: the username of the user at the time of connection (based on the Load Scenario).
  • {Password}: the corresponding password of the connecting user. 
  • {Domain}: the corresponding domain of the connecting user.
More variables may follow, please contact us if you want additional variables.

Citrix Storefront

  1. In the Target Environment tab page, you need to define how you would like to connect to your Citrix environment. Add the Citrix StoreFront server, find more information on how to find your Citrix StoreFront URL in this article.

Choose the Citrix Published Application to use in your test

  1. Press the button to create a connection to the Citrix environment and retrieve the resources available for the testuser selected in the Use this testuser to retrieve the Published Applications.
  2. In the Choose the StoreFront resource window, choose the Published Application to use in your test.
  3. If you have chosen your resource, choose OK.
  4. After you have pressed OK you will see the Target Environment tab page in the LoadGen Configurator, press Next.

Citrix advanced connection settings

  1. When you check Override display settings you can change the settings of your Citrix session.
  2. The default session will be set up as 1024 x 768 with color depth High Color (16 bit).
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