Tutorial: Set up LoadGen Load & Performance Testing for Microsoft Remote Desktop and Azure RemoteApp environments

Step 1: Choose the LoadGen Load & Performance Testing option

1. Choose LoadGen Load & Performance Testing on the tab page LoadGen Testmode within the LoadGen Configurator.
2. Chose Next to continue.

Step 2: Download and install prerequisites

1. Click the Download & Install button
2. Make sure you have the VC Runtime libraries installed.
3. Make sure you have read and understood the System Requirements of LoadGen.
4. Make sure you have a SQL Database available if you want to try LoadGen you can also choose to install SQL Express for the time being.

Step 3: Choose your Target Environment

1. Select Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.
2. Enter the name of your test below the question How do you want to call this test?
3. Choose Next to continue.

Step 4: Add your Active Directory test users

1. The next step is to add the test users that you will use during your test. You need to use existing users from Active Directory, find more information here. 
2. Click Add

Add one or multiple users

1. You are able to add one or multiple users at once.
2. Fill in the Username, Password, and NetBIOS Domain (for test users we advise you to have the same password for the complete series).
3. Choose OK.
4. After you have pressed OK you will see the Testusers tab page in the LoadGen Configurator, press Next.

Step 5: Connect to your Microsoft Remote Desktop, Azure RemoteApp, or VMware HorizonEnvironment

1. In the Target Environment tab page, you need to define how you would like to connect to your Microsoft Remote Desktop and Azure RemoteApp environments.
2. Add the server.

Remote Desktop Services Gateway settings

1. When you check RDS Gateway settings you can add the settings of your RDS Gateway.
2. The default settings must be changed to the settings of your RDS Gateway.

Step 6: Useraction Flow (User simulation / Test script)

1. In the Useraction Flow tab page, you can select which Useraction Flow to use in your test. Read more about the Useraction Flow in this article.
2. You have two options, either use the example user simulation flow from LoadGen or use a blank user simulation flow (this option will guide you through the LoadGen Studio setup flow wizard, where you can create your personal Useraction flow, after completion of your configuration).
3. We advise you to use the example user simulation flow from LoadGen.
4. Choose Next.

Step 7: Create your LoadGen Agents

1. In this step you need to set up your LoadGen 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.

Add your local machine as a LoadGen Agent

1. Click on Add this machine
2. Add your Password.
3. Choose OK.
   

Install the LoadGen Agent on your local machine

1. Choose Install
2. The LoadGen Configurator will now install the LoadGen Agent on the machine you have added.
3. The installation of the LoadGen Agent is completed when you see the following message and the Next button is activated:
4. Choose the Next button to continue.

Step 8: Set up your Load Scenario

1. With the Load Scenario, you can determine how many users can log in at the same time and how long the gap is between two login sessions. Read more about the Load Scenario in this article.
2. We advise you to choose the default settings of 1 log-in with an interval of 30 seconds (for 5 users’ the total log-in duration will be 2 minutes). You can always change the Load Scenario at a later moment in the LoadGen Director.
3. Choose Next.

Step 9: Add the LoadGen Remote Desktop Server add-in

1. To run a test on Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, LoadGen needs to install the Remote Desktop Server add-in. This add-in is a very lightweight service that allows the LoadGen Agent to interact with the session (i.e. send keystrokes and mouse clicks, and receive screen and control information).

Add the LoadGen Remote Desktop add-in to your Remote Desktop Server

1. Click on Add 
2. Add your Remote Desktop Services machine.
3. Add an administrative username.
4. Add your Password.
5. Add the NetBIOS Domain name.
6. Choose OK.

Installation of the LoadGen Remote Desktop Service add-in

1. Choose Install
2. The LoadGen Configurator will now install the LoadGen Remote Desktop Service on the machine you have added.
3. The installation of the LoadGen Remote Desktop Service is completed when you see the following message and the Next button is activated:
4. Choose the Next button to continue.

Step 10: Connect to or create a Microsoft SQL database

1. LoadGen stores all of its test measurements and performance counters (Sytems under Test data) into a Microsoft SQL database. Read more about the SQL database in this article.
2. Enter the Name and Instance of your SQL database, for example, LocalHost\SQLExpress.
3. You press the Test connection button to see if you can create a successful connection to the SQL server.
4. Choose a SQL database to store your test results, or create one by pressing

Create a new SQL database

1. You can create a new SQL database from scratch after you have pressed the button to follow the next steps:
   
2. Add the Name of your database and click on the Data file tab page:
3. Check your settings and click on the Log file tab page:
4. Click OK, to continue.
5. After you have pressed OK you will see the SQL Server Database tab page in the LoadGen Configurator, press Next.

Step 11: Add your Sytems under Test machines

1. With LoadGen you can monitor your whole IT environment and get insight into how applications perform in correlation with the performance of machines. Read more about Systems under Test in this article.
2. After you have added Systems under Test Machines and Performance Counters, click Next.

Step 12: Launch the LoadGen Load & Performance Director

1. When you click on thebutton, the LoadGen Director will open and you can start working on your first Load & Performance test!