Tutorial: Set up LoadGen Load & Performance Testing for VMware Horizon View 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 Horizon View.
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 Horizon View Environment

1. In the Target Environment tab page, you need to define how you would like to connect to your VMware Horizon. 
2. Add the Horizon view server path.
3. Add the application name.

Step 6: The User Simulation Flow

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

Setting Up LoadGen Agents for VMware Horizon Testing

To conduct tests on VMware Horizon, it's crucial to install the LoadGen Agent on both the machine responsible for initiating sessions and the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) machine. For manual installation on the VDI machine, consult our article on the topic for step-by-step guidance.

Differences Between LoadGen Agent and LoadGen VMware Horizon Agents

The LoadGen Agent acts as the VMware Session Launcher, utilizing the Remote Desktop client to initiate the session from the user's context. On the other hand, the LoadGen VMware Horizon Agents are activated by the LoadGen Director to commence the actual user simulation or workload.

Installing VMware Horizon Client on the LoadGen Launching Agent

Be sure to complete the following prerequisites:

1. Install the VMware Horizon Client on the LoadGen Launching Agent.
2. Verify VC Runtime Installation: Ensure that the same version of VC runtime for both x86 and x64 architectures is installed on both the Launching and VDI 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.
3. In both steps (Setup LoadBot Agent and VDI Agent) you see the below screen

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: 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 10: 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 11: Launch the LoadGen Load & Performance Director

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