Tutorial: Set up LoadGen Load & Performance Testing for Omnissa (VMware) Horizon environments

Before you begin

Getting started with the LoadGen Platform

Step 1: Add your Active Directory test users

1. Add the test users you will use during your test. You need to use existing users from Active Directory; more information is available Create your test users (vUsers) in Active Directory.

Adding test users is documented in Manage test users and variables.

Add one or multiple users

1. You can add one or multiple users at once.
2. Fill in the Username, Password, and NetBIOS Domain (we advise test users to use the same password for the entire series).

Adding multiple consecutive users at once

When adding multiple consecutive users at once you can add a generating statement in the Username field, the below example explained:

LoadTest[1:100:4] The static part is LoadTest. The start index is 1. We will create 100 users, and the number of digits we will use is 4.

Users LoadTest0001 to LoadTest0100 are added to your test (these users must exist in the Active Directory).

Trial version:

The maximum amount of test users that you can add depends on what license you have chosen (for the free trial you can add 5 users).

Step 2: Connect to your Horizon View environment

1. Define how you would like to connect to your Omnissa Horizon environment.
2. Add the Horizon view server path.
3. Add the application name.

These fields are documented in Configure load profiles.

Step 3: The user simulation flow

1. Select which user simulation flow (Useraction Flow) to use in your test. Read more about the user simulation flow LoadGen Studio: Create a new Workload/Flow.
2. You have two options: use the example user simulation flow provided by LoadGen, or use a blank flow and author your own user actions in LoadGen Studio.
3. We advise using the example user simulation flow to get started.

See Configure load profiles for the wizard that configures this.

Step 4: Set up your LoadGen Agents

Setting up LoadGen Agents for Omnissa Horizon testing

To conduct tests on Omnissa Horizon, it's crucial to have a LoadGen Agent on both the machine responsible for initiating sessions and the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) machine. Agents enroll from a Launcher Appliance, or can be registered directly under Configuration > LoadGen Agents. For manual installation on the VDI machine, consult our article on the topic for step-by-step guidance.

Differences Between LoadGen Agent and LoadGen Omnissa Horizon Agents

The LoadGen Agent acts as the Omnissa Session Launcher, utilizing the Omnissa client to initiate the session from the user's context. On the other hand, the LoadGen Omnissa Horizon Agents commence the actual user simulation or workload once the session has been launched.

Installing Omnissa Horizon Client on the LoadGen Launching Agent

Be sure to complete the following prerequisites:

1. Install the Omnissa 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. Register your LoadGen Agents under Configuration > LoadGen Agents, or enroll them from a Launcher Appliance. Read more about LoadGen Agents What is a LoadGen Agent?.
2. We advise starting with a single launching/VDI agent pair to familiarize yourself with LoadGen Agents, then adding further agents as needed.

Registering and enrolling agents is documented in Manage test agents and Tutorial: Installation of the LoadGen Core Agent.

Step 5: Set up your load scenario

1. The load scenario determines how many users can log in simultaneously and how long the gap is between two login sessions. Read more about the load scenario Create and manage test scenarios.
2. We advise starting with the default settings of 1 log-in with an interval of 30 seconds (for five users the total log-in duration will be 2 minutes). You can adjust this later.

Scenario phases and their timing are documented in Create and manage test scenarios.

Step 6: Add your Systems Under Test

1. With LoadGen, you can monitor your whole IT environment and gain insight into how applications perform in correlation with machine performance. Read more about Systems Under Test (SUTs) in this article.
2. After you have added your Systems Under Test machines and performance counters, continue.

Adding systems under test and their counters is documented in Manage Systems Under Test (SUTs) and Configuration: Systems Under Test: PerfCounter Settings.

Step 7: Create your Load Profile and start the test

1. Go to Testing > Load Profiles and choose New Profile.
2. Name your profile and pick the Omnissa Horizon technology card.
3. Once your profile is configured, start the run from Run Test.

The technology selector and each wizard behind it are documented in Configure load profiles.