Introducing Vusers

Vusers emulate the actions of human users by performing typical business processes in your
application. The actions that a Vuser performs during the recording session are described in a
Vuser script.

HP’s tool for creating Vuser scripts is the Virtual User Generator, VuGen.
We use VuGen to develop a Vuser script by recording a user performing typical business processes on a
client application.
VuGen records the actions that you perform during the recording session, recording only the
activity between the client and the server. Instead of having to manually program the application’s
API function calls to the server, VuGen automatically generates functions that accurately model and
emulate real world situations.

During recording VuGen monitors the client end of the database and traces all the requests
sent by the user and received from the user, to the server.

During playback, Vuser scripts communicate directly with the server by executing calls to the
server API. When a Vuser communicates directly with a server, system resources are not required
for the client interface. This lets you run a large number of Vusers simultaneously on a single
workstation, and enables you to use only a few testing machines to emulate large server loads.

In addition, since Vuser scripts do not rely on client software, you can use Vusers to check server
performance even before the user interface of the client software has been fully developed.

Using VuGen, you can run scripts as standalone tests. Running scripts from VuGen is useful for
debugging as it enables you to see how a Vuser will behave and which enhancements need to be made.
LoadRunner has various types of Vusers.
You can use the Vuser types in any combination in a scenario in order to create a comprehensive
client/server test. The following Vuser types are available:
# GUI (Windows and UNIX)
# RTE (Windows and UNIX)
# Database *(CtLib, DbLib, Informix, Oracle, and ODBC)
# Web*
# TUXEDO*
# APPC*
# Windows Sockets*
# Baan
# Java
# DCOM
# PeopleSoft
The Steps of Creating Vuser Scripts
The following diagram outlines the process of developing a Vuser script:

The process of creating a Vuser script is as follows:

1 Record a basic script using VuGen.

If you are testing Windows-based GUI applications or complex Web environments such as applets and
Flash, you may need to use HP’s GUI-based tools such as WinRunner and QuickTest Professional.
2 Enhance the basic script by adding control-flow statements and other LoadRunner API functions into
the script.
3 Configure the run-time settings. These settings include iteration, log, and timing information, and
define the Vuser behavior during a script run
4 Verify the script’s functionality, run it in standalone mode.
5 After you verify that the script is functional, you integrate it into your environment: a LoadRunner
scenario, Performance Center load test, or Business Process Monitor profile.
The Virtual User Generator, also known as VuGen, is the primary tool for developing Vuser scripts.
VuGen not only records Vuser scripts, but also runs them.
Running scripts from VuGen is useful for debugging. It enables you to emulate how a Vuser script will run
when executed as part of a larger test.

When you record a Vuser script, VuGen generates various functions that define the actions that
you perform during the recording session. VuGen inserts these functions into the VuGen editor to create
a basic Vuser script.

Understanding the VuGen Environment Options

Auto Recovery
Auto show function syntax.
When Enabled: As you type opening parenthesis of a function, VuGen shows the syntax of function
When Disabled: Ctrl+Shift+Space or choosing Edit > Show Function Syntax