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NeoLoad Load Test Software for Web Apps Adds Testing from the Cloud

• By Leila Meyer
• 03/03/11

Neotys has released the newest version of its load testing software tool for Web applications, NeoLoad version 3.2. Neoload can detect problems such as memory leaks, bottlenecks, poor network configuration, and software configuration issues before they occur in production and cause slow application performance or service interruptions. It simulates real world conditions that affect application performance. The new version includes on-demand load testing from the cloud and supports the latest Web application technologies.

NeoLoad enables organizations to test a Web application's entire delivery chain, including firewalls and routers, from different parts of the world. To set up the tests, users browse to their Web application from within NeoLoad, record the use cases to reproduce, specify the number of users to simulate, and set up other test conditions for validation. NeoLoad then runs the use cases under the virtual conditions specified and identifies any anomalies, whether they are in the server settings or the application's code. During the test, users can monitor their application's behavior in real time.

Features new to this version of NeoLoad include:

• NeoLoad Cloud Testing Solution for running tests outside the firewall;
• Optional Silverlight module that enables recording and playback of applications using .Net binary XML: MC-NBFX (binary XML) and MC-NBFS (binary SOAP);
• Optional Siebel module, including all the features needed for testing Siebel Web applications;
• Optional VMware monitoring module that enables monitoring of all the components in a VMware structure, including vSphere, ESX, and virtual machines;
• Major enhancements to the SOAP module, including support for SOAP 1.2 and WS-Security and improved WSDL handling;
• Ability to define validations for the content of request responses globally, either at the container level or for the virtual user as a whole;
• Automatic execution of a page's resources when the page contains a dynamic number of graphical resources;
• Data sharing between virtual user instances to enable interactions between virtual user profiles to produce more realistic scenarios; and
• Improved and simplified handling of value changes in variables.

NeoLoad supports a wide range of operating systems, databases, and application servers.

NeoLoad 3.2 is available now. A free 30-day evaluation version is available here. A 250-virtual-user permanent license with the Siebel module costs $22,826. Monthly rental for the same configuration costs $6,024. Additional pricing is also available on the Neotys Web site. Further information about NeoLoad can be found here.