General

What environments does QTest support?
QTest is designed to test all types of web applications and services that use HTTP/S communication protocol.
For example, the environments linked to solutions such as: Apache, Tomcat, Microsoft IIS, .NET, .ASP, BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, JBOSS, IPlanet, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, MySQL, DB2, etc.
QTest can adapt to specific environments with the QNI module, which provides a very powerful way to develop test features or complex algorithms and calculations to improve the test efficiency of the scripts such as Test proprietary protocols, Access any data sources, Introduce complex character chain functions, Parse documents , Simulate JavaScript/Java programs, Process complex calculations.

Does QTest support software packages such as PeopleSoft, Siebel, and others?
Yes, QTest supports all software that communicates with an HTTP/S Light Client such as PeopleSoft, Siebel, SAP, MATRIX One, etc.

Can the test scripts be modeled?
QTest provides automatic, adapted and customizable modeling functions, as well as assistants to facilitate and accelerate the modeling of simple or complex transactions.

Can complex transactions be simulated with QTest?
Yes. QTest's flexible, comprehensive and productive scripting environment can save, modify and replay complex transactions while maintaining user behavior during the load testing phase.

For what types of projects can QTest be used?
QTest is designed to handle and execute load testing campaigns within the framework of benchmark projects, infrastructure dimensioning, performance testing, migration projects, etc.
QTest quickly verifies whether or not the operational requirements are adequate in relation to the technical methods implemented. It also facilitates updating activities over time.

Is it possible to have a complete overview of the performance of the architecture that was tested?
Quotium adapts to the needs of the market and is constantly developing solutions that innately integrate with QTest in order to expand the scope of analyses: whether it be network equipment, operating systems, web servers, application servers, database servers, etc.
Each solution enables your experts to consult all of the performance indicators that are known and used.
The QTest interface gives the user a complete overview of the infrastructure's performance, through synthetic views that show a large number of performance indicators sorted according to the type analysis for each component.

Can QTest assist with the optimization and de-bugging phases?
With its numerous performance indicators and its system of automatic anomaly detection, QTest enables the user to identify the origin of performance degradation for each component and to measure the impact that each optimization has on the entire infrastructure in order to validate the optimizations or corrections that are necessary to provide better performance.

What are QTest's advantages as compared to a classic performance testing tool?
QTest sets itself apart from classic tools due to the following assets:

• Ease of use.
• Strong load injection capacity (VUsers).
• Real-time End-to-End monitoring and analysis, facilitated by synthetic views that show all of the performance indicators sorted according to type of analysis for each component.
• Innovative, automatic system that detects and locates performance anomalies.
• Powerful Reporting tool that is capable of automatically generating reports from customizable templates.
• Much lower price than the competition.

Capturing and Modeling

Is it necessary to modify the browser settings in order to save user transactions?
If IE is the browser being used, no modification to the browser settings is necessary.
In all other cases, simply modify the browser's proxy settings in order for the capture to be carried out in PROXY mode.

Does QTest save user behavior?
QTest saves all of the input/output flow from the browser used for the capture, as well as the context, the user's thinking time, and the parallelism and synchronization between connections to comply with and guarantee the user's actual behavior.

Does QTest support secure applications and Client / Server certificates?
QTest supports applications that function in Basic, NTLM, and SSL (SSL2, SSL3, TSL) authentication modes, and automatically handles Client/Server certificates in the capture, playback and testing phases.
QTest also offers the option of changing from the non-secure mode to the secure mode, and vice-versa, with just a simple click (no script modification necessary).

Does QTest automatically generate session cookies and variables (e.g.: SessionID)?
QTest ensures that session cookies and variables will be automatically and transparently handled for the user. Commands and options are available in order to generate, modify or delete them manually.

Is there a Scripting language within QTest?
QTest uses a proprietary scripting language called SCL (Script Control Language), which requires no external compiler. It is a language that is very easy to master due to its simplicity, and is comparable to VB.

Does QTest require an external compiler?
No. No external compiler is required.

Can variable data be integrated into a test script?
Yes, QTest enables internal and/or external variable data from a script to be identified. With the help of automatic tools and assistants, QTest quickly models all of the script variables in order to guarantee that user actions will be coherent during the load simulation.
Several sources of variable data can be used by QTest, such as flat files and databases. An automatic generator of values makes it easier to create new databanks.

Can data be dynamically retrieved during the simulation?
Yes, QTest allows dynamic data sent by the server to be retrieved using the automatic and customizable modeling tools, assistants, Parser HTML/XML/Forms/Links/Tables, or through Pattern Matching.

Can data be synchronized between several users?
Yes, QTest offers the necessary variable scopes (LOCAL, SCRIPT, GLOBAL, USER) for the synchronization of data between several users and/or several scripts.
For complex operations, MUTEX and SEMAPHORE commands are available.

How are control points inserted into a test script?
QTest's "Check Point" assistant enables a control point to be set on a character chain, the size or the response return code for any script request, and to define the strategy to follow for the virtual user in case of invalidity.

Can QTest be used to simulate particular or specific protocols?
QTest can capture and simulate a large number of TCP protocols.
The QNI module develops specific functions that are appropriate for responding to protocol problematics, API/dll calls, complex calculations and algorithms, etc.

Simulation and Testing

CPU > 1 Ghz
RAM > 512 MB
Disk space required for installation: 50 MB

What level of load can QTest handle from a typical workstation?
QTest’s unrivaled injection power and quality is due to the use of thread pools, asynchronous I/O, and a distributed architecture (Corba).

This table shows the maximum load levels generated by 4 different injector configurations:

*Calculated based on an average of 20 hits per page.

Can several injectors in distributed mode be used to simulate a large number of virtual users?
To simulate a large number of virtual users, QTest enables the load to be distributed over several injector stations from the console. The configuration of the Master and Slave stations is automatic and transparent for the user.

Can a test be carried out in Batch mode?
Yes, the user can launch a test in batch mode with the help of an online command.

Can several user transactions be simulated in parallel or sequential mode?
With QTest, the user can define the injection in order to follow a precise distribution of the load between the various user profiles that are to be simultaneously simulated. A user profile can be defined to execute several transactions sequentially.

Can several IP addresses be simulated from one injector?
Yes, QTest is equipped the IP Spoofing function.

Can multi-tiered tests be created?
Yes, QTest offers great flexibility in configuring the injection.
It also allows the user to define a multi-tiered test by stipulating the number of users per tier and the duration of the tiers.

Can virtual users be dynamically added or deleted during a test?
QTest allows virtual users to be added or deleted during a test.

Performance Monitoring

What application or infrastructure components can QTest monitor during tests?
QTest offers performance monitors for operating systems (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/2003 Server, Unix AIX/SUN Solaris/HP True64/Linux RedHat, etc.), Web and Application Servers (IIS, Apache, BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, JBOSS, etc.), Database Servers (Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL, etc.), network equipment, and SNMP-compatible components.
Each monitor provides all of the performance indicators currently used by experts.

Is it necessary to install additional agents or components on the servers for the performance monitors?
No installation is necessary for the target servers, except for the BEA WebLogic (< v7) and IBM WebSphere (< v6) performance monitors. For these, a web application (.war) needs to be rolled out on the target server.

Are any specific competencies necessary for parameterizing the performance monitors?
No specific competency is necessary for parameterizing the performance monitors; the user needs only to enter the parameters for connecting to the servers (host: port, login/password).

Can several performance indicators be consulted or displayed on the same graph?
Yes, the user can add several performance indicators to the same graph using the traditional "Drag & Drop" method for cross-correlations and comparisons.
QTest offers numerous graph customization options in the monitoring, analysis and reporting phases alike.

Anomaly Detection

Is there a threshold concept? If so, how many thresholds per indicator?
For each anomaly definition, the user can set up to 3 thresholds of severity.

Is it possible to define several profiles for lists of anomalies?
The user can define several anomaly detection profiles in terms of the analysis perspective(s).

How are anomalies presented in QTest?
Anomalies are presented in an overall chronological list, or a list sorted by type.

Is it possible to determine only the period during which the anomaly is produced?
Yes. While consulting the anomaly details, the user may view the progress of the associated performance indicator, all of the periods during which the anomaly was detected, as well as its level of severity.

Reporting

Is it possible to automatically generate reports based on a template?
QTest enables reports to be automatically generated from either pre-defined or customized templates.

Can reports be customized?
Using Report Designer, the user can define his/her own templates by modifying the format, the presentation, or the content of the report in order to respond to the users’ and recipients’ requirements.

Is it possible to correlate and compare the different results from a test?
QTest enables a user to correlate and compare the performance indicators from several tests on the same graph, and to customize the attributes.

QTest Sales

What types of licenses are offered by QTest?
There are three options for purchasing QTest:

• The Standard version integrating all of the QTest Basic functionalities, designed for medium Test environments (up to 250 simultaneous users)
• The Enterprise version for applications that generate a considerable amount of traffic and require a significant number of simulation scenarios. This offer includes a Basic module with report customization and an anomaly detection manager.
• Finally, Quotium/Verifysoft also enables a license to be purchased that is valid for the duration of a project, or the Pay per test method. This offer, designed more for specialized service providers, enables them to offer more comprehensive services.