Mercury Interactive Unveils LoadRunner 4.0; Ships First Integrated Client, Server, and Web Load Testing Tool to Provide Users with an Accurate View of System Behavior and Performance.SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 1996--Mercury Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq: MERQ MERQ Mercury Interactive Corp (stock symbol) ), the world's leading provider of client/server testing tools, today unveiled and shipped LoadRunner 4.0, a major new release that offers an integrated solution for client, server, and Web load testing Load testing is the process of creating demand on a system or device and measuring its response. In mechanical systems it refers to the testing of a system to certify it under the appropriate regulations (LOLER in the UK - Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment . LoadRunner 4.0 provides consistent, repeatable and measurable load to exercise the system just like real users would to isolate and pinpoint bottlenecks. Automating client, server, and Web load testing from a single point of control, LoadRunner helps developers of client/server systems obtain an accurate view of system behavior and performance -- throughout the application development life-cycle. LoadRunner 4.0 includes an integrated set of new load testing components: -- The Virtual User Generator captures client, server and Web traffic to automatically create virtual users. -- A ScenarioWizard accelerates development of multi-user behavior scenarios. -- The Visual Controller drives, monitors, and synchronizes GUI (Graphical User Interface) A graphics-based user interface that incorporates movable windows, icons and a mouse. The ability to resize application windows and change style and size of fonts are the significant advantages of a GUI vs. a character-based interface. , database, legacy and Web Virtual Users from a single point of control. -- A Load Analyzer displays the heartbeat and pulse of the system through customized graphs and reports. Along with support for Microsoft's Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. and Windows 95 operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. , LoadRunner 4.0 features a new modular configuration, providing the flexibility to use the tool on a variety of operating systems simultaneously. To exercise an enterprise system, LoadRunner uses different types of virtual users to drive a variety of software components at the same time. From a single point, the LoadRunner Controller launches and synchronizes a variety of virtual users: GUI, DB, RTE (1) See runtime engine. (2) (Real-Time Executive) The operating system used in the HP 1000 series. See HP 1000. or Web. The GUI Virtual User drives and measures real client application performance, while the DB Virtual User stresses database server capacity. For legacy systems, the RTE Virtual User tests character-based applications, and the Web Virtual User tests Intranet-based systems. By exercising enterprise systems at all levels, LoadRunner effectively creates real-life workload to identify performance and functionality problems before deployment. "With the increased complexity of enterprise systems comes increased risk that applications will not function properly when deployed," said Zohar Gilad, director of enterprise product marketing at Mercury Interactive For another company with a similar name, see Mercury Computer Systems. HP Mercury (formerly Mercury Interactive) is a subsidiary of Hewlett-Packard that is a market leader in automated software quality assurance and offers products in other areas such as diagnostics, . "This complexity, along with new platforms and paradigms such as Windows NT and the Intranet, has fueled the demand for load testing. Our latest release of LoadRunner 4.0 provides the first integrated solution available today for testing all components of an enterprise system." Client, Server, and Web Load Testing LoadRunner 4.0 drives real client applications and stresses server capacity simultaneously to pinpoint interoperability, capacity, and functionality problems before applications are deployed. This allows developers to make more informed decisions about the system, starting from architecture design to integration and performance testing Performance Testing covers a broad range of engineering or functional evaluations where a material, product, or system is not specified by detailed material or component specifications: Rather, emphasis is on the final measurable performance characteristics. , through fine-tuning and production tests. The client load testing technology in LoadRunner 4.0 simulates multiple users across the network -- each driving a real application. LoadRunner can drive these client applications simultaneously from a single PC, synchronize them, and collect the results for analysis, before an application is deployed. LoadRunner's server load testing capability provides a practical way to stress a server's capacity by simulating the activity generated by multiple user applications -- on a single PC. It recreates real application traffic through multi-tasking virtual users, sending and receiving messages to and from the server -- the same messages that would be sent by real client applications. In this way, a single PC can replicate application traffic for hundreds, or even thousands of users. LoadRunner 4.0 also includes Mercury Interactive's WebTest technology for Web server load testing. Web load testing provides a practical way to stress a Web server's capacity by sending thousands of concurrent HTTP HTTP in full HyperText Transfer Protocol Standard application-level protocol used for exchanging files on the World Wide Web. HTTP runs on top of the TCP/IP protocol. messages from a single Windows NT machine. It recreates real HTTP traffic through multi-tasking Web Virtual Users, sending and receiving messages to and from the server -- the same messages that would be sent by a browser. In this way, performance of Web sites can be assessed before they are deployed. Pricing and Availability LoadRunner 4.0 for Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT and UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). (Solaris, SunOS, HP-UX HP's version of Unix that runs on its 9000 family. It is based on SVID and incorporates features from BSD Unix along with several HP innovations. (operating system) HP-UX - The version of Unix running on Hewlett-Packard workstations. , IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive) IBM's Unix-based operating system which runs on its Intellistation workstations and pSeries, p5, iSeries and i5 server families. ) platforms is available immediately. The Virtual User Generator component is in beta and will ship on June 26, 1996. Customers purchasing LoadRunner 4.0 before that date will receive a free beta copy of the Virtual User Generator. LoadRunner 4.0 Standard Edition, for Windows 3.1, is priced at $14,990 in the US and Canada. LoadRunner 4.0 Professional Edition, which includes support for Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Windows NT, starts at $40,000. The UNIX version of LoadRunner 4.0 starts at $50,000. About Mercury Interactive Corporation Mercury Interactive develops, markets and supports a complete family of Automated Software Quality (ASQ ASQ American Society for Quality ASQ Arab Studies Quarterly ASQ Automated Software Quality ASQ Administrative Science Quarterly ASQ Ages & Stages Questionnaires ASQ Allowable Sale Quantity ASQ Ascension Island (DoD radar) ) solutions that automate and manage testing and quality assurance for developers of enterprise software and systems. The company's core products -- WinRunner, XRunner, and LoadRunner -- enable corporate developers, system integrators, and independent software vendors to identify software errors more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods allow. Mercury Interactive has its headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., and maintains offices across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and internationally, with a network of distributors throughout the world. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: Mercury Interactive is located at 470 Potrero Ave., Sunnyvale, Calif. 94086 and can be reached by phone at (408) 523-9900 or fax at (408) 523-9911. Mercury Interactive's Web site is located at www.merc-int.com. WinRunner, XRunner, LoadRunner, and TestDirector are registered trademarks; and RapidTest, WebTest and TestSuite are trademarks of Mercury Interactive Corporation. Product and company names are used herein for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: Mercury Interactive Sue Ann Murray Not to be confused with Anne Murray. Ann Murray, DBE is an Irish mezzo-soprano. She was born on August 27, 1949 in Dublin. She studied with Frederick Cox at the Royal Manchester College of Music and made her stage debut as Alcestis in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Alceste in , 408/523-4290 sueann@merc-int.com or Evans Communications Shannon Osthimer, 415/595-0796 |
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