Managing Your Virtual User Licenses for Load Testing with a Test Controller

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This topic applies to:

Visual Studio Ultimate

Visual Studio Premium

Visual Studio 2010 Professional 

Visual Studio Express
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You can run load tests locally by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate and simulate up to 250 users for your load test. If you want to test your application using more than 250 virtual users, you must purchase Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010 licenses. Additionally, if you want to distribute you load tests over multiple machines, you must install test controllers and test agents. For more information about using various distributed load test configurations, see Distributing Load Tests Across Multiple Test Machines Using Test Controllers and Test Agents and Configuring Test Controllers and Test Agents for Load Testing. For more information about how to install a test controller and test agents, see Installing and Configuring Visual Studio Agents and Test and Build Controllers.

Tip

Another benefit from installing virtual user license packs is that they use multiprocessor architecture. Virtual user license packs allow the machine that they are installed on to use more than one processor; otherwise, the machine is restricted to using only one core.

When using test controllers and test agents, you must purchase Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010 licenses for the number of virtual users you want to use to simulate the load on your application. The Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010 license includes a license key to enable you to install the number of virtual users you licenses you purchased for your test controller. Each Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010 licenses includes 1000 users.

For example, if you purchase 7 of the Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010, you can now run concurrent load tests that together use up to 7000 user licenses.

If you run two load tests at the same time, where Load Test 1 uses 5000 virtual users on this test controller, and Load Test 2 uses 3000 virtual users, then you must purchase another Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010 for 1000 virtual users for this test controller.

Note

The Visual Studio 2010 Load Test Feature Pack provides active Microsoft Visual Studio Ultimate 2010 with MSDN subscribers a unique Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010 license key to generate unlimited virtual users.

To download the feature pack, which is available for MSDN Subscribers only, visit MSDN Subscribers Downloads. For more information about the feature pack, see Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Load Test Feature Pack.

For more information about virtual user licenses, see Installing and Configuring Visual Studio Agents and Test and Build Controllers, Configuring Test Controllers and Test Agents for Load Testing.

To configure your load tests to run using a test controller and a test agent, you must create test settings for your tests. For more information about how to create test settings, see Create Test Settings to Run Automated Tests from Visual Studio.

For information about installing virtual user licenses, see How to: Add Virtual User License Keys for Load Testing or How to: Add Virtual User License Keys for Load Testing Using the Command-Line.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Run a Load Test Using Test Controllers and Test Agents Specified in a Test Setting

How to: Add Virtual User License Keys for Load Testing

Walkthrough: Using a Test Controller and Test Agents in a Load Test

Concepts

Installing and Configuring Visual Studio Agents and Test and Build Controllers

Setting Up Test Machines to Run Tests or Collect Data

Using Test Controllers and Test Agents with Load Tests

Other Resources

Distributing Load Tests Across Multiple Test Machines Using Test Controllers and Test Agents