LoadRunner Runtime Settings – Multithreading Options

Performance testers are confronted with this classic dilemma when they decide to execute their script in LoadRunner. Whether to run the Vuser as a thread or as a process?

1.1  Difference between a thread and a process 

A Process

• Let us consider a process as an independent entity or unit that has an exclusive virtual address space for itself.

• A process can interact with another process only through IPC (inter process communication). More than one process could run at any given time but no two processes can share the same memory address space.

E.g. when we open an application say notepad from our Windows OS, we see that a notepad.exe process is displayed in our task manager under processes tab. If we open another such notepad a new notepad.exe process is displayed. This process has its own set of virtual address space.

A Thread

• Threads are contained inside a process. More than one thread can exist within the same process and can share the memory space between them.

• The advantage here is that multiple threads can share the same memory space. I.e. when a thread is in idle state another thread can utilize the resource thereby faster execution rate is achieved.

• A memory space can be accessed by another thread if one thread remains idle for a long time.

• Threads can also access common data structures if required.

1.2  Multithreading

While defining the runtime settings in LoadRunner, we have to choose between running the Vuser as a thread or a process. “The Controller uses a driver program (such as mdrv.exe or r3Vuser.exe) to run your Vusers. If you run each Vuser as a process, then the same driver program is launched (and loaded) into the memory again and again for every instance of the Vuser.” – LoadRunner User Guide. The driver program mentioned is nothing but a process that runs when we generate a Vuser load.

1.3  Run Vuser as a process – Disable Multithreading

• If we choose the first option and run ‘n’ number of Vusers as a process, we will be able to see ‘n’ number of mmdrv.exe processes running in the Load generator machine. Each of this process would be consuming their own memory space.

• When this option is selected, each of the Vuser process establishes at least one connection with the web/app server.

1.4  Run Vuser as a thread – Enable Multithreading

• But we can choose to run the Vuser as a thread if we want to go easy on the resources. This way more number of Vusers can be generated with the same amount of available load generator memory.

• When this option is selected, each of the Vuser thread can share the open connections between them (connection pooling). Opening and maintaining a connection for each Vuser process, is resource consuming. In connection pooling, the amount of time a user must wait to establish a connection to the database is also reduced.This is surely an advantage right? Wrong. The argument is that this is not an accurate replication of the user load - A single connection for each Vuser should be created like in a real time scenario and to achieve this we have to run Vuser as a process. There are other factors such as thread safety to be considered. When we run a large amount of Vusers as a single multi threaded process, the Vusers run as threads which share the same memory location. Thus one thread may impact, interfere or modify data elements of another thread posing serious thread safety concerns. Before selecting either of the options we need to determine the load generator capacity such as available system resources, memory space and also the thread safety of the protocols used.

Please Visit At: LoadRunner Runtime Settings For Know More.