Performance Testing Blog Compilation
http://www.testingreflections.com/taxonomy/page/or/54

Testing Reflections is a blog compiler and this link takes you to all blogs matching the term "Performance Testing". Happy reading.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

The Making of an Open Source Stress Test Tool
http://tejasconsulting.com/papers/stress_driver-QW02-paper.pdf

This is a bit of a white paper on creating a stress testing tool from the ground up. Interesting read based on the amount of home-grown and low quality perf tools projects are providing.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Windows Server 2003: Performance and Scalability
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/performance/default.mspx

This page provides a jumping point to many articles on Windows 2003 performance including benchmarks, fault-tolerance, and scalability.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Here are a couple links on Ajax performance.

Ajax Performance Blog
http://www.ajaxperformance.com/

How to Profile and Optimize Ajax Applications
http://codinginparadise.org/weblog/2006/08/tutorial-how-to-profile-and-optimize.html

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Technical Overview of IIS 6.0
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/iis.mspx

Here is some Microsoft documentation on IIS 6.0 which is used in Windows Server 2003. To view the article, click the download link on the right side of the page.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

This week I have three links for you related to SQL Server 2005. As we are rolling down the steep slope toward 2k5 implementation, a variety of knowledge on this topic (performance and otherwise) is well timed.

Getting Ready for SQL Server 2005
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906773

SQL Server 2005: Transactional Replication Performance Tuning and Optimization
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnsql2k/html/sql2k_replperf_tran4.asp

SQL Server 2005 Books Online
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms166019.aspx

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Performance Improvements in Windows Server 2003
http://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/sample/DOMIS/update/2003/08aug/0803piiws2.htm

Overview level article covering changes in Windows Server 2003 including 64-bit, Hyper-threading, and Non-Uniform Memory Access Systems.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Hyper Threading Aware Process Scheduling Heuristics
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~jrb44/docs/bulpin_usenix05/

Here is a rundown on hyper-threading. Over the past year we tested various machine roles with HT-ON and rolled that change into production for most systems. However, we found it hurt BFS performance. This article covers the "Engineer" level content and touches on why it is not the best solution for all software.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Load Testing Web Services
http://webservices.sys-con.com/read/284564.htm

Article covering challenges of performance testing web services and some of the performance differences between legacy and SOA architectures.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

High-performance software testing teams: A guide for managers and team leads
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/content/RationalEdge/sep04/dimaggio/index.html

I am a big fan of knowing what the judge or teacher or boss is looking for when I'm working toward some end. This article thinly covers some team dynamic topics (targeted at managers) for performance test teams, much of which translates to any technology team. Happy reading.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Approaches to Performance Testing
http://dev2dev.bea.com/pub/a/2005/09/performance_testing.html

This article by BEA covers various types of perf testing and what to look for. Generally targeted at Java...

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Multiple IE Versions At Once
http://tredosoft.com/Multiple_IE

This article explains a handy exploit to the workings of "DLL Hell" that allows users to deploy and run multiple versions of internet explorer on a single machine.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Approaches to Performance Testing
http://dev2dev.bea.com/pub/a/2005/09/performance_testing.html

Overview of performance testing J2ee applications including sections on benchmarking & capacity planning.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Expedia.ca: Canadian Couples Need to Take Their Relationship on Vacation
http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/releases/show.jsp?action=showRelease&searchText=false&showText=all&actionFor=612679

Expedia.ca is all about running studies related to travel and then publishing the results when they are positive... at least that is my impression given the number of recently published studies!


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Effective Hotel Internet Marketing: Avoiding The Legal Pitfalls
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4028728.html

This article discusses impacts to hotels as consumers use internet sites such as Google and Yahoo when searching for hotel rooms. This discussion carries over to other travel inventory too...


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Gallic art of taking five... weeks of vacation
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/03/TRG1SKS1KH1.DTL

A little comparison article on the vacation habits of the French & Americans, as well as some French history.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Hotel-Rate Figures Raise Eyebrows
http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=7704&sc=7

Expedia.ca recently released its average per night price for hotel bookings across different cities in Canada as well as the up/down movement from last year. Now, it seems that some of the higher priced locations are feeling "offended" and stating that the actual rates are much lower. So, what does this all come down to? Money! If rates are published as high in one city and low in another, travelers are more likely to book in the low city... Interesting read.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

When flight troubles loom, travel sites spread the word
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-tr-internet20aug20,1,4287584.column?coll=la-headlines-technology

This is an interesting article on some differences between Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity when it comes to customer service. A word of caution, do not let the Orbitz slant get to you.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

LoadTester Inc
http://www.loadtester.com/

This is a LoadRunner consulting company with a variety of news and articles generally covering LR capabilities but also covering some broad perf testing topics.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

SQL Server Performance Testing
http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/performance/sql-server-performance-testing/

This SQL Server 2000 article covers the basics of indexes and primary keys which are fundamental to the performance of large database systems (think Expedia.com...).


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Reviving a Dying Online Category
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/9623.asp

"It is not good enough for a destination site to display a few thumbnail images, short descriptions and contact information for local attractions. Consumers can go to any online travel agency and find that information along with special deals, real-time booking, traveler reviews, robust mapping systems and beautiful imagery. When you look at it this way, you can see why consumers continue to use Travelocity and Expedia while shying away from official destination sites..."


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Tax lawsuit against Expedia and other online travel agents is tossed out by judge
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003043755_webhoteltax06.html

Interesting article about municipalities trying to collect tax dollars on the marked up rate that Expedia charges for inventory we purchase at the bulk rate. I imagine we haven't seen the end of this since there is quite a lot of money involved.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

EXPEDIA and UN FOUNDATION PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
http://www.maximsnews.com/1006mnunfoundation6july.htm

This is a news release about Expedia's involvement with the World Heritage Alliance. Interesting read...


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Online Travel Sales to Boom
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/9953.asp

This is an iMedia article on the travel market and projected growth worldwide.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Lowest Price Keeps Travelers Searching The Web
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=44626

This new article presents a short-sighted travel industry overview with interesting customer information and competitive analysis.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Can New travel Discount Site Out Do Expedia
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/News/062006/travel.htm

Here is a quick release on Your Travel Rates.com, a new competitor in the online travel space. I suggest that along with reading this short article that you check out the site. You'll notice that the interface looks very familiar (TravelNow.com).


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Testing Reflections
http://www.testingreflections.com/blog/67

Though this bog is more and more out of date, there are many interesting and up to date topics on performance testing. There are also many links to other blogs on performance and stress testing topics.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Stress testing
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/3

Today's link is something fun (but hopefully not inspiring) to get you back in the swing of things. I'll say no more and let you discover it for yourself.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Performance Testing SOAP-based applications
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ws-testsoap/

This article covers basic SOAP web services design and implementation as well as load testing strategies which include stateful, speed, boundary-timing and regression tests.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

SQL Tutorial
http://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_intro.asp

This is a w3 schools tutorial on SQL. Since more and more of our testing is database focused these days this should provide a good overview for those of you interested in expanding your abilities.

I have quite a bit of SQL experience and it has served me well in roles that made use of a relational database as well as those that just require organizing data. Well worth knowing if you work with software or data.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Re-Imagineering
http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/

If you have been to Disneyland or Disneyworld or Euro Disney as an adult you will likely have some understanding of the total experience that Disney works to create. This blog, though not directly related to issues of travel or performance testing is an interesting read for anyone trying to generate creative solutions or even revolutions.

I have a book in my office call "Be Our Guest" which covers customer service the Disney way. This is the only published book by the Disney Institute which conducts very successfully executive training and I definitely recommend it.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Getting started with automated testing: Road map to success
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/274.html

Automate Testing of Your Stored Procs
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/04/09/TestRun/

Today's double-link is a pair of articles on automating performance testing. The first is a basic road map and the second is an example of stored procedure test automation.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Should acceptance tests be included in the continuous build process?
http://agiletesting.blogspot.com/2006/04/should-acceptance-tests-be-included-in.html

Today's link is the latest entry on the Agile Testing blog which I have sent you previously. This article is a discussion on automated acceptance testing being part of the automated build process. It does a good job on vocabulary and linking to other related content.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Analyzing SQL Server 2000 Data Caching
http://www.sql-server-performance.com/tp_analyzing_sql_server_2000_data_caching.asp

This article covers some basic information on SQL Server caching with some good SQL examples.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Java Performance Tuning
http://www.javaperformancetuning.com/index.shtml

This site is dedicated to high performance Java. It is a bit of a piecemeal collection and navigation is a bit challenging, but there is a ton of great stuff!


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Using Profiler to Identify Poorly Performing SQL Server Queries
http://www.sql-server-performance.com/sql_server_performance_audit10.asp

This article covers the basics to capturing SQL Traces that assist in finding the long-running stored procedures that run on a SQL box. Not very in depth but a good reference for making sure you have everything you need.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

SDN - Chapter 8: Performance Techniques
http://java.sun.com/developer/onlineTraining/Programming/JDCBook/perfTech.html

One of the biggest challenges in developing large applications for the Java platform is to make the application meets its performance criteria. This chapter shows you how to track down performance bottlenecks and improve application performance.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

A tirade against SOA and Distributed Objects
http://geekswithblogs.net/johnsperfblog/archive/2005/08/30/51598.aspx

This week I have an article that is critical of Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) with some very good performance considerations.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Today I have a slew of links containing information on ASP.NET memory and memory leaks. Take a gander and let me know if you have any other good links in this area.

ASP.NET Performance Monitoring, and When to Alert Administrators
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnaspp/html/monitor_perf.asp

Tracking down managed memory leaks (how to find a GC leak)
http://blogs.msdn.com/ricom/archive/2004/12/10/279612.aspx

Rico Mariani's Performance Tidbits
http://blogs.msdn.com/ricom/default.aspx

ASP.NET process recycling
http://www.devx.com/vb2themax/Tip/18713

Running ASP.NET 1.1 with IIS 6.0
http://www.asp.net/faq/AspNetAndIIS6.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1#2

IIS 5.0 Process Recycling Configuration Tool
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c4ba5f3c-1eb2-4f3c-99b0-b0cde072a7d8&DisplayLang=en

Recycling the ASP.NET worker process at set intervals
http://codebetter.com/blogs/steve.hebert/archive/2005/03/07/56663.aspx

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Comp.Risks
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.risks

This newsgroup is run by the ACM and constitutes a couple-times-a-month newsletter bringing together information on risks to the public due to the use of computers. Topics on heavy rotation include privacy, security, over-charging, book reviews, and physical accidents related to the use of computers.

[Jeff's Personal Note]
This group should be on the reading list of every technology professional!


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Blog: Test Notes - I don't make software; I make it better
http://geekswithblogs.net/srkprasad/

This blog covers a wide variety of testing topics and is available as an RSS feed based on posting categories. Topics include Automation, Agile Testing, Quality and Quality metrics, Risk Management and FAQ's. Posts are generally links to other sites.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Agile Testing: More on Performance vs. Load Testing
http://agiletesting.blogspot.com/2005/04/more-on-performance-vs-load-testing.html

This article is an extension on the article from last week (Performance vs. Load vs. Stress Testing) that spends more time on performance testing and load testing. There are some example test processes and a broader discussion on load testing.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Website download time, abandonment
http://www.red-gate.com/products/ants_load/technical_papers/understanding_testing_results.htm

This article by the Red-Gate software company (related to the ANTS Load testing product that they distribute) covers the idea of website abandonment. Sections include a working definition, some research results, how to test abandonment, and some interesting results of tests by Red-Gate.


Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Online travel agencies being put to the test
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=1565445

This is another travel industry article exploring the future of GDS systems like Worldspan and Sabre in a cash-poor airline industry. The article also notes that the GDS contracts with AA, Continental and other major airlines are up for renewal this year.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com

Do Travel Search Engines Deliver?
http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/travel-reports-aggregators.cfm

This article investigates 11 leading travel search sites for breadth, depth, usability and customer service. Expedia and it's main competitors are not included in the definition of a Travel Search Engine but this article does include some very interesting analysis of these smaller competitors.

Jeffrey Kelly
http://sailwhatcom.com