Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Eric W Nace

Kestutis Patiejunas

Dario Bazan Bejarano

Adam C Stone

Boyd Cannon Multerer

Michael W Thomas

Matthew C Odhner

Michelle M Rowe

Tom A Cox

Tony D Godfrey

A system for determining capacity of a server is provided in accordance with the present invention. The system may include a client for generating a plurality of requests to the server, the client providing a desired rate of requests by calculating an actual rate of requests being generated and adjusting the actual rate to within a predetermined range of the desired rate such that a continual rate of requests are provided to the server in order to facilitate determining server capacity.

System and method for providing continual rate requests

System and a method for server recording and client playback of computer network characteristics. In general, the network simulation system includes a recording module that resides on a server and records and stores the network characteristics associated with networks sessions in a data collector file. The system also includes a playback module that resides on a client and receives the data collector file and plays back the data collector file upon request. The recording method of the present invention includes using a global filter residing on the server to record the network characteristics and storing the recording in a data collector file. The playback method includes receiving a data collector file containing recorded network characteristics recorded on a server and playing back the data collector file to simulate the characteristics of real-world network sessions.

Server recording and client playback of computer network characteristics

A system and a method for server recording and client playback of computer network characteristics. In general, the network simulation system includes a recording module residing on a server that records and stores the network characteristics in a data collector file. The system also includes a playback module residing on a client that plays back the data collector file upon request. The data collector file includes a log file, which is used to store initial request data, and a data file, which is used to store other data. The method of the invention includes recording computer network characteristics on a recording server and playing back the recording on a client to the same or another server. The recording method uses a global filter residing on the server to record the network characteristics. The playback method plays back the data collector file to simulate the characteristics of real-world network sessions.

An interprocess communications platform enables individual processes to request and exchange data in a shared memory space, mediated by a communications engine. Processes, such as applications or other software running under an operating system or in a network, register to blocks of a shared memory space via an administrative memory space which tracks pointers, handles and other indicators of memory areas populated by individual processes. When one process requests access to a variable, pointer or other data generated by another process, the request is mediated by the communications engine. The communications engine may locate the target data belonging to the other process in the shared memory space, via a lookup of relative addressing in a separate administrative memory space. The communications engine, memory management objects and other resources may then lock the portion of the shared memory space allocated to the target process to permit the requesting process to access the data. Data may therefore be exchange between given processes while maintaining data integrity, and also may be cached in the shared memory space or elsewhere by the communications engine to further increase efficiency. Available memory in the shared memory space may be managed using the so-called buddy system or other heap or other management techniques. No named pipes or similar mechanisms under an operating system need be invoked.

Message based inter-process for high volume data

A system and a method for server recording and client playback of computer network characteristics. In general, the network simulation system of the present invention includes a recording module that resides on a server and records and stores the network characteristics associated with networks sessions in a data collector file. The system also includes playback module that resides on a client receives the data collector file and plays back the data collector file upon request. The data collector file includes a log file, which is used to store initial request data, and a data file, which is used to store data other than the initial request data. The method of the present invention includes recording computer network characteristics on a recording server and playing back the recording on a client to the same or another server. The recording method of the present invention includes using a global filter residing on the server to record the network characteristics and storing the recording in a data collector file. The playback method includes receiving a data collector file containing recorded network characteristics recorded on a server and playing back the data collector file to simulate the characteristics of real-world network sessions.

A network test system utilizes known good responses when testing responses from in-test servers. In one embodiment, the test system includes a verification server that is known to provide correct responses. In-test servers are subjected to very high rates of requests, and the responses are compared to responses from the verification server. Hash values are optionally used to represent the correct responses, and are compared to similar hash values produced from the actual responses of the in-test servers. Dynamic data is accommodated by basing the hash values on only the static portions of responses. Alternatively, dynamic data is accommodated by using search patterns&#x2014;when receiving an actual response from an in-test server, the response is searched for the specified search pattern. The response is deemed to be incorrect if the search pattern does not occur. Wildcards and other variable elements are used in the search patterns.

Server stress-testing response verification

System and method providing continual rate requests

A distributed test administration architecture enables a system administrator to test one or more servers accessible by the Internet from a remote administration computer that implements a browser. The architecture includes a testing application at the central testing server and a testing service installed on every registered client and server. Through a Web browsing interface, the system administrator can select participating clients and servers that are registered with the testing server, establish the tests to be run and the order in which to run them, and to launch the tests. The testing server coordinates execution of the tests by sending HTTP messages to and from the testing service at the participating clients and servers. The testing service runs the tests, gather results, and returns the results to the testing server. The testing server can then present the results to the administrator through a status Web page.

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Fairbanks, AK, United States of America

Eric W Nace