JMeter 101: Introduction

I. What is Jmeter?

Apache JMeter is a 100% pure Java desktop application designed to load test functional behavior and measure performance. JMeter may be used to test performance both on static and dynamic resources . It can be used to simulate a heavy load on a server, network or object to test its strength or to analyze overall performance under different load types.

II. Why choose Apache Jmeter?

There are wide load testing tools to choose from. There are open source tools like Open STA, http_load, The Grinder, Siege including Jmeter. And commercial tools like LoadRunner, WebLoad etc. But why would we pick Jmeter from this list? Lemme help you decide…

1. Jmeter is FREE! – no monthly charges
2. Easy to install and use – 100% JAVA with friendly GUI
3. Feature rich

• Record from browser
• Load test data from files
• Add logic, variables and functions
• Run distributed testing from multiple machines
• Variety of protocols: Web – HTTP, HTTPS; SOAP; Database via JDBC; LDAP; JMS; Mail – POP3

III. What are the requirements of Jmeter?

1. Java Virtual Machine – JMeter requires a fully compliant JVM 1.4 or higher
2. Operating System

• Unix (Solaris, Linux, etc)
• Windows (98, NT, XP, etc)
• OpenVMS Alpha 7.3+

IV. Where to get Jmeter?

Download from http://jakarta.apache.org/site/downloads/downloads_jmeter.cgi

I choose the binary version of 2.3.2 release for my Windows XP box.

V. How to run JMeter?

1. Unzip Jmeter distribution file to desired path
2. Go to “bin” directory
3. Run Jmeter file

• Windows : double click jmeter.bat
• Mac : double click ApacheJmeter.jar
• Unix : double click jmeter.sh OR run ./jmeter from the command line

From Jmeter’s friendly GUI, we can now create, record and configure scripts for our load test.

For comprehensive tutorials visit http://jakarta.apache.org/jmeter/

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