Using Windows desktop connection in LoadRunner

Remote Desktop Connection (part of the Terminal Services that comes with Winodows XP) is not as reliable with LoadRunner as Remote Administrator.

To keep Windows Remote Desktop Connection sessions from timing out during a test, the Terminal Services on each machine should be configured as follows:

1. Click Start, point to Programs (or Control Panel), Administrative Tools and choose Terminal Services Configuration.
2. Open the Connections folder in tree by clicking it once.
3. Right-click RDP-Tcp and select Properties.
4. Click the Sessions tab.
5. Make sure "Override user settings" is checked.
6. Set Idle session limit to the maximum of 2 days instead of the default 2 hours.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click OK to confirm message "Configuration changes have been made to the system registry; however, the user session now active on the RDP-Tcp connection will not be changed."

Make sure that when you do this you're not violating one of your corporation's security policies.
Terminal Server only allows two simultaneous connections. To disconnect from a session, do not click "X" on the remote desktop window but click Start and Log Off

How LoadRunner works?

Unlike a WinRunner workstation which emulates a single user's use of a client, LoadRunner can emulate thousands of Virtual Users.

Load generators are controlled by VuGen scripts which issue non-GUI API calls using the same protocols as the client under test. But WinRunner GUI Vusers emulate keystrokes, mouse clicks, and other User Interface actions on the client being tested Only one GUI user can run from a machine unless LoadRunner Terminal Services Manager manages remote machines with Terminal Server Agent enabled and logged into a Terminal Services Client session.

During run-time, threaded vusers share a common memory pool. So threading supports more Vusers per load generator.

The Status of Vusers on all load generators start from "Running", then go to "Ready" after going through the init section of the script. Vusers are "Finished" in passed or failed end status. Vusers are automatically "Stopped" when the Load Generator is overloaded.

No additional license is needed to monitor standard web (HTTP) servers (Apache, IIS, and Netscape).

To use Web Services Monitors for SOAP and XML, a separate license is needed, and vUsers require the Web Services add-in installed with Feature Pack (FP1)