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How to: Specify the step ramp time property for a step load pattern

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Applies to: yesVisual Studio noVisual Studio for Mac

Note

This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here

After you create your load test with the New Load Test Wizard, you can use the Load Test Editor to change the scenarios properties to meet your testing needs and goals. For more information, see Walkthrough: Create and run a load test.

Note

Web performance and load test functionality is deprecated. Visual Studio 2019 is the last version where web performance and load testing will be fully available. For more information, see the Cloud-based load testing service end of life blog post. To reduce the impact on users some minimum support is still available in Visual Studio 2022 Preview 3 or later. Users should also note web performance and load test functionality only supports Internet Explorer which is not available on Windows 11 and some versions of Windows 10. Read more on Internet Explorer Lifecycle policy.

Note

For a full list of the load test scenario properties and their descriptions, see Load test scenario properties.

The Step Ramp Time property is set in the Properties window. You edit load test scenario properties in the Load Test Editor.

The Step Ramp Time property is only used with a step load pattern. For more information, see Edit load patterns to model virtual user activities.

A step load pattern is used to increase the load on the server or servers as the load test runs so that you can see how performance varies as the user load increases. For example, to see how your server or servers perform as the user load increasing to 2,000 users, you might run a 10-hour load test using a step load pattern with the following properties:

  • Initial User Count: 100

  • Maximum User Count: 2000

  • Step Duration (seconds): 1800

  • Step Ramp Time (seconds): 20

  • Step User Count: 100

These settings have the load test running for 30 minutes (1800 seconds) at user loads of 100, 200, 300, up to 2,000 users.

Note

The Step Ramp Time property is the only one of these properties that is not available to choose in the New Load Test Wizard.

The Step Ramp Time property allows the increase from one step to the next (for example from 100 to 200 users) to be gradual rather than immediate. In the example, the user load would be increased from 100 to 200 users over a 20 second period (an increase of 5 users every second).

To edit the step ramp time property for a step load pattern

  1. Open a load test.

    The Load Test Editor appears. The load test tree is displayed.

  2. In the load test trees Scenarios folder, open the scenario node you want to specify the step ramp time for.

  3. Select the Step Load Pattern node.

    Note

    The load pattern for the scenario must be a step load pattern. If it is not, the load pattern will display the load pattern type that is currently associated with the scenario. For more information, see Edit load patterns to model virtual user activities.

  4. On the View menu, select Properties Window.

    The scenario's categories and properties are displayed in the Properties window.

  5. Set the value for the Step Ramp Time property by entering a number for the seconds taken in each step to gradually add the users specified by the Step User Count property.

  6. After you have finished changing the property, choose Save on the File menu. You can then run your load test using the new Step Ramp Time value.

See also