Abstract: A network emulation system is described herein that allows a software developer to accurately simulate different network characteristics while testing an application, framework, or other software code on a single or multiple computers. The system also provides an ability to record a real network's characteristics and apply those characteristics during a test. The network emulation system integrates a network emulation facility into test tools for both manual and automated tests and allows an application, framework, or other software code to be tested while operating under varying networking conditions such as bandwidth, latency, packet reordering and duplication, disconnection, and so forth. Thus, the network emulation system allows a software developer testing software code to quickly and easily determine how the software code will perform in a variety of real-world networking situations without physically setting up each of those situations.

Abstract: Systems and methodologies are provided for load testing a server wherein user characteristics are adjusted dynamically during the testing period of the server, based upon weightings defined in a user profile. Such dynamic adjustment enables a distribution of user characteristics as a percentage of total requests, (e.g. a per iteration model). The user characteristics can include type of user activities on a web page (e.g. search, browse, check out), browser features (e.g. browser type, browser version) net work connections, various client/server hard ware/software configurations and the like.