Abstract: A facility for adapting a representation of a real workload is described. The facility retrieves a stored representation of a real workload produced on a source N-tiered computing system. The retrieved representation specifies a plurality of requests received by one or more applications executing on the source N-tiered computing system. The facility selects a performance characteristic to be produced by playing back the real workload represented by the retrieved representation on a target N-tiered computing system. The facility modifies one or more aspects of the retrieved real workload representation to adapt the real workload representation to produce the selected performance characteristic when the modified real workload representation is played back on the target N-tiered computing system.

Abstract: A system for recording workload data is described. The system includes an N-tiered computing system running on one or more computer systems. Instrumentation is installed on one or more tiers of the N-tiered computing system that captures live workload data, including both requests and responses, during a recording period. The system further includes one or more non-volatile storage devices that collectively store the live workload data captured by the instrumentation in enough fidelity to be used in a replay process that reproduces performance characteristics of the original workload.