webmaster

webmaster - WebStone benchmark control program

webmaster -f config_file [ -adrsvRSTWX ] [ -C webclient_path ] [ -D ] [ -M netmask ] [ -P proxy_server ] [ -U clientfilelist ] [ -p port_num ] [ -t run_time | -l loop_count ] [ -u masterfilelist ] [ -w webserver ] [ URL ... ]

webmaster is the program that manages the execution of a WebStone benchmark run. It uses rexec(3N) to invoke a webclient(1) process on each of the client load-generating systems to be used for the benchmark.

When the benchmark run is done, webmaster polls the webclient processes for the data they've collected, summarizes the data, and writes it to standard output.

-C webclient_path

Absolute pathname of the webclient program, on the client system(s).

-D

File to receive debug data, on the client system(s).

-M netmask

The netmask value to be used in choosing which network interface on the server to use. Default: 255.255.255.0.

-P proxy_server

The name of a proxy server to use for requests.

-R

Tell \fBwebclient\fR to record all transactions.

-S

Use a fixed seed for the random number generator that chooses which page to request.

-T

Turn on trace statements.

-U URL_file

Take load-generating URLs from URL_file on the client system.

-W

Web server addresses are in the config file ("-f" parameter) on the webmaster system.

-X

Don't use rexec() to start the webclient processes. Instead, sleep() for 30 seconds to allow the user to start them by hand.

-a

Print timing information for all clients.

-d

Turn on debug and trace statements.

-f config_file

File specifying clients. The file must contain one line for each client system, with the syntax:

<client host name> <login> <password> <number of webclients> [<Web server>]

It is perfectly all right for the system on which webmaster runs to also be a client system.

-l loop_count

Cycle through the filelist "loop_count" times, requesting each URL from the server in turn. Conflicts with "-t".

-p portnum

Port number on which the Web server runs. Default: 80.

-s

Tell webclient to save all data retrieved from the Web server.

-t run_time

Duration of the test, in minutes. Conflicts with "-l".

-u URL_file

File containing URLs to use for the test, on the webmaster system.

-v

Enable verbose mode.

-w webserver

Host name of the Web server to test. If the name starts with a digit, webmaster uses it as the host part of an IP number and uses the netmask ("-M" option) to construct a host name on the same net as the client system.

For example, if the client system's IP address is 168.10.2.14, the netmask has the default value (255.255.255.0), and webserver is 25, webmaster tells the client system's webclient to use 168.10.2.25 for its Web server.

webmaster is the program that manages a single measurement run of the WebStone benchmark. It parses all the configuration information for the run, opens a socket to communicate with the client systems that will generate load on the server, and calls rexec() to start webclient on each client system.

At the end of the run webmaster polls the webclient processes to receive their results. It then summarizes the results and writes them to the standard output stream.

Web Server There are a number of ways to specify the Web server to be tested:

• With the "-w webserver" command line parameter.

• On the client's line in the config file, as set with the "-f config_file" command line parameter. The value from the config file is not used unless the "-W" command line parameter is given.

• In the URL list. If a full URL is given, it is honored. If the string in the list is a file name beginning with a slash, the server name from the command line or from the config file is prepended.

  If a proxy server is to be tested, each URL in the list must be a full URL that specifies the server name.

Test Load There are a number of ways to specify the list of URLs that webmaster is to provide to its webclient slaves:

• Use the "-u URL_list" option to provide the name of a file on the webmaster system from which webmaster is to read the URLs.

• List the URLs on the webmaster command line.

• Give the URLs and weights on the standard input stream.

• Use the "-U URL_list" option to tell the webclient to read the load URLs from a file on the client system.

Unless the "-U URL_list" option is used, webmaster provides the list of URLs to webclient over the master socket. webclient then parses the URL list and returns the number of entries to webmaster on the same socket.

See webclient(1) for a detailed description of load generation.

webmaster writes its output to its standard output stream.

Other files used by webmaster are specified on the command line. If no URL files are specified on the command line, webmaster tries to read the list of URLs from its standard input stream.

During a test run webmaster keeps a socket open to each webclient process. Make sure that the number of file descriptors available to webmaster is greater than the total number of webclient processes to be run. The "-R" and "-s" flags also each cause one file per webclient process to be opened on the client system.

File for load URL lists:

For each URL to be used to generate the test load, the URL list has an entry with the following form. Comments and blank lines in the list are ignored. Each comment starts with a hash character ('#') and continues to the end of the line.

<URL> <weight> [#<comment>]

webmaster does not use any environment variables.

WebStone was created by Silicon Graphics, Inc. Version 2.5 and later were developed by Mindcraft, Inc.

The command line options are too complicated. webmaster should usually be run by scripts.

runbench(1), webclient(1), webstone(1), webstonegui(1)

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