Troubleshooting GUI-Level Testing Issues

When troubleshooting GUI-Level issues it is important to note that there are three separate components (Silk Performer, Silk Test, and Windows/Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services) that play integrated roles during the execution of GUI-Level tests; each of these components should be considered when attempting to isolate the root causes of errors.

Step 1: Windows test-environment configuration

Note: For resolutions to issues outlined in this section, please visit the Micro Focus Knowledge Base and enter the referenced Resolution ID.

The first thing to consider is that Silk Performer can only execute multiple GUI-level virtual users on Microsoft Windows operating systems that have Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services installed, licensed and configured. If you attempt to execute more than one GUI-level virtual user from a Microsoft Windows machine you will encounter the following error message: StInitSession(GUI-Level Testing Replay: 10 - Virtual user information, Silk Test Connection timeout reached.

Resolution ID: 17256, 17231

The next, and perhaps most important, step is to configure Windows Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services to allow each Silk Performer virtual user to execute a Silk Test test case within a separate terminal session. Therefore it is of the vital importance that each of the settings below be configured exactly as specified in the resolution listed below.

Resolution ID: 17255

Please note that failure to configure Windows Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services as recommended above can result in error messages such as GUI-Level Testing Replay: 10 - Virtual user information, RDP not connected.

Resolution ID: 20117

Once you have configured Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services, the final configuration check is to ensure that you are using the correct version of Silk Test (for test case generation) and that you have the correct Silk Performer licenses available for a GUI-level load testing.

Resolution ID: 17168, 17148

Step 2: Proxy Server Configuration

In some situations, when recording a Silk Performer script via the Silk Test interface, the resulting BDF file contains no Silk Performer functions. To resolve this issue, perform the following:

  1. Launch Internet Explorer and navigate to Tools > Internet Options.
  2. Select the Connections tab.
  3. Click LAN settings. The Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box opens.
  4. Check the Use a proxy server for your LAN check box.
  5. In the Address field, type localhost.
  6. In the Port field, type 8080.
  7. Click OK.

Step 3: Silk Test configuration and test-case generation

Note: For resolutions to issues outlined in this section, please visit the Micro Focus Knowledge Base and enter the referenced Resolution ID.

When using Silk Test to generate a test case for execution in Silk Performer it is important that you consider that the test case will eventually be executed by Silk Performer within a Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services/Remote Desktop Services environment. This means that certain considerations need to be made, such as ensuring that a full version of Silk Test is installed on the Silk Performer Agent otherwise Silk Performer will report the error message GUI-Level Testing Replay: 7 - Application could not be launched.

Resolution ID: 17181

Ensure that any directory paths that have been configured for Silk Test are still available when the Silk Test project is exported to Silk Performer; otherwise the Silk Performer runtime engine may be unable to can locate the directory path used to launch the application under test. Failure to set a global path can result in an error message such as Error: Directory XXXX does not exist".

Resolution ID: 17204

Finally, before exporting the Silk Test project to Silk Performer it is imperative that you export the project using the correct settings. Otherwise you may see the following error: GUI-Level Testing Replay:11 SilkTest reported. Project failed to open. The resolution below describes both the consequences of not doing this and the correct way to export a project from Silk Test.

Resolution ID: 17200

Step 4: Silk Performer configuration and common GUI-level replay errors

Note: For resolutions to issues outlined in this section, please visit the Micro Focus Knowledge Base and enter the referenced Resolution ID.

The final component to look at when troubleshooting GUI-level issues is Silk Performer. The first thing an end user should consider before they replay a GUI-level BDF script in Silk Performer is that there are major differences between executing a Silk Test testcase within Silk Performer using a normal console session and executing a Silk Test test case using a terminal server session. The major differences between running a BDF script as a console session and terminal server session are detailed in the following resolution.

Resolution ID: 17258

Failure to understand the differences between the types of sessions that can be executed in Silk Performer and failure to instruct Silk Performer that you wish to execute a terminal server session can lead to the common replay error GUI-Level Testing Replay: 10 - Virtual user information, More than 1 user per Session is not allowed. Refer to the resolution listed below to learn how to avoid this error during replay in Silk Performer.

Resolution ID: 17257

Other errors that commonly occur during replay are related to the Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services session in which the Silk Test test case runs. For example is it important to consider that when a Silk Test test case is initially recorded it is often within an operating system environment that uses different user credentials than the environments in which the Silk Test test case will be executed within the terminal server environment. This can result in unexpected windows being generated during replay within the terminal server session and as a result the Silk Test agent will report an error message during replay within Silk Performer such as Log Error: *** Error: Window 'window name' was not found. The following resolution provides a good example of one such error and explains how you can avoid it.

Resolution ID: 17236

Before you execute an actual GUI-level test it is important to consider that there are limitations in regards to the number of virtual users that can be executed within a Terminal Server environment. The resolution below outlines the typical number of GUI-level virtual users that can be executed from a single Silk Performer installation.

Resolution ID: 17202