Install and configure a Controller

A Controller manages your load tests and coordinates with Load Generators to execute your performance tests. Follow these steps to install and configure a Controller Agent that connects to NeoLoad Web.

Before you start

Before you start, check the following:

Configure the Controller Agent

The Controller Agent handles communication between your local NeoLoad installation and NeoLoad Web.

  1. Navigate to your NeoLoad installation folder and open the bin directory.
  2. Run ControllerAgent.exe (or the equivalent for your operating system).
  3. Right-click on the Controller Agent system tray icon and select NeoLoad Web settings.

Choose your deployment type based on how NeoLoad Web is deployed. Select from the following options:

  • SaaS: Select this if you're using NeoLoad Web hosted by Tricentis
  • On-premise: Select this if your organization hosts NeoLoad Web internally

For on-premise deployments: Enter the URL to your NeoLoad Web server. The default format is http://nlweb.yourcompany.com:8080. Contact your IT administrator for the exact URL.

  1. In the Authentication section, paste your access token in the Access token field.
  2. If you're using zones, enter the Zone identifier to associate this Controller with a specific zone (optional).

If your network requires a proxy to connect to NeoLoad Web:

  1. In the Proxy section, select your proxy configuration.
  2. Choose HTTP or HTTPS mode as appropriate for your network.
  1. In the Check connection section, select the Test button.
  2. Verify that the connection test passes successfully.
  3. If the test fails, double-check your URL, token, and proxy settings.

Run the Controller as a service

Optionally, for production environments, you can configure the Controller Agent to run as a service so it starts automatically when your machine boots.

  1. Run the Controller Agent once to generate the configuration file.
  2. Copy the configuration file from C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Neotys\NeoLoad\v7.11\conf\controller_agent_user.properties.
  3. Paste it to C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\ (create the folder structure if needed).
  4. Open Task Manager > Services tab.
  5. Find NeoLoad Controller Agent, right-click and select Open Services.
  6. Right-click the service and select Properties.
  7. Set Startup type to Automatic.
  8. Select OK to save the changes.

For Linux environments, you can configure the Controller Agent as a systemd service. Edit the configuration file at /home/<USERNAME>/.neotys/neoload/v7.11/conf/controller_agent_user.properties with your connection details:

For SaaS deployment:

[Web]
neoload.web.saas.secretToken=<your-token>
neoload.web.resource.zone=<zone-id>
neoload.web.deployment.type=SAAS

For on-premise deployment:

[Web]
neoload.web.onpremise.secretToken=<your-token>
neoload.web.deployment.type=ONPREMISE
neoload.web.onpremise.url=http://yourserver.com:8080
neoload.web.resource.zone=<zone-id>

Verify your setup

To confirm your Controller is properly configured:

  1. Start a simple test in NeoLoad.
  2. Check that the test appears in NeoLoad Web during execution.
  3. Verify that test results are available in NeoLoad Web after completion.

What's next

With your Controller configured, choose from the following options: