Install and configure a Load Generator

Load Generators execute the virtual users that simulate traffic during your performance tests. Follow these steps to install and configure a Load Generator Agent that connects to NeoLoad Web.

Once connected, the Load Generator becomes dedicated to NeoLoad Web for security reasons. This ensures your testing infrastructure remains secure and isolated.

Before you start

Make sure you have done the following:

  • NeoLoad Load Generator installed on your machine
  • Generate your access token in NeoLoad Web
  • Network access to NeoLoad Web (SaaS or on-premise)

Configure the Load Generator Agent

The Load Generator Agent handles communication between the Load Generator and NeoLoad Web.

  1. Navigate to your NeoLoad installation folder and open the bin directory.
  2. Run LoadGeneratorAgent.exe.
  3. Right-click on the Load Generator 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

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

  1. In the Authentication section, paste your access token in the Access token field.
  2. Set the Hostname field to the machine name where this Load Generator is located.
  3. Set the Port field to the port number for accessing this Load Generator (default is usually 7100).
  4. If you're using zones, enter the Zone identifier to associate this Load Generator 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.

To verify your connection status, follow these steps:

  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, hostname, port, and proxy settings.

Run the Load Generator as a service

For production environments, you can configure the Load Generator Agent to run as a service so it starts automatically when your machine boots.

  1. Run the Load Generator Agent once to generate the configuration file.
  2. Copy the configuration file from C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Neotys\NeoLoad\v7.11\conf\agent_user.properties.
  3. Paste it to the appropriate folder based on which account the service runs under (create the folder structure if needed):
    • Local System: C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\
    • Network Service: C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\
  4. Open Task Manager > Services tab.
  5. Find NeoLoad Load Generator 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 Load Generator Agent as a systemd.service. Edit the configuration file at /home/<USERNAME>/.neotys/neoload/v7.11/conf/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 (no proxy):

[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>

Configure security settings

By default, once a Load Generator connects to NeoLoad Web, only NeoLoad Web can use it. This security measure prevents unauthorized access.

To disable this security measure (not recommended): Edit the agent.properties file in your Load Generator installation and change it to [Network]agent.accept.only=ALL.

Verify your setup

To confirm your Load Generator is properly configured:

  1. Check that the Load Generator appears in the Resources view in NeoLoad Web.
  2. Run a simple test that uses this Load Generator.
  3. Verify that the test executes successfully and generates load.

What's next

With your Load Generator configured, choose from the following options: