Install and configure a Load Generator

Let's say you're testing how strong a bridge is. The Load Generators are like trucks driving over the bridge to see how much weight it can handle. They’re the ones doing the actual work—creating virtual users that behave as real people using your application.

Configure the Load Generator agent

To connect the Load Generator to NeoLoad Web, you need to set up the Load Generator agent that connects NeoLoad to NeoLoad Web. To set it up follow these steps:

  1. Launch the Controller agent:

    • Open the LoadGeneratorAgent.exe file from the NeoLoad bin folder.

    • Right-click the Agent icon in the system tray and select NeoLoad Web settings.

  2. Set the deployment type:

    • Select SaaS for US-based SaaS deployments of NeoLoad Web.

    • Select On-premise for EU-based SaaS deployments of NeoLoad Web. You can retrieve the URL directly. Select API from the user menu in NeoLoad Web and copy the link without the /explore suffix. For example: https://neoload-api.saas.neotys.com/.

  3. Authenticate with an access token:

  4. Enter the hostname and port (opens in new tab) of the Load Generator.

  5. Set a zone (optional):

  6. Test the connection:

    • Select Test to verify your settings. After a successful test, select Apply to save your changes.

Run the Load Generator agent as a service

Run the Load Generator agent as a service so it starts automatically with your system. The service has no UI, so configure the agent manually first to generate its configuration file.

To run the Load Generator agent as a Windows service, follow these steps:

  1. Configure the agent manually with the steps in Configure the Load Generator agent above. The agent writes your settings to your user profile.

  2. Go to %APPDATA%\Neotys\NeoLoad\<version>\conf.

  3. Copy the agent_user.properties file to the service account's profile folder:

    • Local System account: C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\Neotys\NeoLoad\<version>\conf.

    • Network Service account: C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Neotys\NeoLoad\<version>\conf.

  4. In the Services panel, set the service's Startup type to Automatic, then start the service.

If the service stops shortly after starting, the agent can't reach NeoLoad Web. Check the logs in the same profile folder, under \logs.

The Load Generator agent has no UI on Linux. Generate the configuration on a Windows machine first, then transfer it to the Linux host. To run the Load Generator agent as a Linux service, follow these steps:

  1. On a Windows machine, configure the agent with the steps in Configure the Load Generator agent above.

  2. Copy the agent_user.properties file from %APPDATA%\Neotys\NeoLoad\<version>\conf.

  3. On the Linux host, paste the file into $HOME/.neotys/neoload/<version>/conf, where $HOME is the home folder of the user who runs the service.

  4. Create and enable the service with systemctl.