Stepping Thread Group

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JMeter have only one out-of-the-box option for threads (users) scheduling: simple ramp-up. But many users, especially with HP LoadRunner experience miss more flexible thread scheduling algorythm. Stepping Thread Group adds to JMeter thread scheduling similar to LoadRunner's.

In JMeter version 2.4 new plugin type was introduced: custom Thread Groups. Stepping Thread Group is the first custom thread group in the world.

However, time goes by and probably better alternative has been offered: Concurrency Thread Group

Features

• preview graph showing estimated load (see example screen below)
• initial thread group delay to combine several thread group activities
• increase load by portions of threads (users) with ramp-up period
• configurable hold time after all threads started
• decrease load by portions

Example

Download Example Test Plan

Following screenshot shows Stepping Thread Group set to generate load increasing by 10 users each 2 minutes:

Actual test run shows following activity graph:

See Also

1. Concurrency Thread Group for possible replacement
2. Ultimate Thread Group for freeform load profiles