Load testing web servers

I'm looking for a load test program that I can feed URLs culled from my
logs. I'd like to load test with realistic URLs and be able to crank up
the load (number of simultaneous requests) to judge the capacity of my
servers.

I found a page that describes a large number of load testing tools,
http://www.softwareqatest.com/qatweb1.html#LOAD. I'd appreciate any
suggestions based on experience. I'd prefer to use something that
doesn't cost anything.

Thanks,
Jim

Jim Hayter wrote:
> I'm looking for a load test program that I can feed URLs culled from my
> logs. I'd like to load test with realistic URLs and be able to crank up
> the load (number of simultaneous requests) to judge the capacity of my
> servers.
>
> I found a page that describes a large number of load testing tools,
> http://www.softwareqatest.com/qatweb1.html#LOAD. I'd appreciate any
> suggestions based on experience. I'd prefer to use something that
> doesn't cost anything.
>
> Thanks,
> Jim
Get your site on Slashdot or Digg, that'll test it.

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David McKenzie wrote:
> Jim Hayter wrote:
>> I'm looking for a load test program that I can feed URLs culled from
>> my logs. I'd like to load test with realistic URLs and be able to
>> crank up the load (number of simultaneous requests) to judge the
>> capacity of my servers.
<snip>

> Get your site on Slashdot or Digg, that'll test it.
>

I'd prefer a controlled test, during a scheduled maintenance period.
I'm trying to estimate my hardware requirements for the next year based
on the expected business growth.