Towards an automated approach to use expert systems in the performance testing of distributed systems

Abstract

Performance testing in distributed environments is challenging. Specifically, the identification of performance issues and their root causes are time-consuming and complex tasks which heavily rely on expertise. To simplify these tasks, many researchers have been developing tools with built-in expertise. However limitations exist in these tools, such as managing huge volumes of distributed data, that prevent their efficient usage for performance testing of highly distributed environments. To address these limitations, this paper presents an adaptive framework to automate the usage of expert systems in performance testing. Our validation assessed the accuracy of the framework and the time savings that it brings to testers. The results proved the benefits of the framework by achieving a significant decrease in the time invested in performance analysis and testing.