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28. Access log sampler Step-by-step

> This is a short tutorial on JMeter's access log sampler. The purpose of the Access Log Sampler is to provide an easy way to simulate production traffic. There are several benefits to using access logs.

> - Rather than guess what users are doing, the test plan is using real traffic data
> - As the traffic pattern changes, the access log provides a record of individual changes and general shifts in usage
> - Access logs contain a lot of useful data, which may provide some insight
> - Access logs can be minded to determine different types of users
> - Access logs can capture detailed session information

> The down side of using access logs for test plans is you have to configure the webserver to output the request information. This may not be appropriate where security is an issue. For example, if the webserver dumps the post data from each request to the access logs, users login and password would be stored in plain text. Here are some general cases where access logs might be inappropriate.

> - Security sensitive applications where the data is encrypted
> - The application does not allow fine grain control of which request parameters are written to the access logs
> - The application needs correlation between requests
> - The webserver cannot be configured to append the post data to the access log
> - The webserver is hosting multiple applications, but doesn't provide a way to log the requests of one application to a separate file

> To take advantage of access logs, the first thing is the webserver needs to be configured to use extended log format. Links for configuring the popular containers are provided below.

> - BEA Weblogic
> - Tomcat
> - Websphere
> - Resin

> In some cases, it may be desirable to write custom logging, so that sensitive information is not written to the access logs. This article does not cover the techniques for writing custom logging.

> 28.1 Step-by-Step

> > 1. Start JMeter
> > 2. Select `Test Plan`
> > 3. Right click Add → Threads (Users) → Thread Group

> >    Add Thread Group

> > 4. Select `Thread Group`
> > 5. Right click Add → Sampler → Access Log Sampler

> >    Add Access Log Sampler

> > 6. Right click on `Thread Group` Add → Listener → Aggregate Report

> >    Add Aggregate Report

> > 7. Select the `Access Log Sampler`

> >    Access Log Sampler

> > 8. Enter the IP address or hostname in `Server`
> > 9. Enter the port in `Port`
> > 10. If you want to download the images, set `Parse images` to `true`.
> > 11. Select a file for `Log File Location`

> >     Filled in Access Log Sampler

> > 12. Select Aggregate Report
> > 13. Enter `results.jtl` for filename

> >     Aggregate Report with filename

> > At this point, the test plan is ready. Start the test with Ctrl + R or from the menu Start → Run .

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