Streaming performance test with Docker and UbikLoadPack

In the tutorial Using UbikLoadPack VideoStreaming Plugin with Docker we showed how to use UbikLoadPack Video Streaming Plugin to run a performance distributed test with Docker using Docker Compose. This time, we will show you how to use UbikLoadPack VideoStreaming Plugin docker image in a standalone test.

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To do so, you just have to pull the docker image from docker hub before using it.

First step : Pull image from docker hub

To pull UbikLoadPack VideoStreaming Plugin image from docker hub you just have to execute:

docker pull ubikloadpack/ulp_videostreaming_plugin:latest

Second step : Configure required elements

We’ll be running our test in a folder called TEST_FOLDER, it can be any folder you want. We’ll use TEST_FOLDER everywhere below.

To use UbikLoadPack you just need to do the following:

• Request a trial license here
• You’ll receive a mail with attached license file named ubik-streaming-plugin.license. Put this file in the folder TEST_FOLDER
• Copy the user.properties file located in jmeter/bin folder and put it in the folder TEST_FOLDER after adding this property with the below path:

ULP.videostreaming.licensepath=/jmeter/ubik-streaming-plugin.license

• Copy your test plan to TEST_FOLDER
• Create folder TEST_FOLDER/logs

You end up with below structure:

Third step : Run the test

To run the test, we’ll use docker run and the UbikLoadPack docker image.

A minimal command line will be:

docker run --rm -d -v `pwd`:/jmeter:z ubikloadpack/ulp_videostreaming_plugin:latest -n -t test.jmx -l results/results.csv -e -o report/ -f -j logs/jmeter.log

The test will run and you’ll end up with:

• HTML report in report folder
• Results as CSV in results folder
• Logs of JMeter in logs (gc + jmeter.log)

Real world command line

The above command line is for a basic “hello world” test.

But when you need to run a real performance test you need to tune:

• Linux Limits
• TCP stack
• JVM memory
• …

So command line will likely more look like:

docker run --sysctl "net.ipv4.tcp_fin_timeout=15" --sysctl "net.ipv4.ip_local_port_range=1025 65000" --ulimit nofile=65000:65000 --rm -e "JVM_ARGS=-Xmx2g -Xms2g" -d -v `pwd`:/jmeter:z ubikloadpack/ulp_videostreaming_plugin:latest -n -t test.jmx -l results/results.csv -e -o report/ -f

TCP Stack tuning

We use sysctl option:

--sysctl "net.ipv4.tcp_fin_timeout=15" --sysctl "net.ipv4.ip_local_port_range=1025 65000"

Linux limits

We use ulimit option:

--ulimit nofile=65000:65000

Adjust JVM settings

We use an environment variable to adjust the Java heap of JMeter process:

-e "JVM_ARGS=-Xmx2g -Xms2g"

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• Load testing MPEG-DASH Video Streaming with Apache JMeter and UbikLoadPack
• Video Streaming: CMAF and Low-Latency
• Cases studies

• Setup a Video Streaming performance test from the AWS Cloud with UbikLoadPack & Redline13