[Twisted-Python] Distributing calls over a time period

Mike Meyer mwm-keyword-twisted.c54178 at mired.org
Tue Jul 18 10:50:11 EDT 2006


In <20060718143122.29014.825269123.divmod.quotient.42739 at ohm>, Jean-Paul Calderone <exarkun at divmod.com> typed:
> On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 10:12:10 -0400, Mike Meyer <mwm-keyword-twisted.c54178 at mired.org> wrote:
> >I'm writing a capacity test tool for a client's web server. The idea
> >is to measure count how many requests exceed the spec'ed response time
> >under various loads, where load is specified as "M requests in N
> >secs". So I need to generate those M requests spaced relatively evenly
> >over N seconds, record the start time, and get a reasonably accurate
> >idea of when each requests ends.
> >
> >I'm assuming that twisted callbacks will take care of the latter, and
> >don't have any reason to doubt that. However, the former has turned
> >out to be harder than I expected. I need to start the requests with
> >the reactor running so that previous requests will be handled
> >properly. The obvious solution - task.LoopingCall - isn't precise
> >enough, taking up to 33% more time than I'd alloted. The second
> >attempt - a loop using reactor.callLater with a delay based on the
> >requests and time left. That does slightly better, but only slightly.
> >
> >Is there some other method that I might use for this? Or is twisted
> >the wrong tool entirely.
> 
> What platform are you running on?  On any recent Linux system,
> LoopingCall should be more than precise enough for this.

Development is being done on OSX. The final deployment platform is Red
Hat Egenera, but I'm still waiting on that to materialize.

> Can you be more specific about what you mean by "taking up to 33%
> more time"?

When I set things up to run in 60 seconds, it takes anywhere from 61
to 80 seconds.

> What kind of time units are we talking about here?

10s of seconds, with request counts such that we're getting 10s of
requests a second.

	Thanks,
	<mike
-- 
Mike Meyer <mwm at mired.org>		http://www.mired.org/consulting.html
Independent Network/Unix/Perforce consultant, email for more information.




More information about the Twisted-Python mailing list