Load Testing

ALSO CALLED: Stress Testing
DEFINITION: Stress testing is the process of determining the ability of a computer, network, program or device to maintain a certain level of effectiveness under unfavorable conditions. The process can involve quantitative tests done in a lab, such as measuring the frequency of errors or system crashes. The term also refers to qualitative evaluation of factors such as availability or resistance to denial-of-service  … 
Definition continues below.

LOAD TESTING DEFINITION (continued): …  (DoS) attacks. Stress testing is often done in conjunction with the more general process of performance testing.When conducting a stress test, an adverse environment is deliberately created and maintained. Actions involved may include: Running several resource-intensive applications in a single computer at the same time Attempting to hack into a computer and use it as a zombie to spread spam Flooding a server with useless e-mail messagesMaking numerous, concurrent attempts to access a single Web site Attempting to infect a system with viruses, Trojans, spyware or other malware.The adverse … 
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