Micro Focus Silk Performer 2012 - in comparison with HP LoadRunner
Date:
By: David Norfolk
Classification: InComparison
This paper is a comparison of two performance testing products: Silk Performer from Micro Focus, which is part of the Silk integrated software quality suite and the market-leading HP LoadRunner (originally acquired when HP bought Mercury, and part of a much larger Quality Management tool suite). Silk Performer, like LoadRunner, has a strong provenance (it has been around for a long time and originally came from Segue; before this was acquired by Borland; which was, in turn, acquired by Micro Focus).
This technical comparison was commissioned by Micro Focus from a respected independent supplier of internet-related services (ranging from application development to performance testing and from systems integration to cutting edge design; but with particular expertise in performance engineering for internet applications). This supplier of performance testing services commissioned Bloor Research International to write up its results and check for obvious bias in the research. Its brief was to produce a neutral comparison, largely to help Micro Focus understand its marketplace internally and it is noteworthy that the extremely experienced senior performance consultant who actually carried out the comparison is, in fact, a LoadRunner user and less familiar with Silk Performer.
The purpose of this report was not to find a ‘winner’ but instead to provide information, to assist with purchasing decisions, that sheds light on the differences and similarities of these tools.