SMTP and POP3 workload

The SMTP and POP3 workload models an active user receiving and sending mail over SMTP and POP3. The script contains an average of 10 minutes of waiting, so an average user will run this test no more than six times an hour.

About this task

During each iteration, the script checks for and retrieves POP3 messages. When sending messages, each user sends a mail message to NumMessageRecipients not more than once every 20 minutes. Twenty percent of the users receive eighty percent of the send mail messages. The SMTP messages sent by each user are delivered to the mail databases of other users on the SUT.

The measurements obtained by this test are:

  • Throughput of completed Notes® operations
  • Average response time at maximum capacity
  • Maximum number of SMTP/POP3 mail users supported

The resulting capacity metric for an SMTP/POP3 server is the maximum number of users that can be supported before the average user response time becomes unacceptable.

Note: You can review the SMTP and POP3 Workload script.

The following hard disk requirements apply to the SUT and, during some tests, to the destination systems that receive mail from the SUT:

Table 1. Hard disk requirements

Setting

Value

Initial disk requirement

In Domino® 6 or later, approximately 11.5MB on the SUT for each user (mail database). In Domino® 5, approximately 7.5MB.

Subsequent disk requirement

Increase of 100KB per hour for the duration of the test. This figure is not dependent on the number of users.

Tips for running the SMTP/POP3 test

Procedure

  1. To minimize environment troubleshooting, put IP information -- for example, host information -- in the \etc\hosts file or its equivalent on the SUT and driver directories.
  2. If authentication errors occur on the Domino® server console, verify the password in the HTTP field of the respective user's Person document in the SUT's Domino® Directory; edit the Domino® Directory if necessary.
  3. From the SUT console, enter this command to display additional routing information:
    Set Config Log_MailRouting=40

Running the SMTP and POP3 Workload test

Procedure

  1. Make sure that you already completed the procedure to run the SMTP and POP3 Initialization workload.
  2. Run the Create NotesBench Mail Person Documents agent to create the desired number of Person documents in the Domino® Directory.
  3. On the Domino® Administrator client, start Server.Load.
  4. In the Test Type field, choose Built-In, and then choose SMTP and POP3 Workload from the list.
  5. Click the Test Parameters tab. If you are running the test on multiple clients, increment the value of the Starting Thread No. parameter when you run the test on each client.
  6. Click the Script Variables tab, and enter these values:
    Table 2. Script variables

    Variable

    Action

    NormalMessageSize

    Enter the size of the body of the message. Recommended value is 10000.

    MessageLineSize

    Enter the number of characters per line. Recommended value is 80.

    NumMessageRecipients

    Enter the number of recipients for each message. Recommended value is 3.

    SMTPHost

    Enter the fully qualified domain name of the Domino® server that is running the SMTP Listener task -- for example, server1.renovations.com

    RecipientDomain

    Enter the name of the domain containing the intended recipients -- for example, renovations.com.

    ClientHost

    Enter the fully qualified domain name of the client -- for example, client1.renovations.com

    NthIteration

    Enter the frequency for how often a message is sent. Instead of the message being sent on every script iteration, the message is sent once per n iterations of the script. Recommended value is 6.

    POP3Host

    Enter the fully qualified domain name of the Domino® server running the POP3 task, in the format system.domainname -- for example, Server2.renovations.com.
  7. Optional: Click the Stop Conditions tab to set a stop condition.
  8. Click Execute.
  9. Optional: Select metrics to monitor.
  10. Optional: In the Server to receive console commands field, enter the name of the SUT.
  11. Click Start Test.