The details of the Http test that emulates a user accessing a web server are provided below. Since this test can be executed from a location external to the web server, this test presents an unbiased external perspective of the state of the web server.

The default parameters associated with this test are as follow:

• The TEST PERIOD list box helps the user to decide how often this test needs to be executed.

• In the HOST text box, the host name of the component for which the test is to be configured has to be specified.

• The port number to which the web server is listening to has to be mentioned in the PORT text box.

• This test emulates a user accessing a specific web page(s) on the target web server to determine the availability and responsiveness of the server. To enable this emulation, you need to configure the test with the URL of the web page that it should access. Specify this URL against the URL parameter. If required, you can even configure multiple URLs – one each for every web page that the test should attempt to access. If each URL configured requires special permissions for logging in, then, you need to configure the test with separate credentials for logging into every URL. Likewise, you need to provide instructions to the test on how to validate the content returned by every URL, and also set an encoding format for each URL. To enable administrators to easily configure the above per URL, eG Enterprise provides a special interface. To access this interface, click on the encircled ‘+’ button alongside the URL text box in the test configuration page. Alternatively, you can even click on the encircled ‘+’ button adjacent to the URL parameter in the test configuration page. To know how to use this special interface, click here.

• Whether any cookies being returned by the web server need to be saved locally and returned with subsequent requests need to be specified in the COOKIEFILE text box.

• The host on which a web proxy server is running (in case a proxy server is to be used) has to be specified in the PROXYHOST text box.

• Specify the port number on which the web proxy server is listening in the PROXYPORT text box.

• Specify the user name of the proxy server in the PROXYUSERNAME text box.

• Specify the password of the proxy server in the PROXYPASSWORD text box.

• Confirm the password by retyping it in the CONFIRM PASSWORD text box.

• In the TIMEOUT text box, specify the maximum duration (in seconds) for which the test will wait for a response from the server. The default timeout period is 30 seconds.

• If multiple components of the same component type are awaiting configuration, then an APPLY TO OTHER COMPONENTS check box will appear in this page. Clicking on this check box will allow you to apply the configuration to all/selected components of that type.

• Once the necessary values have been provided, clicking on the Update button will register the changes made.

When changing the configuration for specific components, a “*” beside the text box corresponding to the parameter signifies that these values have to be manually configured by the user. The parameter values that require to be configured will typically be prefixed with a “$” or contain a series of “*”. A value of "none" in the parameter value indicates that the corresponding parameter value can be changed if required.