Pre-requisites for Using Web App Simulator

Before attempting to use the simulator, make sure that the following pre-requisites are fulfilled:

Category Pre-requisites
Web App Simulator Agent / Simulation Endpoint

  • Client Session Simulation capability should be enabled on the eG license.

  • The web app simulator agent / external agent should be installed on a dedicated virtual machine or a physical server running Windows 2016/2019/2022 or Windows 10/11 operating system.

  • The web app simulator agent / external agent should only run an English version of Windows operating system.

    Note:

    • If Multilingual User Interface pack is applied on the Windows operating system, then, ensure that the English language is chosen as the System locale.

    • The web app simulator agent running on English version of Windows operating system is capable of simulating a target website/web application of any language.

  • The web app simulator agent / external agent should not be used to monitor any other component in the target environment.

  • Microsoft .NetFramework 4.5 (or above) should pre-exist on the system hosting the web app simulator agent/external agent.

  • The simulator also requires a user account with local administrator rights on the simulation endpoint - i.e., on the system hosting the web app simulator agent. This user should be logged in at all times for the simulator to run continuously. Also, make sure that this session window is not minimized because this may cause problems in the web app simulation.

    Note:

    • The web app simulation will not work if the session is closed.

    • The web app simulation will not work if the screen is locked on the simulation endpoint.

    • The web app simulator will not work if the screensaver appears on the simulation endpoint.
Browser

Chrome browser v122 (and above) should be available on the dedicated endpoint.

Note:

In some environments where browsers are automatically updated to their latest versions, incompatibility is cited between the browser version and the Chrome drivers. This may sometimes lead to the non start of simulation. Therefore, ensure that the Chrome drivers are also updated whenever the browser is updated to the latest version.

Note:

To ensure that all the pre-requisites of the Web App Simulator is fulfilled, you can execute the WebAppSimulatorChecks.exe which is available in the <eG_INSTALL_DIR>\lib\Synthetic folder. This executable should be executed by a user with administrator privileges from the command prompt of the target agent host. If any pre-requisite has not been fulfilled, failure will be highlighted in Red (as shown by Figure 1).

Setup script where Pre-requisite has failed

Figure 1 : Setup script where a pre-requisite has failed

Use the pointers provided in Figure 1, just below the failed pre-requisite, to know how to fulfill that requirement. Then, rerun the WebAppSimulatorChecks.exe to make sure that all pre-requisites are fulfilled, and then proceed.

If all pre-requisites are fulfilled, then Figure 2 will appear.

All Pre-requisites Fulfilled

Figure 2 : All pre-requisites are fulfilled

Troubleshooting

  • The web app simulation was being captured well up until a new Chrome browser update. What should I do in my environment to resume Web App simulation monitoring using the latest Chrome browser?

    Chrome is capable of automatically applying updates and upgrading itself to higher versions. Sometimes, when Chrome auto-upgrades, some drivers that the eG Web App Simulation Agent uses may suddenly be rendered incompatible with Chrome. This can cause problems in simulation. To avoid this, the Web App Simulator, by default, prevents Chrome upgrades/updates (both automatic and manual) from being applied at the simulation endpoint.

    However, whenever a new version of the eG agent with updated drivers is released, you will have to manually upgrade Chrome to ensure continued compatibility. In this case therefore, you will have to make sure that the simulation endpoint allows Chrome upgrades. To achieve this, before manually upgrading Chrome, follow the steps below:

    • Login to the eG agent host.
    • Open the Windows command prompt as Administrator.

    • Switch to the <EG_AGENT_INSTALL_DIR>\lib directory, and issue the following command:

      ChromeUpgradeHandler.exe enable

  • In our environment, web app simulation is performed via RDP sessions. Your pre-requisites specifies that the session window should not be minimized. How should we ensure that the simulation is not impacted if the RDP session is minimized?

    If the web app simulation is performed via an RDP session, then, you can make sure that the simulation is not impacted even if the RDP session window is minimized. For this, execute the RDPSessionInteractiveTask.exe on the system from which the user has launched the RDP session. This executable is available in the <eG_INSTALL_DIR>\lib folder. Once you download and extract the package into any location, you will find the RDPSessionInteractiveTask.exe within.

    Web App Simulation performed via RDP session

    Figure 3 : Web App Simulation performed via an RDP session

    To execute the RDPSessionInteractiveTask.exe, do the following:

    • Open the command prompt of the system from which the RDP session was launched as an administrator.
    • Execute the RPSessionInteractiveTask.exe file. Upon successful execution, a message to that effect will appear.
    • Reconnect the RDP session.