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Workspace Management

When you upgrade to a new computer or need to move your Load Tester installation, the question is always the same: how do I transfer everything (test cases, results, settings, license) without starting from scratch? The answer is straightforward, and this guide walks through the whole process.

The two common scenarios: moving Load Tester to a new computer (by far the most common) and changing your workspace location on your current computer (for network drives or custom storage).

Moving Load Tester to a New Computer

When upgrading to a new workstation, follow these four steps to transfer your complete Load Tester environment:

Step 1: Install Load Tester on the New Computer

Download and install the latest version of Load Tester on your new workstation:

  1. Visit: www.webperformance.com/download
  2. Download the installer for your operating system (Windows or macOS)
  3. Run the installer and follow the installation wizard
  4. Don't activate the license yet. You'll transfer it from the old computer in Step 3

Step 2: Copy Your Project Files (.WPT)

Your test cases, datasets, load configurations, and load test results are stored in .wpt project files. These files contain all your work and need to be copied to the new computer.

Where to find .wpt files:

  • If stored locally: Look in your workspace folder (default: ~/WebPerformance7/ on macOS, C:\Users\<username>\WebPerformance7\ on Windows)
  • If on network share: Skip this step and just point Load Tester to the same network location on the new computer

How to copy:

  1. Locate your .wpt files on the old computer (use File → Open Recent to see recent locations)
  2. Copy the entire folder (or individual .wpt files) to external drive or network location
  3. Transfer to new computer and place in a convenient location (desktop, documents, or workspace folder)

Keep .wpt Files Organized

Consider keeping all .wpt files in a dedicated folder (e.g., LoadTestProjects/) so they're easy to find and back up.

Step 3: Transfer Your License

Licenses can be transferred between computers without contacting support, as long as the old computer is still accessible. The process is a simple deactivate/reactivate workflow.

On the OLD computer:

  1. Open Load Tester
  2. Navigate to: Help → Licenses
  3. Select the license you want to transfer
  4. Click: Deactivate License
  5. Follow the deactivation wizard
  6. Save the deactivation file (.lic file) that's generated. This is your license ready for the new computer

On the NEW computer:

  1. Open Load Tester (already installed from Step 1)
  2. Navigate to: Help → Licenses
  3. Click: Activate License
  4. Select: Activate from file
  5. Browse to the .lic file from the old computer
  6. Complete the activation wizard

Your license is now active on the new computer and deactivated on the old one.

Old Computer Must Be Accessible

If the old computer is no longer accessible (crashed, lost, etc.), you'll need to contact support to reset your license. See Getting Support for details.

Step 4: Copy Your Settings

Load Tester stores preferences, validation rules, and ASM detection rules in your workspace settings. These settings are separate from .wpt files and need to be copied manually to preserve your configuration.

Settings you want to transfer:

  • Validation rules: Custom rules for detecting errors during replay
  • ASM detection rules: Patterns for correlating dynamic values
  • Recording preferences: Blocked domains, bandwidth simulation settings
  • Field configuration defaults: Frequently-used field assignment patterns

Where settings are stored:

On Windows: 

C:\Users\<username>\WebPerformance7\.metadata\.plugins\com.webperformanceinc.util\

On macOS: 

~/WebPerformance7/.metadata/.plugins/com.webperformanceinc.util/

What to Copy (and What NOT to Copy)

Navigate to the com.webperformanceinc.util folder on your old computer and copy these items:

✅ Copy these files and folders:

  • validation/ - Your custom validation rules
  • asm/ - ASM detection rules you've created
  • recording/ - Recording preferences (blocked domains, bandwidth settings)
  • fields/ - Field configuration defaults
  • upload/ (optional) - Cached file upload files (only if using file uploads in tests)

❌ Do NOT copy these:

  • browsers.cfg - System-specific browser detection (will be regenerated on new computer)
  • SavedBrowser.cfg - Browser configuration cache (system-specific)
  • certificates/ - SSL recording certificates (signed for old computer, won't work on new)
  • .webperformance/ (in parent folder) - Internal application state (system-specific)

How to copy:

  1. Zip the files you want to transfer (validation, asm, recording, fields folders)
  2. Transfer the zip to new computer via USB drive, network, or email
  3. Extract into the same location on the new computer (com.webperformanceinc.util/)
  4. Restart Load Tester on the new computer to pick up the new settings

Screen Layout Settings

If you want to preserve your exact view arrangement (which windows are open, where they're positioned), you can also copy the entire .metadata/ folder, but only if both computers use the same screen resolution. Otherwise, it's easier to just rearrange views manually on the new computer.

Step 5: Verify the Transfer

After completing all four steps, verify everything transferred correctly:

  1. Open a .wpt file on the new computer and verify test cases appear correctly
  2. Check license status: Help → Licenses → Verify license shows as active
  3. Review settings: Window → Preferences → Check validation rules and recording settings
  4. Run a replay to confirm everything works as expected

If something's missing, revisit the relevant step above.

Changing Workspace Location (Advanced)

The workspace is where Load Tester stores settings, preferences, and (by default) your .wpt project files. The default location is:

  • macOS: ~/WebPerformance7/
  • Windows: C:\Users\<username>\WebPerformance7\

Why change workspace location?

  • Network storage: Store workspace on network drive for backup or sharing across multiple computers
  • Custom location: Use a different drive with more storage space
  • Team collaboration: Multiple users accessing shared workspace (advanced scenario)

How to Change Workspace Location

Load Tester's workspace location is configured in the config.ini file in the application installation directory.

Step 1: Locate config.ini

On Windows: 

C:\Program Files\Web Performance Load Tester 7.0\config\config.ini

On macOS: 

/Applications/Web Performance Load Tester.app/Contents/Eclipse/config/config.ini

Step 2: Edit config.ini

  1. Open config.ini in a text editor (Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on macOS)
  2. Find the line starting with osgi.instance.area=

It should look like this:

# set the workspace location
osgi.instance.area=@noDefault
#osgi.instance.area=workspace
#osgi.instance.area=@user.home/WebPerformance7
#osgi.instance.area=C:\\Temp\\WPWorkspace

Step 3: Choose Workspace Location Option

Uncomment (remove #) from the option you want, or add a new line with your custom path:

Option 1: Default (automatic)

osgi.instance.area=@noDefault

Load Tester chooses automatically (user home folder, as described above). This is the recommended option for most users.

Option 2: Subfolder of installation directory

osgi.instance.area=workspace

Creates a workspace/ folder inside Load Tester's installation directory: - Windows: C:\Program Files\Web Performance Load Tester 7.0\workspace\ - macOS: /Applications/Web Performance Load Tester.app/Contents/Eclipse/workspace/

Not recommended (requires admin permissions on Windows).

Option 3: Custom folder in user home

osgi.instance.area=@user.home/MyLoadTestWorkspace

Creates folder inside user home with custom name: - Windows: C:\Users\<username>\MyLoadTestWorkspace\ - macOS: ~/MyLoadTestWorkspace/

Good option if you want a different name than WebPerformance7.

Option 4: Fully qualified custom path

osgi.instance.area=C:\\Users\\jsmith\\NetworkDrive\\LoadTesterWorkspace

Specify exact location anywhere on your system, including network drives.

Windows Path Syntax

On Windows, backslashes must be doubled (\\) because backslash is the escape character in .ini files. For example:

  • ✅ Correct: C:\\NetworkDrive\\Workspace
  • ❌ Wrong: C:\NetworkDrive\Workspace

Step 4: Restart Load Tester

After editing config.ini, restart Load Tester. It will now use the new workspace location.

First time starting with new workspace:

  • Load Tester will create the workspace folder structure automatically
  • You'll see a fresh workspace with no .wpt files (until you copy them or create new ones)
  • All preferences will be default (until you configure them or copy settings from old workspace)

Workspace Structure

Understanding what's stored in the workspace helps when managing, backing up, or troubleshooting:

WebPerformance7/              ← Workspace root
├── .metadata/                ← Load Tester settings and preferences
│   └── .plugins/
│       ├── com.webperformanceinc.util/  ← Validation rules, ASM rules, preferences
│       ├── com.webperformanceinc.wpicore/  ← Dialog positions, UI state
│       └── ...
├── MyProject.wpt             ← Your project files (if stored in workspace)
├── AnotherTest.wpt
└── ...

.wpt files can live anywhere: desktop, documents, network drives. They don't have to be in the workspace. The workspace primarily stores settings and preferences that apply across all projects.

Troubleshooting

"Workspace is locked" Error

Symptom: Load Tester won't start, shows error about workspace being locked.

Cause: Another instance of Load Tester is running, or previous instance crashed without unlocking workspace.

Solution:

  1. Check for running instances: Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS) → Quit all Load Tester processes
  2. Delete lock file: Navigate to workspace folder → Delete .metadata/.lock file
  3. Restart Load Tester

Settings Not Transferring to New Computer

Symptom: After copying settings folder, preferences don't appear in Load Tester on new computer.

Likely causes:

  1. Copied to wrong location - Verify you copied to com.webperformanceinc.util/ folder inside .metadata/.plugins/
  2. Load Tester was running - Restart Load Tester to pick up new settings
  3. Folder structure incorrect - Make sure subfolders (validation/, asm/, etc.) are in the right place

Solution: Double-check folder paths match exactly between old and new computers, then restart Load Tester.

Can't Find Workspace Folder

Symptom: Don't know where workspace is located.

Solution:

  1. Open Load Tester
  2. Check current workspace: Help → About → Installation Details → Configuration tab
  3. Search for: osgi.instance.area - this shows the workspace path

Best Practices

Why: Easier to back up, share, and manage test cases independently of Load Tester settings.

How: Create a dedicated folder for projects (e.g., Documents/LoadTestProjects/) and store all .wpt files there.

2. Back Up Workspace Settings Regularly

Why: Recreating custom validation rules and ASM detection rules takes time.

How: Periodically zip the com.webperformanceinc.util/ folder and save to backup location.

3. Document Custom Workspace Locations

Why: If you change workspace location via config.ini, document it. Otherwise you might forget where it is.

How: Add a comment in config.ini or keep notes in your team's documentation.

4. Use Network Drives Carefully

Why: Network drive performance varies enormously. A slow network drive will make Load Tester feel sluggish in ways that have nothing to do with Load Tester.

How: If using a network workspace, test performance first. For slow networks, keep the workspace local and store only .wpt files on the network (for sharing).