How to make apache slow and unreliable?

Question

I'm writing some code on a mobile device that uses a REST service to retrieve data from a host. That REST services is being proxied by Apache. In test mode I would like to be able to simulate network outages (as if the device has lost it's cell connection) to test the applications handling of intermittent failures. I also need to validate it's behavior with slow network connections.

I'm currently using Traffic Shaper XP to slow the network connection, but now I need something to make the Apache server send connection resets both randomly and on predefined sequences (to setup and repeat specific test scenarios).

Answer 1

Write a little proxy that forwards TCP connections from your app to the apache server and that you can set up in your test to cut the connection after x number of bytes or milliseconds.

Answer 2

Is this a Unix or Linux environment? nice it up to give it lower priority then run a high CPU usage task like listening to music, playing a movie, calculating pi, etc. The low priority for Apache should create problems similar to what you're looking for.

Answer 3

It looks like dummynet is the closest thing, but still not quiet there. For repeatable testing it would be good to have some control over dropped packets and resets.

jack

Answer 4

On a different (or on the same) computer use the commandline tool ab to get some load on the apache. More informations here.