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Ensuring a Successful Product Launch: Harmonix Performs Load Testing on GoGrid Cloud Infrastructure
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
Applicable Industries
- Electronics
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
- Cybersecurity
- Mass Customization
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Harmonix Music Systems, a videogame development company specializing in music-based games, faced a significant challenge when planning for the release of Rock Band 3. The company had learned from previous releases that significant spikes in network traffic occurred with each new release, and traffic further increased during the holiday season. Harmonix needed a load testing solution that was able to simulate not only the expected load of a new release, but also an influx of heavy usage during a holiday season. For Rock Band and Rock Band 2, they performed load testing on their servers using an in-house solution. However, this configuration created security concerns and resource issues. They could not launch as many instances as they wanted to in order to scale the load testing. These issues combined with the desire to save money on load testing led Harmonix to look at cloud computing options for load testing when launching Rock Band 3.
About The Customer
Harmonix Music Systems is a videogame development company that specializes in music-based games. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Cambridge, MA. The core principle at the heart of all Harmonix products is to share the joy of creating and performing music with everyone, regardless of their musical experience. The Rock Band series has brought the company’s mission of bringing the joy of making music to living rooms, garages and practice spaces around the world. They are full-blown band simulation games that combine guitar, bass, drum and singing gameplay — as well as online multiplayer competition and co-op play. Harmonix continues to live and grow in Cambridge, expanding the Rock Band franchise, developing new titles and searching for new and unique ways to bring the joy of music to the world.
The Solution
Harmonix decided to use GoGrid’s cloud infrastructure to ensure successful new product launches. They were able to scale hundreds of cloud servers on-demand, allowing them to simulate peak traffic loads. With the use of the GoGrid API, Harmonix could programmatically run scripts to provision cloud servers on-demand, and then automatically upload the necessary software and testing scripts. They performed simple login/logout tests, simulating more than 60,000 concurrent users at a time. The results were automatically reported to a centralized reporting server back at Harmonix. After testing one activity for several hours, the GoGrid cloud servers were automatically instructed to initiate the next test. Harmonix also created new standards and robust testing into existing procedures. They pushed their backend networking systems to the point of failure which was previously not possible due to the enormous cost and infrastructure required to make the test run properly. Now, with the use of GoGrid cloud servers, this test is not only plausible, but has become a standard part of their testing procedure. Harmonix then analyzes the results, makes the necessary changes, and can run the test protocols again as needed. When testing is complete, the cloud servers are quickly decommissioned until they are needed again.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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