Definition:        

                 In the testing literature, the term "load testing" is usually defined as the process of exercising the system under test by feeding it the largest tasks it can operate with. Load testing is sometimes called volume testing, or longevity/endurance testing.

Examples of volume testing:

• testing a word processor by editing a very large document

• testing a printer by sending it a very large job

• testing a mail server with thousands of users mailboxes

• a specific case of volume testing is zero-volume testing, where the system is fed empty tasks

Examples of longevity/endurance testing:

• testing a client-server application by running the client in a loop against the server over an extended period of time