Httperf is a tool for measuring web server performance. It provides a
flexible facility for generating various HTTP workloads and for
measuring server performance.
The focus of httperf is not on implementing one particular benchmark but
on providing a robust, high-performance tool that facilitates the
construction of both micro- and macro-level benchmarks. The three
distinguishing characteristics of httperf are its robustness, which
includes the ability to generate and sustain server overload, support
for the HTTP/1.1 and SSL protocols, and its extensibility to new
workload generators and performance measurements.
from Scott Vokes (vokes DOT s AT gmail DOT com), ok landry@ and sthen@