Agilent Speeds PCI Express Design Validation with E2960A XC Exerciser
12/8/2004 - Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced measurement innovations for its E2960A serial protocol tester XC exerciser for PCI Express. The new capabilities enable stronger transaction layer support with automated protocol checking, error insertion and real-time performance counters, and improve the usability with more error insertion and algorithmic data generation. Engineers and lab managers in R&D, validation and QA who validate and test PCI Express chipsets, boards, systems and platforms can now increase test coverage to reduce the risk of expensive re-calls and re-spins.
"The new measurement capabilities increase our test coverage significantly and make the E2960A the most efficient test environment for PCI Express designs," said Siegfried Gross, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Digital Verifications Solution Division. "Agilent has further developed its offering for PCI Express measurements to meet the requirements for server validation and to provide superior transaction layer features."
"In the year that the first PCI Express-capable products are emerging, a robust support ecosystem, including test-equipment vendors such as Agilent, has formed to ensure a smooth transition to the new interconnect standard and the myriad of new capabilities it will make possible," said Jim Pappas, director of initiative marketing for Intel's Enterprise Platform Group.
The new features of the E2960A, applicable either through the graphical user interface (GUI) or programming interfaces for test automation, include the following:
- The real-time protocol checker provides 23 protocol rules based on the PCI Express specification defined by the PCI-SIG. With pre-programmed test, it avoids time-consuming programming and search efforts. It also gives a first impression of the reliability of a device under test (DUT).
- The 58 new real-time performance counters give information about the count of individual packet types as well as timing information. This allows users to easily understand the efficiency, bandwidth, overhead and utilization of their DUT.
- The in-system port allows control of the protocol exerciser via the system under test (SUT). This feature, which increases application usability, is the third programming option in addition to the existing COM/Tcl API and the GUI. The in-system port is intended for programming the exerciser directly from the SUT/DUT, where CPU interaction between the test program and the exerciser is needed, eliminating the need for a separate LAN connection on the DUT.
- The record and replay functions allow replaying packets with the exerciser captured with the protocol analyzer. In addition to the existing drag-and-drop or copy-paste capability, the exchange of packets can be accomplished through a file exported from the analyzer GUI. This allows users to variable repeat any real captured PCI Express packet as many times as need to test the behavior of the DUT for a detailed, root-cause analysis.
- The external trigger provides a means for the exerciser to cross-trigger other exercisers or to trigger a protocol analyzer and another device or instrument.
The Agilent E2960 test series was selected by Test & Measurement World for the 2004 Best in Test award for offering the most complete and innovative array of test equipment for PCI Express. More information about the award is available at www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld.
U.S. Pricing and Availability
The Agilent E2960A exerciser software for PCI Express is free as part of the product and is available as a download with the new software version.
More information about the Agilent E2960 series for PCI Express is available at www.agilent.com/find/E2960_series. More information about Agilent's PCI Express product portfolio is available at www.agilent.com/find/pci_Express. Photos of the product are available at www.agilent.com/find/PCI-Express-photos.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2004. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.
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