Product category:
Compliance Engineering
News Release from: Tektronix | Subject: TekExpress SATA
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 29 February 2008
Software slashes SATA compliance test
time
TekExpress SATA leverages the approved suite of Tektronix serial data performance instruments to automate 100% of the required SATA Gen-1 and SATA Gen-2 compliance tests.
New from Tektronix is the TekExpress compliance test automation framework and TekExpress SATA automated compliance test software Running on the TekExpress framework, TekExpress SATA leverages the approved suite of Tektronix serial data performance instruments to automate 100% of the required SATA Gen-1 and SATA Gen-2 compliance tests for receivers, transmitters, and interconnects
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 17 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The TekExpress compliance automation framework has been developed for automated one-button testing of high speed serial data standards.
The TekExpress framework is built on top of TestStand from National Instruments that serves as the sequence control engine.
Controlled from a Windows XP PC, TekExpress SATA efficiently executes the 153 SATA Gen-2 tests required by the Methods of Implementation (MOI) certified by the SATA-IO working group.
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TekExpress SATA software orchestrates the instrument setup and control sequences to provide complete certification test results for all four SATA-IO approved MOIs in less than 3 hours of total elapsed test time.
This represents a reduction in compliance test time of approximately 70%, saving designers valuable time on SATA design verification cycles.
Second generation serial databus architectures including SATA Gen-2 provide an order of magnitude greater data throughput than possible only a few years ago.
The accelerating performance of datarates is making design efforts even more challenging and adds design complexity that can hinder time to market and increase development cost.
Consequently, engineers need powerful test equipment and software capable of greater performance, more extensive analysis, and improved test efficinecy.
The new TekExpress SATA automated compliance test package from Tektronix provides unattended compliance testing for SATA Gen-1 and SATA Gen-2 that helps customers to streamline test operations and assists them with bringing new products to market quickly.
"There are over a hundred tests that need to be performed by test engineers to achieve SATA Gen-2 compliance", says Lynne Camp, Vice President, Performance Plus Instruments, Tektronix.
"The combination of growing test complexity, multiple instruments, and the need for measurement efficiency and speed are significant challenges for our customers".
"Customers have asked Tektronix for a simple, complete, and efficient SATA II automated compliance test suite".
"TekExpress SATA addresses these customer requirements".
The compliance test modules for TekExpress SATA are divided into those for "Hosts/Devices" and for "Cables".
There are six modules required for the former and one for the latter.
For Hosts/Devices, the automated test modules include: Physical Layer (PHY); Transmitter Signalling Group (TSG); Out of Band (OOB); Receiver Signalling Group (RSG); Receiver Margin Test (RMT) and; Transmit and Receive (Tx/Rx).
For Cables, there is an additional Cable Signal Integrity (SI) module.
Execution of the SATA MOIs is performed from any Windows XP computer.
Using traditional test methods customers typically take eight or more hours to cycle through the required SATA Gen-2 compliance tests.
This is especially time consuming if an error is encountered and the tests need to be performed again.
By using TekExpress SATA, a complete SATA Gen-2 compliance test can be performed largely without user intervention, providing complete test results in a few hours.
"We have been able to utilise the pre-release version of the new TekExpress automated compliance software for SATA Gen-2 from Tektronix and have seen dramatic reductions in set-up complexity and execution time required to complete the needed tests", says Johan Craeybeckx, Chief Technology Officer, Testronic Laboratories.
"Companies that once found SATA II compliance testing a difficult and time consuming task will be pleasantly surprised, whether performing these tests themselves or at a certified test house".
"Tektronix provides us with the best expertise and test bench for high speed serial technologies and standards".
"We will standardise our SATA Gen-2 compliance test tools and procedures using Tektronix instrumentation and the new TekExpress SATA software".
TekExpress SATA extends the level of support Tektronix provides for SATA Gen-2 development and compliance efforts through its family of high-performance instrumentation.
Tektronix offers a unique breadth of best in class instruments, performance levels and product automation which when applied to a any specific standard brings the customers productivity to the new level of productivity expected in today's rapidly evolving serial standards market.
Required equipment for the TekExpress SATA compliance test are a high bandwidth real time oscilloscope (DSA70000 Series digital serial analyser), a high speed serial signal generator (AWG7102 arbitrary waveform generator), and a high bandwidth sampling oscilloscope (DSA8200 Series digital serial analyser).
Tektronix DSA oscilloscopes and AWG signal generators provide the performance necessary for testing all generations of SATA devices, including the planned SATA Gen-3 spec, set to run at 6Gbit/s.
These next-generation instruments and application software solutions are part of an entirely new and comprehensive test bench for high-speed serial data.
NI TestStand is a ready-to-run test management environment designed to simplify the automation of test and validation systems.
TestStand, when combined with TekExpress can be used to develop, manage and execute additional test sequences beyond SATA Gen-2 Compliance Testing.
Pricing for TekExpress Framework is Eur 4140 or GBP 2790 and MOI modules range between Eur 4990 or GBP 3360 and Eur 16,800 or GBP 11,300. Request a free brochure from Tektronix ...
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