Agilent
Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced the industry's first fully integrated
protocol viewing application for PCI Express(r) 3.0. The software combines
packet viewing and analog waveform annotation with advanced packet and symbol
searching capabilities in a single oscilloscope-based tool.
The
software helps engineers identify protocol errors and simultaneously analyze
analog waveform characteristics. This capability helps engineers developing PCI
Express 3.0-based products address potential issues early in the design cycle
and get their products to market faster.
PCI
Express is most commonly used in workstation, server and desktop computers
supporting high-performance networking and graphics interfaces.
The 8
GT/s operating speed of PCI Express 3.0 devices causes significant signal
integrity challenges for designers. Often, signal integrity problems occur
intermittently, and they may present themselves as errors in protocol behavior.
The Agilent N8816A PCI Express 3.0 protocol viewer software provides time-correlated views of physical and
transaction layer errors. The software performs 128/130 bit decoding on PCI
Express 3.0 traffic and displays serial packet data synchronized with the
analog view of the PCI Express 3.0 waveform using only an oscilloscope. The
decoded waveform is displayed directly on the analog waveform and in a list
format with associated time and index information. This combination of
simultaneous logical and analog views of PCI Express 3.0 data allows engineers
to quickly isolate signal-integrity-related causes of intermittent protocol
errors, saving time compared to doing the same task with a protocol-only tool.
"We
are pleased that companies such as Agilent are working to deploy tools that
offer visibility into the details of PCI Express 3.0 link training and
bi-directional packet viewing," said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG(r) president and
chairman. "Tools such as these can help PCI-SIG members test their PCI
Express 3.0 products early in the design cycle, helping to achieve product quality
and interoperability."
The
Agilent N8816A PCI Express 3.0 protocol viewer software for Infiniium 90000
Series oscilloscopes provides design and validation engineers with packet-level
decode for PCI Express symbols and offers detailed packet decoding and
visibility of low-level packet content.
The
software:
- Supports
packet decoding for PCI Express 3.0, 2.0, and 1.1 specifications.
- Provides
visibility of link training detail, which is useful for debugging speed
change failures.
- Provides
bi-directional symbol and packet-level decoding.
- Allows
engineers to save and analyze packet information off-line.
- Uses a unique
packet-waveform correlation marker to make it easy to scroll through
waveforms to view synchronized packet and symbol lists.
"Agilent
is pleased to provide the widest portfolio of products supporting the PCI
Express 3.0 specification in the industry," said Sigi Gross, vice
president of Agilent's Digital Test Division. "Our dedicated support of
the PCI-SIG and its members through committee and board representation has
helped us enable some of the earliest PCI Express 3.0 product development
efforts. Tools like the N8816A help engineers solve link training issues with a
fast and easy user interface on a versatile oscilloscope platform, improving
time to market and delivering higher product quality."
Agilent's
Infiniium 90000 X-Series 16-GHz to 32-GHz oscilloscopes are ideal for testing
PCI Express 3.0 devices. They offer the industry's lowest noise floor, deepest memory
and flattest response. Using the 90000 X-Series oscilloscope and the Agilent
N8816A PCI Express 3.0 protocol viewer software, engineers can gain greater
visibility into their PCI Express 3.0 designs and protocol-related errors
rooted in physical layer anomalies.
Additional
information about Agilent's N8816A
PCI Express 3.0 protocol viewer software and other information on
Agilent's total PCI Express 3.0 test solution portfolio is available at www.agilent.com/find/pciexpress. Product
images are available at www.agilent.com/find/pcie3_images. A
backgrounder covering PCI Express technology and Agilent's test solutions is
available at www.agilent.com/find/pciexpress_backgrounder.
Agilent's complete portfolio of oscilloscopes is
available in a variety of form factors, from 20 MHz to 90 GHz. They offer
industry-leading specifications and powerful applications.
U.S. Pricing and
Availability
The
Agilent N8816A PCI Express 3.0 protocol viewer software is available now with a
price of $4,000.
Agilent's Digital Test
Standards Program
Agilent
Digital Test Standards Program experts are involved in various international
standards committees, including the Joint Electronic Devices Engineering Council, PCI-SIG, Video Electronics Standards Association, Serial ATA International Organization, Serial
Attached SCSI (T10), USB-Implementers Forum, MIPI Alliance, Ethernet standards (IEEE 802.3), Optical Internetworking Forum and many others. Agilent's involvement in these
standards groups enables the company to bring the right solutions to market
when customers need them.
About PCI-SIG
PCI-SIG
is the special-interest group that owns and manages PCI specifications as open
industry standards. The organization defines industry standard I/O
specifications consistent with the needs of its members. More than 800
industry-leading companies are active members. For more information and a list
of the board of directors, visit www.pcisig.com.
About Agilent
Technologies
Agilent
Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a
technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, electronics and
communications. The company's 18,500 employees serve customers in more than 100
countries. Agilent had net revenues of $5.4 billion in fiscal 2010. Information
about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com.