Analyze serial disk-drive signals
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 8/1/2004
Serial ATA and Serial Attached SCSI are replacing their parallel cousins as the interface buses between computers and hard-disk drives. Both serial buses have protocols that require testing. The STX-230 and STX-430 can emulate and analyze both buses, which lets you test disk drives, motherboards, tape drives, disk arrays, and host-bus adapters. Both models support 1.5-Gbps and 3.0-Gbps data rates. The eight-port STX-430 can test four bidirectional data links while the four-port STX-230 tests two.
You can use the bus exerciser to test device performance, protocol compliance, and error handling. A pattern generator lets you make bit-error-rate measurements. A device emulator lets you emulate a target drive or host. It lets you test disk drives or motherboards for performance and compliance to the standards. You can also use the emulator to test drivers and operating systems.
Base price: $14,900. Catalyst Enterprises, San Jose, CA. www.getcatalyst.com .
