PCI Express analyzer handles ASI
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 4/1/2005
Agilent Technologies had added support for PCI Express with Advanced Switching Interconnect (ASI) protocols to its E2980A family of protocol analyzers and exercisers. ASI adds features to PCI Express that enable it to operate as a backplane bus for "bladed" backplane-based computing and communications switching systems. ASI adds the ability to switch packets between cards on a backplane.
The E2980A, which is based on Agilent's N2X modular protocol test platform, consists of protocol analyzer and protocol exerciser modules that insert into the N2X mainframe. An adapter card lets you insert the instrument between a PCI Express motherboard and peripheral card.
Prices: PCI Express analyzer—$58,000; PCI Express exerciser—$62,000. Users of E2960A PCI Express analyzers and exercisers can add ASI support for $29,000. Agilent Technologies, www.agilent.com.
