PCI Express exerciser
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 2/1/2007
A companion development tool for LeCroy’s PETracer Summit protocol analyzer, the LinkUP Trainer helps you qualify PCI Express products through Link Training and Status State Machine (LTSSM) testing. The card-based exerciser, which operates at both PCI Express Gen1 and Gen 2 speeds, enables you to find issues that can affect interoperability.
LinkUP generates training sequences at 2.5 Gbps (Gen 1) and 5 Gbps (Gen 2) for lane widths ranging from x1 to x16. It can be configured to transition to various states and to change data rates in order to test speed negotiation. You can also change each PCI Express lane’s parameters, such as lane skew, polarity, and scrambling, to expose physical layer issues.
The user interface runs on a separate host PC connected to the LinkUP system via either a USB cable or Ethernet 10/100-Mbps port. System status updates automatically at specified intervals. Status reports include current operating width, data rate, link number, lane reversal status, RX polarity, scrambling status, and advertised parameters of the device under test.
LeCroy, www.lecroy.com.
