Protocol Tester performs cross-domain measurements.
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Press Release Summary:
System protocol tester, E2960A series, provides time-correlated, cross-domain protocol analysis of PCI Express and Fiber Channel (FC) semiconductors and systems. Test platform combines protocol analysis and traffic generation of multiple FC ports and PCI Express high-speed buses, resulting in protocol-level observation of system execution. Features include multi-protocol GUI, multi-state trigger sequencer, and support for 1, 2, and 4 Gbps FC and PCI Express.
Original Press Release:
Agilent Technologies Introduces Cross-Domain Measurements for PCI Express and Fibre Channel Protocol Test
Multi-Protocol Analysis with Time Correlation Helps Accelerate Development, Reduces Costs and Simplifies Test of Complex Devices
SAN FRANCISCO, Intel Developer Forum, March 1, 2005, Booth 707 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced enhancements to the Agilent E2960A series system protocol tester. The improved solution provides time-correlated, cross-domain protocol analysis of PCI Express and Fibre Channel semiconductors and systems.
The versatile test platform combines protocol analysis and traffic generation of multiple Fibre Channel ports and PCI Express high-speed buses, resulting in a unique protocol-level observation of system execution. By simplifying the testing of complex products, the Agilent E2960 helps accelerate development for hardware, firmware and software designers, thus reducing development costs.
"Design validation of highly integrated multi-function chipsets is becoming more critical in getting new products to market," said Siegfried Gross, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Digital Verification Solutions division. "Agilent's new time-correlated, cross-domain measurement solutions are a breakthrough test innovation that can help ease the validation logjam to help our customers get their products to market sooner."
The increasing integration of multiple, complex protocols in computer and storage systems is driving the need for new system-level, multi-protocol and multi-port analysis solutions. Identifying design issues and performance bottlenecks that arise from interdependencies between transactions on different ports and across protocol domains can be extremely difficult and time-consuming. The most elusive issues are often related to the interaction between sequences of events on heterogeneous buses. Transactions on one protocol domain may correspond to multiple transactions on the other domains. Until now, system-level debug required troubleshooting with different uncorrelated test instruments to understand the root cause of these issues.
"Simultaneous real-time analysis of multiple protocols is key to our debug and validation process," said Eric Clement, R&D manager for the Input/Output Solutions division of Agilent's Semiconductor Products Group. "Hardware, firmware and software designers need to be able to correlate PCI Express transactions with Fibre Channel exchanges through a common multi-protocol test system."
Building on Agilent's N2X technology, the enhanced E2960A series system protocol tester simultaneously records traffic and transactions on the PCI Express bus and time-correlates it with Fibre Channel exchanges. Key features include:
o Multi-protocol GUI, which provides a consistent look and feel across domains and helps engineer spot problems more quickly.
o Multi-state trigger sequencer for each test module, which tracks the protocol state machine and events in real time.
o Support for 1, 2 and 4 Gb/s Fibre Channel and PCI Express.
o High scalability that supports a large number of simultaneous measurements on multiple ports.
U.S. Pricing and Availability
The enhanced Agilent E2960A series system protocol tester is available to order now with shipments expected in April 2005. The starting price for a system capable of testing both PCI-Express and Fiber Channel is less than $60,000. The E2960A protocol analyzer for PCI Express x1 starts at $30,000; the Agilent 1735A FC plug-in module plus the analyzer software adds an additional $29,500. Existing customers with both PCI-Express and Fibre Channel capabilities can upgrade to the cross-domain measurement capability at no charge via software download.
Further Information
o More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/E2960_series.
o The new PCI Express software can be downloaded at www.agilent.com/find/E2960_series.
Agilent Computing and Storage Networking Solutions
Agilent is a leading supplier of 4 Gb/s Fibre Channel and PCI Express component, board and test solutions. No other vendor offers protocol, physical layer and fiber optic components combined with leading-edge signal and protocol testing. More information is available at www.agilent.com/view/storage.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2004. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.
