LeCroy Announces New External PCIe Cable Interposer for PCI Express 2.0 Analysis

The VPX specification also known as VITA 46, developed by VITA(VME International Trade Association), is a next generation VMEbus-based system that offers support for switched fabrics such as PCI Express over a new high speed connector. Defense and aerospace systems are the primary focus with a wide range of target applications including graphics, mass storage and switches.

“It’s good to see the momentum building around VPX system development tools,” said Ray Alderman, Executive Director of VITA. “LeCroy has added PCI Express protocol analysis to help developers with hard to debug interfaces such as XMC connectors and VPX backplanes. This will help this industry move forward at an accelerated pace.”

The LeCroy VPX Interposer Card supports PCI Express data channels with lane widths up to x8 at data rates up to 5 GT/s. PCI Express protocol analyzers are tools for identifying, diagnosing and solving the interoperability issues typically encountered when system integrators verify VPX-based systems, including problems such as inconsistent board initialization, poor I/O performance, and power up issues. VPX developers can more easily identify protocol errors and performance issues that otherwise slow down development and testing of new or updated products. The intuitive software views and built-in protocol translations aid engineers in rapid problem identification and solution, reducing time-to-market in development of VPX systems.

“The new VPX interposer from LeCroy is the first backplane probe that allows VPX based systems to be analyzed to help insure reliable and dependable operation at high speeds,” said John Wiedemeier, Product Marketing Manager, LeCroy. “VPX system and XMC module developers now have a complete probing solution around their PCI Express protocol analyzer.”

LeCroy protocol analyzers have been at the forefront of PCI Express development tools. All LeCroy protocol analyzers feature a hierarchical display, real-time statistics, protocol traffic summaries, detailed error reports, powerful scripting, and the ability to create user-defined test reports, which allow developers to troubleshoot intricate problems and finish their projects on time.