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Agilent Technologies Introduces Automated Software for Testing PCI Express 3.0 Transmitter Compliance

14th December 2010

Keysight Technologies (formerly Agilent)

ES Admin

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Agilent announced an automated compliance test package for PCI Express(PCIe) 3.0 physical-layer transmitter compliance testing that includes measurement support for the new PCIe 8-GT/s interface. Devices operating at 8 GT/s present new measurement challenges that require new tools and procedures for proper validation and jitter margin analysis. Having advance access to measurements enables engineers developing cutting-edge solutions to address potential issues early in the design cycle and get their products to market faster. The PCIe specification defines a high-speed serial bus used primarily for data communication between a computer's main CPU and high-speed peripheral components such as graphics, networking and storage adapters. It is capable of operating at data rates from 2.5 GT/s to 8 GT/s.

The Agilent N5393C compliance test software for Infiniium 90000 Series oscilloscopes performs a wide range of oscilloscope-based tests for the PCIe 1.x, 2.x, and 3.0 standards. It also provides early 8-GT/s physical layer transmitter measurements for customers designing to the requirements of the PCIe 3.0 specification.

We are pleased with Agilent's continued backing for the broad adoption of the PCI Express architecture, said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG(r) president and chairman. The PCI-SIG and its members benefit from test and measurement equipment vendors' support for our compliance workshops, such as that from Agilent, where products from a variety of our members are tested for electrical and protocol interoperability, among other tests. In the near future, the PCI-SIG plans to roll out its PCIe 3.0 testing procedures and related tools as high-volume products implementing this technology become available.

The N5393C PCIe compliance test software for Infiniium 90000 Series oscilloscopes provides design and validation engineers with a fast and easy way to verify physical layer transmitter compliance for PCIe 2.5-GT/s, 5-GT/s end point, root complex systems and devices and for 8.0-GT/s chipsets. The software:

* provides automated compliance test support for the BASE and CEM measurement points supporting PCIe 1.x and 2.x standards, as well as BASE specification support for the PCIe 3.0 standard;
* supports de-embedding of test fixtures and cables to help improve voltage and jitter margin measurements when used with the optional Agilent N5465A InfiniiSim waveform transformation toolset;
* displays the results in a flexible report format; and
* provides a margin analysis that shows how closely a device passes or fails each test.

Engineers designing and developing PCIe 3.0 devices also can use the Agilent J-BERT N4903B high-performance serial BERT for physical-layer receiver compliance testing and characterization. They can use the Agilent DCA-J 86100C TDR system for characterizing PCIe 3.0 channels.

Agilent's Infiniium 90000 X-Series 16-GHz to 32-GHz oscilloscopes are ideal for PCIe 3.0 product testing. They offer the industry's lowest noise floor, deepest memory and flattest response. Using the 90000 X-Series oscilloscope and the automated N5393C PCIe compliance test software, engineers can maximize their design margins and gain greater insights into their system performance.