Agilent Technologies Releases Official SATA Revision 3.0 Test Procedures

The SATA Revision 3.0 standard defines a maximum transfer speed of 6.0 Gb/s, which is double the speed of previous-generation technology. Faster transfer speeds enable higher-performance storage for applications such as emerging solid-state drives and enterprise business storage. This new specification will enable users to move large quantities of data at faster rates, which is increasingly critical for today's high-resolution photos, videos, music and multimedia files.

Devices operating at 6 Gb/s present new measurement challenges that require new tools and procedures for proper validation and margin analysis. Advance access to measurements enables engineers developing cutting-edge solutions to address potential design issues early in the design cycle and get their products to market faster.

The new test procedures cover transmitter, receiver, return loss and protocol specifications. The test procedures are also in line with Unified Test Document (UTD) Revision 1.4, which describes the overview testing requirement for devices and products to achieve interoperability. The procedures, also known as methods of implementation, are available on the SATA-IO Web page. Complete methods of implementation for the SATA Gen1 and Gen2 standards are also available.

Agilent provides industry-leading capabilities for physical-layer testing of high-speed serial data technologies. Agilent's Infiniium 90000 Series oscilloscope, the Elektra 08 Design and Test Product of the Year award winner, offers the industry's lowest noise floor, deepest memory and flattest response. Using the 90000 Series oscilloscope and Agilent's automated N5411B SATA compliance test software, engineers can maximize their design margins and gain greater insights into their system performance.

Engineers can use the Agilent J-BERT N4903A/B high-performance serial BERT for physical-layer receiver compliance testing and characterization. They also can use the Agilent DCA-J 86100C TDR system to characterize transmit and receive termination impedances and return loss per the requirements of the upcoming SATA specification. Agilent N5990A test automation software, with its SATA compliance test-automation suite, offers high-level system automation and test integration across physical-layer test requirement categories and provides a broader set of receiver characterization tests and margin analysis capabilities. Agilent also recently expanded its SATA solution portfolio with the U5031A/U5032A SerialTek BusExpert SATA protocol analyzer, which covers link speeds from 1.5 Gb/s to 6 Gb/s for protocol testing.