LeCroy announces CompactPCI serial interposer for PCI Express 2.0 analysis

Embedded Systems Conference, SAN JOSE, USA: LeCroy Corp. has announced a new PCI Express 2.0 CompactPCI Serial interposer for the Summit PCI Express Protocol Analyzer product line. This new CompactPCI Serial interposer provides a dedicated probe that makes it easier to analyze in-band PCI Express data traffic between a CompactPCI Serial card and its system chassis.

The CompactPCI Serial specification, also known as PICMG CPCI-S.0, was adopted by PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group) in March 2011, and is a next generation CompactPCI system that offers support for switched fabrics such as PCI Express over a new high speed rugged connector. It incorporates a star architecture made up of serial point-to-point connections where one system slot can control up to eight peripheral slots.

Mobile and stationary applications in real-time control and monitoring, data acquisition and instrumentation, and simulation and test are the primary focus for this technology. Target applications include robotics, machine control and industrial automation via research, computer telephony and telecommunication, medical engineering and energy sector, to ground transportation, avionics and shipbuilding and any type of mobile machine or vehicle.

"The CompactPCI Serial ecosystem continues to grow rapidly. The new specification provides the necessary configuration for high bandwidth embedded systems," said Manfred Schmitz, CTO of MEN Mikro Elektronik GmbH. "LeCroy's protocol tools and support of CompactPCI Serial systems will provide users the ability to better characterize the performance of their systems and help overcome interoperability issues faced by development teams."

The LeCroy CompactPCI Serial 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 CompactPCI Serial-based systems, including problems such as inconsistent board initialization, poor I/O performance, and power up issues.

CompactPCI Serial 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 CompactPCI Serial systems.

"In the past debug equipment for embedded board development was quite limited. LeCroy has changed all of this by providing the right connectivity to its protocol analysis and test tools that help users get access to the same test equipment used to debug high end server applications," said John Wiedemeier, product marketing manager, Interconnect Communications Group, LeCroy.

"CompactPCI Serial developers will find that that this new interposer for the Summit family of PCI Express protocol analyzers provides bus monitoring and access to voltage test points outside of the chassis clarifying difficult to get information."

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.