Agilent Technologies Demonstrates Industry-first Traffic Generator at InfiniBand Solutions Conference
Agilent Expands Test Support for InfiniBand Architecture
LOS ANGELES, InfiniBand Solutions Conference, Nov. 8, 2001 -- Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A) today announced new InfiniBand test support including an industry-first traffic generator that allows designers to verify the reliability of their products and components, and to run compliance tests to validate their products' adherence to the InfiniBand specification.
Agilent is demonstrating its recently introduced traffic generator for InfiniBand 1x for the first time at the InfiniBand Solutions Conference (booth no. 414). The company also announced a new InfiniBand 4x protocol support for the Agilent 16700 logic analysis system, and a new test automation capability for InfiniBand compliance testing. These products and capabilities join a comprehensive portfolio of InfiniBand design and debug tools that Agilent introduced earlier this year, which includes an InfiniBand 1x and 4x logic analyzer, a 1x protocol analyzer and a time domain reflectrometry (TDR) oscilloscope.
First Traffic Generator for InfiniBand on the Market
Design engineers have a critical need for tools that enable them to quickly identify and understand design anomalies early on in a product's development cycle. The Agilent E2953A is the first traffic generator on the market for controlled stimulus of InfiniBand traffic to test compliance, stress and error scenarios. It generates and receives arbitrary InfiniBand packets under programmatic control (C++ interface/TCL script interface). The E2953A connects like an InfiniBand end device to generate sequences of arbitrary packets with programmatic inter-packet delay, and to respond to incoming packets in real time. Designers can synchronize several generators by using the external trigger in/out. Intel has used the E2953A traffic generator to showcase InfiniBand traffic within multiple InfiniBand fabric demonstrations, and in its interoperability lab.
"Test tools provide acceleration of validation and debug for product engineering," said Jim Pappas, director of initiative marketing for Intel's Enterprise Platform Group. "In launching a new technology like InfiniBand architecture, test tools are even more important. We're pleased to see Agilent participate in our industry efforts to deliver InfiniBand solutions to data centers."
Industry-first Logic Analyzer for InfiniBand System Validation
Logic analysis is an important part of the InfiniBand design environment, providing visibility into the digital system controlling InfiniBand host channel adapters (HCAs), target channel adapters (TCAs) or switches, as well as the InfiniBand links themselves. At the InfiniBand Solutions Conference, Agilent is unveiling support for the InfiniBand 4x protocol on the 16700 logic analysis system, the only logic analyzer capable of tracing and viewing InfiniBand 1x, 4x and 12x traffic. This solution, which traces packets on standard InfiniBand 4x copper cables, can also be easily configured to analyze four independent InfiniBand 1x links. Users can combine up to 20 16700 analysis probes for InfiniBand into a measurement system providing a single, integrated view of up to 20 4x or 80 1x InfiniBand links, together with the internal buses controlling the HCAs, TCAs and switches on the fabric. Combining all these capabilities with the 16700's system performance analysis, measurement customization and test automation capabilities allows powerful performance validation of the complete InfiniBand fabric and its components.
"We are using the Agilent 16700 logic analyzer to verify the robustness of our 4x InfiniBand silicon, and to ensure its compliance with InfiniBand specifications. It's an excellent tool for analyzing InfiniBand packets over our 10 Gb/sec links, and we've found it to be invaluable in our testing," said Chris Eddington, director of technical marketing at Mellanox, a leading supplier of InfiniBand semiconductors, providing switches, HCAs and TCAs to the server, communications and data storage markets.
Agilent's Support for InfiniBand Compliance and Interoperability
Agilent has been an active participant in various InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA) events such as the InfiniBand Solutions Conference and InfiniBand Plugfest, which is part of IBTA's comprehensive compliance and interoperability program. Agilent provides equipment to support compliance tests that cover several parts of the InfiniBand specifications. These range from physical to transport layers of the protocol, and include TDR scopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers and traffic generators.
More information about Agilent's solutions for InfiniBand can be found at www.agilent.com/find/InfiniBand.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics and life sciences. The company's 43,000 employees serve customers in more than 120 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $9.4 billion in fiscal year 2000, as restated to reflect the sale of its healthcare business. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.