PCIe Gen3 SerialTek Products

BusXpert Gen3 x8 PCIe Analyzer

The new SerialTek BusXpert PCI Express (PCIe) analyzer is the industry’s first analyzer designed and optimized for equipment manufacturers that are developing storage products and solutions using the proven and PCI Express technology. Supporting data rates of 2.5 GT/s, 5.0 GT/s and 8.0 GT/s, this advanced offering brings unparalleled and accurate capture, analysis and insight of PCIe traffic at all layers. It provides the same ease of use, multiple display views, powerful triggering and attractive price points that have long been hallmarks of SerialTek storage protocol products.

The BusXpert uses advanced technologies such as the industry’s first Hardware Accelerated Gigabit Ethernet, up to 144 GBs of capture buffer, pre-indexed and compressed trace data, multiple analysis processors, and instant display of the captured data. The BusXpert also features easy to use triggering, pre/post-filtering, textual search and sequence search, and many different displays of captured PCI Express traffic. It is available in a variety of configurations to fit specific technical and corporate requirements for buffer size, protocols and budget.

This SerialTek analyzer supports the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) protocol. In addition, there are plans to provide support for SCSI over PCI Express (SOP), SATA Express and Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) through a simple software/firmware upgrade. A new specification view is also an industry first providing context-sensitive displays connecting traditional analysis with the actual specifications as developed, maintained and published by the PCI SIG standards organization. PCIe 3.0 is the latest standard and is fully supported by the specification view as are revisions 1.0a, 1.1 and 2.0 of the standard.

Features & Benefits

– Accurate capture of all data line rates including 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s and 2.5 GT/s

– Decode all PCI Express traffic including TLP and DLLP ordered sets

– Support for Advanced Host Controller Interface, SCSI over PCI Express, SATA Express and Non- Volatile Memory Express

– Portable and lightweight dedicated appliance; no need to hassle with and waste time swapping blades or modules

Advantages

– Unique and powerful context-sensitive PCI Express specification view bridges analysis and actual PCI Express specification

– Easily search for specific frames, primitives, ordered set, addresses or other events with the Quick Search and Advanced Search functions

– Sophisticated triggering interface allows for a quick definition of events with frame layouts matching the PCI Express specifications

– Capture and analyze more with support for up to 144 GBs of trace buffer

BusXpert Micro PCIe Analyzer

The BusXpert Micro PCI Express® (PCIe®) analyzer is SerialTek’s second analyzer designed and optimized for equipment manufacturers that are developing storage products and solutions using PCI Express technology. With support for data rates of 2.5 GT/s, 5.0 GT/s (Gen 2) and 8.0 GT/s (Gen 3) and bus widths of x1, x2 and x4, the Micro provides accurate capture, analysis and deep insight of PCIe traffic at all layers of the protocol stack. It offers the same ease of use, multiple display views, powerful triggering and attractive price points that have long been hallmarks of SerialTek storage protocol products but now is available in a small form factor.

The PCIe Micro analyzer is a compact and portable solution weighing 4.5 lbs; but it offers the features, functions and capabilities that are similar to the original PCIe Analyzer offered by SerialTek, making it a well-suited test not only for lab environments but also for field and support engineers.

It employs advanced technologies such as the industry’s first hardware accelerated gigabit Ethernet, pre-indexed and compressed trace data, multiple analysis processors, and instant display of the captured data. The analyzer provides support for up to 72 GBs of capture buffer, 36 GBs upstream and 36 GBs downstream. Even the entry model that comes installed with 9 GBs of trace buffer has a deeper capture buffer than most competing analyzers. The BusXpert features easy to use triggering, pre/post-filtering, textual search and sequence search, and many different displays of captured PCI Express traffic.

Three probing options are supported including x1 and x4 slot interposer capability of supporting 5.0 GT/s and 8.0 GT/s data rates. This interposer permits PCIe traffic between a host system and a PCIe device or card to be monitored, captured and analyzed. In addition, a M.2 interposer is available for M.2 socket 2 or M.2 socket 3 devices. The interposer when used with the BusXpert PCIe analyzer permits PCIe protocol traffic between a host system and a M.2/NGFF connector on a solid state device (SSD) to be monitored, captured and analyzed. This board support bus lane widths of x1, x2 as well as x4. The interposer also supports SSD lengths for 42mm, 60mm, 80mm and 110mm. Serialtek also offers a SFF-8639 interposer. This interface is designed to be used to analyze PCIe traffic between a host backplane and dual ported SSDs. The interposer supports both 2.5” and 3” sized SSDs.

In addition to supporting the Gen2 and Gen3 PCIe standards, the analyzer will support the newer Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) protocol, SCSI over PCI Express (SOP) and Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) technologies. The software provides for a new and powerful waveform “eye” display. This unique capability, founded typically on oscilloscopes, allows for digital signals to be easily observed in a graphic form. The feature permits users to take control over sample rates and display resolution. Eye diagrams are used as an aid in obtaining the optimal signal integrity by graphically showing the effects of varying calibration settings on the received serial data. These diagrams may be saved as either a graphical image or a file containing all the data and options needed to reconstruct the eye diagram. Now PCI Express engineers have not only the ability to observe the upper layer protocol transactions but also the lower physical layer information in a single compact, portable unit.

All SerialTek tools are designed to accurately capture, decode and analyze high-speed storage communication traffic. Our solutions help engineers verify, locate and resolve issues with their product designs. This shortens development and testing cycles, improves product quality and reduces time to market.

Features & Benefits

– Accurate capture of all data line rates including 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s and 2.5 GT/s

– Decode all PCI Express traffic including TLP, DLLP and ordered sets

– LTSSM state and sub-state diagrams to help identify and troubleshoot linkup issues

– Interposers supported includes: slot, (adapter cards), M.2 and SFF-8639 interposers

– Complete and precise protocol capture and analysis of PCIe (Gen 1, 2 and 3), Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI), SCSI over PCI Express, SATA Express, SOP/PQI and Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)

– Portable and lightweight dedicated appliance; no need to hassle with and waste time swapping blades or modules

– Gigabit ethernet management interface

Advantages

– Lightweight and compact yet there is no compromise to performance and features; design for ultra-portability

– .5 ps clocking resolution provide precise capture and recording sequences

– Built in eye diagram display

– Easily search for specific frames, primitives, ordered set, addresses or other events with the Quick

Search and Advanced Search functions

– Sophisticated triggering interface allows for a quick definition of events with frame layouts matching the PCI Express specifications

– Large buffer; capture and analyze more with support for up to 72 GBs of trace buffer

PCIe Interposers & Taps

SerialTek provides two market-leading PCI Express® (PCIe®) protocol analysis solutions, the BusXpert PRO and the BusXpert Micro, for the design and test of products that integrate PCIe technology; this includes host bus storage adapters, computer systems, servers and storage products.

A wide range of cost-effective and flexible probing options are available for BusXpert Analyzer users. These interposer solutions are designed to provide maximum performance and flexibility when capturing PCI Express communication data between hosts and devices; they include slot, M.2 and SFF-8639 interposers.

Cost-effective, reliable and high performance SFF-8644 cables are used to connect an interposer to the SerialTek PCIe Analyzer. These cables are rated at 12 Gb/s making them a suitable interconnect for PCIe analysis; yet unlike some other high speed cables, SFF-8644 cables are easier to handle and easier to use. One competing solution utilize very bulky, expensive and hand-built iPass-type cabling that can fail out in the field.

All SerialTek interposers are compliant with the PCI Express 1.x, 2.x and 3.0 specifications; they are rated for 8 GT/s yet they also inter-operate at lower data rates.

Key Features

  • Compliant with PCI Express 1.x, 2.x and 3.0 specifications
  • Wide variety of interposers designed to help accurately capture PCIe data traffic at all line rates including 8 GT/s, 5 GT/s and 2.5 GT/s
  • Interposers offered include: slot, (adapter cards), M.2 and SFF-8639 interposers
  • “Passive” tapping to avoid masking, hiding or “cleaning up” electrical and/or link issues
  • User set-able physical or “software-based” jumpers to change long, short and gains values

Specifications

  • Slot Interposers
    • x1, x4 and x8
    • Scope output to oscilloscope option
    • SFF-8644 cabling between analyzer and slot interposers
    • Dimensions: 10.125” (length) x 6.5” (height) / 25.72 cms x 16.5 cms
    • Weight:
      • x1 & x4: 9.125 ozs / 269 grams
      • x8: 10 ozs / 284 grams
  • M.2
    • Up to x4, Gen 3
    • Drive Length Support: 30 mm, 42 mm, 60 mm and 80 mm
    • Dimensions: 7 3/4” (length) x 3 5/8” (width) / 19.69 cms x 9.20 cms
    • Weight: 2.75 ozs / 77 grams
  • SFF-8639
    • Up to x4, Gen 3
    • Dimensions 14” (length)3 x 6.06” (width) / 35.56 cms x 15.40 cms
    • Weight: 10.25 ozs / 291 grams