SerialTek Announces Advanced Adapters For PCI Express® Technology

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- SerialTek, a leader in storage protocol analysis, improves upon the capabilities of its test solutions for PCI Express® (PCIe®) technology today by unveiling an advanced set of cost-effective and versatile adapters.  

PCIe architecture continues to be a critically important specification that the company supports. SerialTek offers two analysis solutions for PCIe 3.0 technology that interoperable with SerialTek adapters. The BusXpert PRO, which supports data rates up to eight lanes at a maximum of 8.0 GT/s, and the smaller form-factor Micro, which supports four lanes at a maximum of 8.0 GT/s. At 4.5 lbs, the Micro is the smallest and lightest analyzer in its class. SerialTek analyzers, interposers and adapters for PCIe technology are designed and optimized for storage design and test validation. In addition to supporting the PCI Express architecture, the newer NVM Express specification for flash storage is also supported.

All SerialTek solutions for PCIe technology utilize low cost, reliable and high performance cabling. SFF-8644 cables have been slightly modified for use with the analyzers to be able to pass-through PCIe sideband signals. Each SFF-8644 cable combines four 12 Gb/s connections, making it ideal for connecting an interposer or adapter to a BusXpert Analyzer even at the 8 GT/s data rates supported by the PCIe 3.0 architecture; yet, unlike some other high speed cables, SFF-8644 cabling is easier to handle and use. They are also more reliable and cost substantially less.

In many test scenarios, interposers are used to probe data communication traffic for PCIe technology and SerialTek offers a wide variety of passive interposers for use with its analyzers. 

However, there are test configurations where it is useful to validate with different form-factors on the host and device side. As an example, with SerialTek adapters, an engineer could utilize a host side slot adapter and a device side M.2 adapter. This permits an M.2 device to be plugged into a slot host while the communication data is being probed by a BusXpert analyzer. Adapters are also smaller than their interposer counterparts, permitting them to be used in more confined spaces. Lastly, these adapters are more cost-effective than traditional interposers, allowing them to be deployed as test harnesses for use only when issues arise at which point a BusXpert analyzer can be deployed without re-cabling or disruption to the system under test. Host and device side adapters are available for slot, M.2 and SFF-8639 form-factors.  

As a PCI-SIG member, SerialTek holds a valued role in the advancement of PCIe technology," said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG chairman and president. "Products such as these analysis solutions support the growing adoption of the PCI Express architecture by giving developers and businesses improved tools to validate their PCIe implementations." 

"These new adapters from SerialTek's are an exciting development for engineers that perform test and validation on PCI Express systems where flexible and cost-effective methods of probing data traffic on a PCIe architecture are important," says Mike Engbretson, Chief Technology Engineer at Granite River Labs, a world-leading engineering services and test solutions firm for high speed connectivity. "From our experience helping to enable the adoption of new connectivity technologies, we expect these SerialTek adapter technologies will help storage developers and manufacturers contain costs while enhancing their ability to troubleshoot PCIe technology in systems and devices."

"SerialTek has established a reputation for innovation in the storage tools market space. Small form-factors, ease of connectivity and low cost make these adapters ideal for situations where multiple setups are required such as in development and qualification labs," says Steve Wong, Director of Marketing at SerialTek. "In addition, SerialTek adapters offer flexibility in use by allowing users to mix interfaces of both the host system and target devices while performing analysis of the PCIe architecture."

The SerialTek advanced adapters for PCI Express technology are currently shipping. SerialTek offers no cost, no obligation evaluation systems, including PCIe adapters and interposers to qualified customers. For more information on the new advanced adapters for BusXpert Analyzers, please contact us at [email protected] or one of our worldwide sales partners (http://www.serialtek.com/sales.asp). Alternatively, please visit the adapters landing page at www.serialtek.com/pcie-adapters.asp.

About SerialTek

SerialTek is a provider of innovative data storage test tools and solutions since 2007. Leading storage manufacturers depend on our products to improve product quality and drive time-to-market requirements. The company was founded with the goal of making test and measurement solutions more powerful and fast, yet easier to use. SerialTek's engineers include the original inventors of many of the popular features found in protocol analyzers, including hardware indexing during capture, buffer segmentation with auto-re-arm, ultra-fast histograms and multiple trigger sequencers. Our solutions support the Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), SATA (Serial ATA), PCI Express (PCIe), and Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) protocols.

About PCI-SIG

PCI-SIG is the consortium that owns and manages PCI specifications as open industry specifications. The organization defines I/O (input/output) specifications consistent with the needs of its members. Currently, PCI-SIG is comprised of nearly 800 industry-leading member companies. To join PCI-SIG, and for a list of the Board of Directors, visit http://www.pcisig.com.

PCI-SIG, PCI Express, PCIe and M-PCIe are trademarks or registered trademarks of PCI-SIG.

SOURCE SerialTek

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