Agilent 6Gb SATA Test Package

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the industry’s first automated compliance test package for Serial ATA (SATA) physical layer transmitter compliance testing that includes measurement support for the new SATA 6-Gb/s interface.

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

The Agilent N5411B test software performs a wide range of tests for general specifications, transmitted signal requirements and out-of-band specification for currently shipping SATA products. It also provides early 6-Gb/s physical layer transmitter measurements for customers designing to the requirements of the upcoming Serial ATA International Organization: SATA Revision 3.0 specification. Serial ATA is a high-speed serial bus used primarily for data communication between storage devices and hosts; it is capable of operation at data rates up to 6.0 Gb/s.

The N5411B SATA compliance test software for Infiniium oscilloscopes provides design and validation engineers with a fast and easy way to verify physical layer transmitter compliance for SATA 1.5-Gb/s, 3.0-Gb/s and 6.0-Gb/s silicon, host bus adapters, port multipliers, and high-density, solid-state and optical disk drives.

The software:

• provides automated compliance test support for the i (internal), m (eSATA) and x (SAS attachment) interfaces points;
• displays the results in a flexible report format; and
• provides a margin analysis that shows how closely a device passes or fails each test.

Engineers designing and developing SATA interfaces can also use the Agilent J-BERT N4903A/B high-performance serial BERT for physical layer receiver compliance testing and characterization, and the Agilent DCA-J 86100C TDR system for characterization of the transmit and receive termination impedances and return loss per the requirements of the upcoming SATA specification. Agilent provides a complete set of official SATA physical layer test solutions for SATA Revision 2.6 today and provides gold-suite test coverage at SATA-IO interoperability workshops to support the SATA-IO official logo validation program. Agilent’s test automation software N5990A, 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 test and margin analysis capabilities.

Agilent’s Infiniium 90000 Series oscilloscope, the Electra08Design 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 the automated N5411B SATA compliance test software, engineers can maximize their design margins and gain greater insights into their system performance.

Agilent’s complete portfolio of oscilloscopes is available in a variety of form factors, from 20 MHz to 90 GHz. They offer industry-leading specifications and powerful applications.

The Serial ATA International Organization was founded in 2004, and provides guidance and support to companies implementing the SATA specification.

U.S. Pricing and Availability
The Agilent N5411B SATA compliance test application is available now starting at a price of $6,000.