Ellisys Protocol Analysis Tools for USB 3.0 Attached SCSI Protocol Available

Ellisys, supplier of protocol test and analysis solutions for Universal Serial Bus (USB) and other wired and wireless communications protocols, in conjunction with Symwave, Inc., a silicon supplier of system solutions for SuperSpeed USB storage applications, announced the first release of protocol analyzer tools for the USB Attached SCSI protocol (UASP). UASP is a new industry-standard, high-performance mass storage protocol being developed for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. USB 3.0 is the latest technology evolution of the ubiquitous Universal Serial Bus, first introduced in 1996. It supports a 5 gigabit per second signaling rate, providing ten times the speed of USB 2.0 as well as backward-compatibility with legacy USB 2.0 ports & devices.

Defining the Next-Generation of Mass Storage for USB and SuperSpeed USB
The USB 3.0 specification released last November provides for greatly improved data transfer speed by implementing data streaming and command queuing, which are high-efficiency core concepts of UASP. Today, leading storage companies are working together within the INCITS T10 technical committee (www.t10.org) and USB Implementers Forum on UASP standardization. Once completed, the UASP will leverage the SuperSpeed USB transfer rate capabilities while also enabling performance improvements for legacy USB 2.0 mass storage systems and devices.

"Early developers, and technology tools suppliers such as Ellisys, must anticipate and react to changes and additions to specifications and standards as quickly as possible, and not just develop to the final versions of such documents," stated Mario Pasquali, Ellisys co-founder and president for products. "The assistance of Symwave engineers working on the forefront of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and UASP was invaluable in the integration of new features that will ease the adoption and integration of UASP. As the final specification is released, Ellisys tools will pace this evolution with field upgradeable updates to our Explorer Series of USB and SuperSpeed USB protocol analyzers and generators."

"Being first to market with a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 mass storage device presented significant engineering challenges for our team. It was a strategic objective to work closely and collaboratively with the leading test equipment vendors to ensure our products complied with all relevant standards and exceed the requirements of our customers," stated Craig Stein, vice president of engineering at Symwave. "The Ellisys Explorer 280 SuperSpeed USB protocol analyzers and generators have proven to be an effective tool in designing, testing and characterizing the performance of Symwave’s SuperSpeed USB 3.0 solutions."

Ellisys Explorer Series for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 Provide UAS/UASP Support
The Ellisys Explorer Series USB protocol analyzers and generators are now optimized to decode and display UAS/UASP protocols for use by developers working in this area. These tools, including the Explorer 280, Explorer 260, and Explorer 200 Series, are designed to be field-upgradeable and will evolve as the UAS/UASP approaches version 1.0 release by mid 2009. The SuperSpeed USB Explorer 280 analyzer/generator is used by nearly all SuperSpeed USB developer companies and several thousand Explorer 200 and 260 USB 2.0 analyzer and generator products have been delivered to USB developers worldwide.

Symwave’s SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Leadership
Symwave continues to demonstrate significant market leadership in SuperSpeed USB 3.0 product developments. A few notable firsts include:

• Industry’s first SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PHY demonstration on November 17, 2008 during the first USB-IF SuperSpeed Developers Conference
• World’s first and still only SuperSpeed USB 3.0 mixed USB host/device vendor Interoperability demonstration during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held January 8-11, 2009
• World’s first SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to SATA controller demonstration at CES, showing a complete external storage solution in collaboration with first-tier hard disk drive manufacturers

Ellisys’ SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Leadership
Building on a rich legacy of USB test and analysis development, Ellisys has presented many innovations and industry firsts for SuperSpeed USB. In June of 2008, Ellisys delivered Explorer SuperSpeed USB software analysis tools to early adopters working in simulation environments, followed quickly by delivery of the industry’s first SuperSpeed USB protocol generator, and analyzer/generator. The introduction of UASP support continues the Ellisys commitment to advancing the SuperSpeed USB development ecosystem with the right tools at the right time.