SerialTek: Kodiak PCIe/NVMe Analysis System

SerialTek LLC introduced an advancement in the PCIe/NVMe test and analysis market with Kodiak PCIe/NVMe analysis system.

Coupled with the field-proven BusXpert analysis software, the Kodiak platform introduces a design built to tackle the challenges presented by continual and rapid advancements in storage and datacenter I/O technologies.

At the core of this platform is an embedded hardware architecture that delivers substantial advancements in capture, search, and processing acceleration.

PCIe is a high speed, general purpose interconnect for various storage and computing systems, including mobile, desktop, and datacenters. NVMe is a PCIe-based specification optimized for high-throughput and low-latency storage, such as SSDs. The company’s protocol test systems support both technologies across multiple generations on single, integrated platforms.

“PCIe speeds have gone from 2.5GT/s as defined by the Gen1 specification back in 2003 to 16GT/s as defined by the recent Gen4 specification. Across multiple lanes of bi-directional traffic, this results in massive increases in data throughput and product design complexities that are becoming increasingly difficult for traditional protocol analyzer architectures to manage, and as a result, our customers are looking to us for answers,” said Paul Mutschler, CEO, SerialTek. “With our unique approach to processing acceleratio,s provided by the new Kodiak platform, we have provided the answers for today’s challenges, and have smartly positioned our customers for solutions that address future evolutions.“

Kodiak platform rear

Processing acceleration architecture to address advances in I/O
The Kodiak platform includes several performance-oriented innovations, made possible by an embedded architecture that breaks free from status quo legacy data upload practices in favor of advanced, optimized embedded data processing, reimagined by the company’s enginering to handle latst- and future-generation PCIe and NVMe technologies. Interface responsiveness is markedly advanced, searches involving massive amounts of data are fast, and hardware filtering is flexible and powerful. Dual 10GbE SFP+ ports are available to offload traces to a host computer or network directory at speeds up to 20Gb/s. A 10GbE port is provided for network-based trace storage and retrieval. Local storage choices include USB 3.1 and PCIe OcuLink.

Kodiak brings forward advantages
In addition to the advances brought about by the company’s embedded design approach, the Kodiak Platform, coupled with the firm’s BusXpert analysis software, preserves features proven popular with users. These include Real-Time Protocol Processor, a proprietary processing architecture for dynamic PCIe and NVMe protocol information that enables accurate triggers and analysis, even in the most difficult cases, and calibration-free interposers, enabled by the company’s proprietary SI-Fi technology, which can save hours over legacy approaches requiring calibration. This technology offers high-quality signal integrity, even over changing conditions. Real-Time Protocol Processor is designed to automatically identify and save the host’s PCI configuration space, controller registers, and NVMe Queues, whether the analyzer is actively recording or idle. The firm’s analyzers are the only PCIe/NVMe analyzers that do not require a boot trace to decode and trigger accurately PCIe and NVMe traffic.

The Kodiak PCIe/NVMe Gen4 analysis system is available for purchase, with shipments eight weeks from order placement. Various configurations are provided to meet a variety of customer price and feature requirements.