Teledyne LeCroy SAS Suite User Manual - Manual (Page 11)

SASSuite User Manual Version 6.25
LeCroy Corporation
1
Chapter 1: Overview
LeCroy’s SASSuite expert application software package provides a powerful and flexible
means for recording, decoding and displaying communications traffic on SAS and SATA
links. The SASSuite application supports the following major products to assist
engineers in designing, developing and validating SAS- and SATA-based products.
• The Avalanche Protocol Analyzer allows users to record and display all communica-
tions traffic on SAS or SATA links at data rates of 1.5, 3 and 6 Gb/s. As with all
LeCroy analyzers, hardware-based pre-capture filtering is supported for efficient
memory management. The system provides full decoding of STP traffic moving
between SAS expanders and SAS initiators. Full SATA-II analysis support is
included for users interested in using Avalanche to test Serial ATA environments
(1.5, 3 or 6 Gb/s).
• The SASTracer Protocol Analyzer allows users to record and display all communi-
cations traffic on SAS or SATA links at data rates of 1.5 and 3 Gb/s. Full SATA-II
analysis support is included for users interested in using SASTracer to test Serial
ATA environments (1.5 or 3 Gbps). An important option for the SASTracer Analyzer
is the SASTracker Command Analyzer option. SASTracker monitors commands
issued over SAS or SATA networks to track all commands, measure execution time,
identify slow commands or commands that fail to complete, and optimize overall
system performance.
• The SASTrainer Exerciser is a traffic generation system that can initiate SAS or
SATA traffic (emulating either an initiator or target device) for testing of SAS/SATA
designs and products. The system can be programmed to transmit valid and invalid
SAS or SATA traffic. It can send specific IO operations or customized data payloads.
The exerciser can “play-back” any previously recorded trace as a stimulus file and
also offers a text-based API for creating scripts from the ground up.
These products, used either separately or in combination, provide fast, efficient and
accurate debug, test and verification of Serial Attached SCSI semiconductors, devices
and systems. They allows designers and validation engineers to quickly and easily
transmit valid and invalid SAS or SATA traffic, selectively record the exchange and
display the results using the SASSuite expert analysis software. The SASSuite software
supports all LeCroy SAS and SATA products, allowing this all-in-one test platform to play
an important role at every phase of the SAS product development process.
The Avalanche protocol analyzer uses LeCroy’s newest and most advanced hardware
platform, providing support for all SAS and SATA data rates up to 6 Gb/s.
The SASTracer and SASTrainer systems operate on a common modular hardware
design, based on the LeCroy CATC 10K chassis. The different product functions are
supported by hardware modules which plug into the chassis, by LeCroy’s unique
BusEngine firmware cores, and by the SASSuite Application Software.
The heart of the LeCroy SAS platform is the revolutionary LeCroy BusEngine™. This
state-of-the-art, field-upgradeable, technology core incorporates a real-time
non-intrusive recording engine and configurable tools to trigger and filter SAS and SATA
traffic. It can intelligently monitor SAS and SATA frame headers and addresses, and start
or stop recording based on user-defined events.