Catalyst Debuts New Automated Compliance Test Suite.SAN JOSE San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , Calif. -- SpekChek Compliance Test Suite for Endpoints Provides Powerful Add-On for Catalyst PCI Express A high-speed peripheral interconnect from Intel introduced in 2002. Note that although sometimes abbreviated "PCX," PCI Express is not the same as "PCI-X" (see PCI-SIG and PCI-X for comparison). As a result of the confusion, "PCI-E" or "PCIe" is the accepted abbreviation. Analyzer/Exerciser Systems; Free as Part of Catalyst API (Application Programming Interface) A language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other control program such as a database management system (DBMS) or communications protocol. Option Catalyst Enterprises, Inc., a leading manufacturer of development tools for a broad range of serial and parallel bus technologies, today announced the SpekChek(TM) Compliance Test Suite, a collection of automated compliance verification tests for Catalyst's widely deployed SPX (Sequenced Packet EXchange) The transport layer protocol in the NetWare operating system. Similar to the TCP layer in TCP/IP, it ensures that the entire message arrives intact. SPX uses NetWare's IPX as its delivery mechanism. Analyzer/Exerciser hardware. The SpekChek Compliance Test Suite for Endpoints, developed to confirm endpoint compliance to the PCI Express* specification, provides active stimulus/response testing across up to four lanes (and up to 16 lanes in subsequent versions). An upcoming addition to SpekChek will provide automated compliance testing for root complex devices. The SpekChek Compliance Test Suite for Endpoints is based on the Endpoint Compliance Checklist, a document produced by PCI-SIG*, the special-interest group chartered to develop and manage standards for PCI Express, conventional PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). , and PCI-X (PCI eXtended) An enhanced PCI bus technology originally developed by IBM, HP and Compaq that is backward compatible with existing PCI cards. PCI and 32-bit PCI-X slots are physically the same, and PCI cards can plug into PCI-X slots. *. Developed to be used by designers of PCI Express products, such as silicon, embedded systems Embedded systems Computer systems that cannot be programmed by the user because they are preprogrammed for a specific task and are buried within the equipment they serve. and add-in boards, it is offered as an optional add-on to the Catalyst SPX Analyzer/Exerciser system as well as an option for an initial SPX purchase. The SpekChek Compliance Test Suite for Endpoints is available free, until January 2005, as a part of Catalyst's application programming interface (API) option, and to existing customers who own the API option. "Among the wide range of the PCI-SIG's efforts in PCI Express technology is an emphasis on compliance and interoperability The capability of two or more hardware devices or two or more software routines to work harmoniously together. For example, in an Ethernet network, display adapters, hubs, switches and routers from different vendors must conform to the Ethernet standard and interoperate with each other. among the systems, boards and test equipment designed to employ this rapidly growing interconnect (1) To attach one device to another. (2) A physical port (plug, socket) or wireless port (transmitter, receiver) used to attach one device to another. technology," said Rich Baek, executive director of the PCI-SIG. "PCI-SIG appreciates Catalyst Enterprises' continued commitment to advancing the PCI Express technology by bringing to market a system that adheres to the Endpoint Compliance Checklist and helps assure compliance over a range of products based on PCI Express architecture." "Before we introduced SpekChek, there were no real benchmark standards for verifying an endpoint's adherence to the PCI Express specification," said Chuck Trefts, Catalyst product manager. "For PCI Express to maintain the success it's been seeing, compliance is essential; not only must devices comply with the protocol requirements defined by the specification, but there must be a high degree of interoperability between diverse PCI Express systems and devices. SpekChek was developed to identify potentially costly interoperability problems early in the design phase, and remedy them before a product ships." Closed-Loop Architecture Handles x4 Link Widths The SpekChek Compliance Test Suite for Endpoints provides designers with a set of efficient compliance-verifying tools that leverage existing SPX Analyzer/Exerciser hardware and software. SpekChek features a closed-loop stimulus/response architecture. As tests are completed, the user is presented with a report that identifies test cases that did not meet criteria for compliance. Additionally, SpekChek enables users to inspect captures of each individual test result in order to fully understand how any particular test was executed, including exerciser setup and stimulus as well as the response of the device under test. The results of each test can be viewed in the standard Catalyst format, which shows the full protocol details of each test. Furthermore, each individual test project can also be fully edited, giving designers the ability to run corner-case testing. Pricing, Availability The SpekChek software add-on is available now, free as part of the API option or and as an independent package for $14,500 as of January 2005. Please contact Catalyst directly at 408.365.3846 for specific pricing or additional information. About Catalyst Enterprises Founded in 1992 in San Jose, Calif., Catalyst Enterprises manufactures data bus analysis and emulation tools for PCI, PCI-X, USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. 2.0, PCI Express, SAS (1) (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, www.sas.com) A software company that specializes in data warehousing and decision support software based on the SAS System. Founded in 1976, SAS is one of the world's largest privately held software companies. See SAS System. , SATA (Serial ATA) A serial version of the ATA (IDE) interface, which has been the de facto standard hard disk interface for desktop PCs for more than two decades. The original Parallel ATA (PATA) interface was launched in 1986. , and other communications protocols Hardware and software standards that govern data transmission between computers. The term "protocol" is very generic and is used for hundreds of different communications methods. A protocol may define the packet structure of the data transmitted or the control commands that manage the . Catalyst's development tools incorporate a reconfigurable hardware core architecture that can be updated in the field, keeping the tool current with the latest standards and updated feature sets. These flexible hardware tools are powered by protocol-specific software applications, which are made available to customers for the lifetime of the product. Catalyst products are used by companies in the telecommunications, semiconductor, software, consumer electronics, defense and other industries. For more information, visit the company Web site at www.getcatalyst.com or phone 408.365.3846. *SpekChek is a trademark of Catalyst Enterprises, which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners. |
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