SerialTek Debuts PCIe X16 Gen5 Protocol Analysis System and Web Application

LONGMONT, Colo., Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SerialTek, a leading provider of protocol test solutions for PCI Express^®, NVM Express^®, Serial Attached SCSI, and Serial ATA, today introduced an advancement in the PCIe^® test and analysis market with the release of the Kodiak PCIe x16 Gen5 Analysis System, as well as the industry's first calibration-free PCIe x16 add-in-card (AIC) interposer and a new web-based BusXpert™ user interface to manage and analyze traces more efficiently than ever. The addition of PCIe x16 Gen5 to the Kodiak analyzer and SI-Fi™ interposer family brings previously unavailable analysis capabilities and efficiencies to computing, data center, networking, storage, AI, and other PCIe x16 Gen5 applications. With SerialTek's proven calibration-free SI-Fi interposer technology, the Kodiak's innovative state-of-the-art design, and the new BusXpert analyzer software, users can more easily set up the analyzer hardware, more accurately probe PCIe signals, and more efficiently analyze traces.

Kodiak PCIe x16 Gen5 Analysis System

At the core of the Kodiak PCIe x16 analyzer is an embedded hardware architecture that delivers substantial and unparalleled advancements in capture, search, and processing acceleration. Interface responsiveness is markedly advanced, searches involving massive amounts of data are fast, and hardware filtering is flexible and powerful.

"Once installed in a customer test environment, the Kodiak's features and benefits are immediately obvious," said Paul Mutschler, CEO of SerialTek. "The user interface is modern, easy to use, and flexible. And in addition to being easy to set up and saving time, the calibration-free design supports 'real-world' PCIe link-training between the PCIe host and endpoint, making it more accurate."  

The analyzer supports up to 144GB trace captures and can save trace files directly to the analyzer's internal storage (up to 4TB), attached storage (USB3.2 or PCIe OCuLink), or can be downloaded via two 10GE (SFP+) ports or 1GE (RJ-45) network connections.

"Broadcom is pleased that SerialTek has expanded its test and analysis solutions to the x16 PCIe market with its new protocol analyzer, offering advanced PCIe diagnostic capabilities to data center customers that require more options for better hardware analysis," said Dan Roehrich, vice president of IC Development, Data Center Solutions Group, Broadcom. "The PCIe ecosystem continues to thrive, with companies such as SerialTek, delivering cutting-edge technologies that enable customers to compute and receive faster access to data."

PCIe x16 Gen5 SI-Fi Interposers Add Convenience and Simplify Setup

SI-Fi interposer probes expand coverage to enable testing in critical areas, including link training (LTSSM), Power Management, Hot Plug, Reset, and other situations where the physical lane characteristics may change. The new PCIe x16 Gen5 SI-Fi interposer is highly accurate electrically and simple to use. The interposer is designed to secure the customer's device easily and safely and connects to the Kodiak analyzer via high-quality QSFP-DD cables. No tuning (calibration) is required. Host and endpoint signals pass through the interposer, allowing for real-world PCIe link training and easier setup. Competing PCIe analyzers and interposers typically require tuning, or calibration, which can lead to reliability issues as modern PCIe link training sequences can occur dynamically, not just at boot-up. With SI-Fi technology and Kodiak's adaptive EQ capabilities, users can save hours in setup time. If link characteristics change (e.g., Hot Plug or NSSR), Kodiak can follow those changes dynamically, ultimately saving the user's test.

PCIe Analysis from a Web Browser or the New BusXpert Electron^® App

Combined with the new BusXpert user interface, the Kodiak PCIe x16 Gen5 Analyzers features and benefits are easily accessible. Based on a new embedded software framework and REST API, BusXpert seamlessly integrates with Kodiak hardware. Accessed via a web browser or SerialTek's new Electron^®-based app, BusXpert includes a suite of powerful triggers, filters, and trace processing capabilities coupled with a new user interface for fast, easy, and reliable decoding. Users can work with trace files collaboratively in real-time and remotely verify proper configuration of the analyzer and interposers, including visual identification of cables, link status, recording status, and much more. The new REST API makes automation straightforward and efficient, providing programmatic facilities for monitoring and capturing traffic, statistical analyses, and detailed searching. Kodiak's advanced hardware design also means there is no need to download a multi-gigabyte trace before the user can begin to review the analysis - data is ready immediately.

Availability, Product Photos, and Information

For more information, including software downloads, contact [email protected] or visit www.serialtek.com.

About SerialTek

SerialTek, an Ellisys company, is a provider of innovative protocol test and analysis tools for the data center and storage industry. Leading manufacturers depend on our products to improve product quality and drive time-to-market requirements. SerialTek solutions support a variety of standards, including PCI Express (PCIe), Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), and Serial ATA (SATA).

SerialTek, the SerialTek logo, Kodiak, SI-Fi and BusXpert are trademarks of SerialTek, and may be registered in some jurisdictions. PCI Express® and PCIe® are registered trademarks of PCI-SIG® Corporation.  NVM Express®, NVMe™, and NVMe-oF™ are trademarks of NVM Express, Inc. Electron is the registered trademark of the OpenJS Foundation. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

SerialTek Contact: Simon Thomas, Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing
Phone: +1-720-204-2140
Email: [email protected] 

Related Images

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Kodiak PCIe Gen5x16
SerialTek's Kodiak PCIe Gen5x16 Protocol Analyzer

SOURCE SerialTek, LLC