SerialTek Introduces Innovative Modular PCIe® / NVMe™ Interposers and New Kodiak™ WebUI Management Interface

LONGMONT, Colo., Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SerialTek, a leading provider of protocol test solutions for PCI Express^® (PCIe), NVM Express^® (NVMe), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), and Serial ATA (SATA), today introduced new advancements in the PCIe and NVMe test and analysis market with the release of two new SI-Fi™ interposers for EDSFF E1.S, E1.L, E3.S and for PCIe cable form factors, including OCuLink (SFF-8611), MiniSAS-HD (SFF-8674), and SlimSAS (SFF-8654). These new PCIe interposers represent an innovative approach using new modular "interposer pods", making it easy to analyze different form factors and quickly change setups, and reduce costs. SerialTek is also providing early access to a new web browser interface to more easily set up and remotely manage Kodiak PCIe analyzers and their connected SI-Fi interposers.

New EDSFF and PCIe Cable Interposers Add Convenience, Reduce Costs, and Simplify Setup

In addition to being highly accurate electrically and simple to use like all SerialTek SI-Fi interposers, the new EDSFF interposer is mechanically modular and easily converts from E1.S to E1.L to E3.S form factors in a single unit, an industry first for E3.X.  The included EDSFF host adapters are easy to change and plug into a host system. High-quality cabling (instead of lossy PCB material) from the interposer to the storage enclosure preserves signal quality while adding flexibility, saving customers money and providing for safe placement of the device under test (DUT) on a bench or in a test rack. Additionally, SerialTek's patent-pending tool-less EDSFF interposer tray easily converts to securely hold E1.S, E1.L, or E3.S SSD's.

The PCIe cable interposer is also a modular, cost-saving design, making setup simple with captive thumbscrews to easily change form factors. The cable interposer supports OCuLink (SFF-8611), MiniSAS-HD (SFF-8674), and SlimSAS (SFF-8654) form factors and can use the same or different form factors at the same time (e.g. OCuLink to SFF-8674).  And with SerialTek's SI-Fi technology continuing to advance, all the new interposers are calibration-free,  too.

"I've been using protocol analyzers for 31 years and PCIe analyzers and interposers extensively for the past 5 years. We use them for important assignments that affect revenue and customer satisfaction," said John Wehman, Principal Applications Engineer at Phison Technology. "With other analyzers I have had to abandon my testing many times, because I could not find a good quality signal lock. SerialTek's Kodiak analyzer and SI-Fi interposers have changed all that. I have 100% confidence in Kodiak's ability to achieve lock and give me the trace I need to do my job. Kudos to Ellisys and SerialTek for creating not only an electrically reliable platform, but the actual mechanical hardware itself is beautiful."

"EDSFF, OCuLink, SlimSAS, and HDMini-SAS are increasingly present on newer PCIe Gen4 and NVMe computing and storage platforms," said Paul Mutschler, CEO of SerialTek. "It is important to our customers that we deliver premium interposers that deliver excellent value, are the easiest to use, the most accurate, and perform the same regardless of form factor. That is what we delivered with our initial SI-Fi interposers and the Kodiak PCIe Analysis platform, and now with these new EDSFF and PCIe cable interposers, our customers can analyze PCIe and NVMe throughout their architecture better than ever."

Beta Level Support for WebUI Browser Interface

SerialTek is announcing beta level support for the new Kodiak PCIe Analyzer WebUI browser interface. Coupled with the Kodiak PCIe Gen4 Analysis System, users can verify proper configuration of the analyzer and interposers, including visual identification of incorrect or damaged cables, link status, and recording status. "When we released the Kodiak PCIe Analyzer and the first SI-Fi interposers earlier this year, we were already focused on making analyzers more collaborative and easier to use from a distance," says Simon Thomas, Sr. Director of Sales. "The new WebUI helps our customers in different locations view the same system at the same time and work together more efficiently. With so many engineers working remotely now, often relying on another person in the lab, we wanted to get access to these tools to them as soon as possible. There's an exciting roadmap for SerialTek's WebUI and we are looking forward to rolling out more capabilities there in the future." Available WebUI functions include: save, zip, local trace download, real-time online system status, interposer status, recording status, system and network settings (Linux), user management, REST API library, and much more.

Availability, Product Photos, and Information

EDSFF, SFF-8644, OCuLink, and SlimSAS interposers are available for immediate purchase, with shipments 6 weeks from order placement. For more information, including software downloads, contact or visit www.serialtek.com. A high-resolution picture of the product is available at https://www.serialtek.com/si-fi-pcie-gen4-interposers

Kodiak Platform Complements SI-Fi Technology with an Advanced Processing Architecture

SerialTek SI-Fi interposers work in conjunction with the Kodiak PCIe/NVMe Gen4 Analysis System. The Kodiak platform introduces major performance-oriented innovations made possible by an embedded architecture that breaks free from legacy data upload practices in favor of advanced, optimized embedded data processing, fully reimagined by SerialTek engineering from the ground up to handle latest- and future-generation PCIe technologies. Interface responsiveness is markedly advanced, searches involving massive amounts of data are fast, and hardware filtering is flexible and powerful. For more information on the Kodiak platform, please visit www.serialtek.com. 

About SerialTek

SerialTek, an Ellisys company, is a provider of innovative protocol test and analysis tools for the datacenter 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, LLC | 1551 S. Sunset St. Suite A | Longmont, CO | 80501

Protocol Test Solutions for Storage and Data Centers

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. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

Media contact:
Simon Thomas
[email protected]
+1-720-204-2140

Related Images

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PCIe Gen4 Cable Interposer

SOURCE SerialTek, LLC