The Sierra M122A is Teledyne LeCroy’s two port SAS / SATA analyzer with special licensing to allow 6 Gb/s protocol capture. This multifunction platform is available with an integrated traffic generation option capable of host and device emulation. There is also a “Jammer” option for stress testing at the system and component level. This model of the Sierra M122A is configured for 6Gbps SAS & SATA protocol capture and can be field-upgraded to support 12Gb/s SAS testing.
Based on the highly regarded Sierra M124A validation system, the M122A offers the same high-fidelity probe design in a lower-cost, 2-port, 6Gb/s configuration. The M122A can record two independent SAS or SATA links simultaneously. The platform can be upgraded to support 12Gb/s SAS plus traffic generation (Trainer) or error injection (InFusion) capabilities.
Unmatched Accuracy with T.A.P.3
The Sierra M122A features custom probe technology known as T.A.P.3 (Transparent Acquisition Probing) which has been field proven in Teledyne LeCroy's market-leading PCI Express, Fibre Channel and USB analyzer platforms. Designed to record SATA 6 Gb/s protocol with minimal impact on the signal-under-test, the Sierra M122A provides the most accurate picture of the SATA power-on reset behavior and speed negotiation timing.
Expert Analysis Software
From the link layer to the application layer, the Sierra analysis suite offers a wide range of traffic views and tools to enable engineers to easily zero-in on areas of interest. When working at the frame level, the Text View shows exchanges of frames and accompanying primitives. For viewing commands and frames in chronological order, the Spreadsheet View can filter out unwanted primitives and frames to simplify the display. The Sierra also features a hierarchical view for the application layer, logically assembling frames and primitives that are related to commands. The traditional hierarchical view groups commands, data, and status. The hierarchical display can be drilled-down to view the frame and link layers. All the analysis views can be used simultaneously synchronized and displayed within one application.
Innovative, Flexible, and Compact System Design
The Sierra's status indicators includes information on negotiated link speed, protocol error detection, link-up, out-of-band (OOB) and data frames currently on the bus. The LCD screen reports which user is currently connected to the Sierra system, the system IP address and status, which can be set from the front panel interface. Host connectivity to the Sierra includes support for both USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. The expansion port allows for future enhancements, such as providing DC power to a drive. The Sierra enclosure is easily positioned on the bench top or integrated into a 19" rack.
Pin-point triggering
From looking for a particular frame, to more complex events such as timing and status between events, Sierra's logical triggering algorithms give the engineer the ability to quickly define multiple logical state changes with 4 independent timers and counters. Sierra's powerful trigger capabilities include up to a 24-level state sequencer, the ability to pre-filter at each state, and the ability to assign individual triggers to each logical link. Triggering on specific header fields or commands is easy thanks to protocol-specific awareness. Spend more time engineering and less time searching for events with the deepest triggering available.
Automated Intelligence through software
With Sierra's transparent post-processing, searching, and hiding of unwanted traffic, analyzing the captured data has never been easier. Protocol-specific decoding, including the complete SAS and SATA command sets. Metrics are generated for every trace and allow engineers to easily determine what was captured at a glance. Performance reports can reveal command execution, errors, and other data traffic issues. Selecting from the broad range of reports provides each customer with rapid access to the information you seek.
A Practical Guide to 12Gb/s SAS Probing Methodologies
As Serial Attached SCSI 3.0 gains adoption in mainstream storage applications, server and system OEMs can benefit from the experience of the early adopters of SAS 12 Gb/s technology.
Target Emulation for the SAS protocol allows the DUT to be scanned and have the mode pages of the device saved and modified, allowing the Sierra system to initiate traffic and emulate a target for development and testing. The SAS Protocol Suite software provides an easy ability to identify the Device Under Test (DUT) and monitor performance during testing.
