Supporting Gen5 testing.

A new PCI Express test solution, supporting the Gen5 Base Specification Stressed Receiver Test has been released by Anritsu Corporation.

The new solution uses their Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A Series, which offers Automation Software for Base Specification Calibration and BER Measurement Software supporting the SKP Filter. With this release, customers can easily configure a measurement environment for early-stage development of Gen5 IP and devices, aiding faster introduction of PCI Express 5.0.

Costs are minimized as the MP1900A offers all the pattern generation, error detection, jitter generation and noise generation functions required for PCI Express tests in a single unit. Gen1 to Gen5 transmission speeds can be supported by upgrading the equipment via software, providing customers with a high performance PCI Express test solution at lower cost.

Development Background
New technologies, such as IoT and AI, are expected to see rapid growth as commercial rollout of 5G services makes it feasible to transmit large volumes of data at high speeds.

The data centers supporting these new technologies require increasingly faster processing and greater data handling capacity. This means that data-center transmission equipment, servers, and storage devices need internal interfaces able to support faster, higher-capacity data transmissions. Base Specification 5.0 of the next PCIe Gen5 standard has been completed and increases data transfer speeds to 32 GT/s. As a result, development of equipment supporting this standard is urgently required.

With this release, Anritsu supports Gen5 Rx tests for IP and inspection of devices in the early stages of standardization and development, offering all-in-one Gen1 to Gen5 measurement support. Expansion of measurement functions to meet new emerging standards and trends will also help customers design inspection times.

Outline of Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A Series
The Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A Series is a multichannel BER tester meeting the design and verification requirements for high-speed bus interfaces, such as PCI Express 4.0/5.0, USB3.2/4 and Thunderbolt, as well as next-generation network interfaces such as 200G/400G/800G Ethernet. The MP1900A series incorporates a built-in Pulse Pattern Generator for generating high-quality waveforms with industry-best-of-class levels (Intrinsic Jitter of 115 fs rms) plus a high-input-sensitivity Error Detector, as well as a high-accuracy Jitter generation source (SJ, RJ, SSC, BUJ), CM-I/DM-I/White Noise source, Link Training function and support for LTSSM analysis.

These features make it the ideal solution for various applications, including compliance tests, margin tests and troubleshooting. In addition, it also supports PAM4 evaluation of PAM4 devices, including optical modules and NICs, used by 200G/400G/800G Ethernet in data centers. Since a single unit covers both PCI Express and high-speed Ethernet applications, it supports the introduction of various next-generation interfaces while cutting equipment costs.

#TandM @Anritsu @NapierPR