Remote testing of an electronic device via network connection

• US 20080137543A1
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitra, Somnath
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

An electronic device having logic that allows testing the device via a network interface is disclosed herein. The electronic device comprises the following. The electronic device has testing logic that receives test input signals and generate a test output signal. The electronic device has a network interface that is operable to receive network packets. The electronic device has packet processing logic communicatively coupled to the network interface that is able to determine whether a packet received in the network interface is a packet for testing the apparatus. The packet processing logic extracts test information from packets received on the network interface that are determined to be test packets, and generates the test input signals for the testing logic from the extracted test information. The packet processing logic incorporate test results into network packets based on the test output signal from the testing logic.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

first logic that receives test input signals and generates a test output signal;

a network interface that is operable to receive network packets;

second logic communicatively coupled to the network interface and that is operable to;

determine whether a packet received on the network interface is a packet for testing the apparatus;

extract test information from packets received on the network interface that are determined to be test packets;

generate the test input signals for the first logic from the extracted test information; and

incorporate test results into network packets based on the test output signal from the first logic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second logic is further operable to determine whether an address in a packet received in the network interface matches an address stored in the apparatus in order to determine whether a packet received on the network interface is a packet for testing the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the address is a media control access (MAC) address.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second logic is further operable to perform an authentication process with a source of a packet that is determined to be a test packet.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first logic is operable to perform one or more tests on the apparatus based on the test data signals and to generate the test result data signals based on the one or more tests.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test input signals and the test output signal are substantially compliant with a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising logic to program a register in the second logic with information to determine whether a packet is a test packet.

8. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to:

determine whether a packet received on a network interface is a packet for testing an apparatus;

extract test information from packets received on the network interface that the logic determines are test packets;

generate test input signals from the extracted test information;

receive a test output signal; and

incorporate test results into network packets based on the received test output signal.

9. The logic encoded in one or more tangible media of claim 8, wherein the logic that is operable to determine whether a packet received on the network interface is a packet for testing the apparatus is further operable, when executed, to determine whether an address in a packet received in the network interface matches an address stored in the apparatus.

10. The logic encoded in one or more tangible media of claim 9, wherein the address is a media control access (MAC) address.

11. The logic encoded in one or more tangible media of claim 8, wherein when executed the logic is further operable to perform an authentication process with a source of a packet that is determined to be a test packet.

12. The logic encoded in one or more tangible media of claim 8, wherein when executed the logic is further operable to perform one or more tests on the apparatus based on the test input signals and to generate the test output signal based on the one or more tests.

13. The logic encoded in one or more tangible media of claim 8, wherein the test input signals and the test output signal are substantially compliant with a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) interface.

14. The logic encoded in one or more tangible media of claim 8, further comprising logic to program a register with information to determine whether a packet is a test packet.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a packet on a network interface of a device;

determining whether a packet received in the network interface is a test packet for testing the device;

in response to determining that the packet is a test packet performing the following;

extracting test information from packets received on the network interface that are determined to be test packets; and

generating test input signals from the extracted test information;

providing the test input signals to testing logic in the device;

receiving a test output signal from the testing logic;

incorporating test results into network packets based on the test output signal; and

forwarding the packets on the network interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether a packet is a test packet comprises determining whether the packet is addressed to an address that is stored in the device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the address is a media control access (MAC) address.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising performing an authentication process with a source of a packet that is determined to be a test packet.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising performing one or more tests on the apparatus based on the test input signals and generating the test output signal based on the one or more tests.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the test input signals and the test output signal are substantially compliant with a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) interface.