Serially controlled programmable test network

• US 5,257,393 A
• Filed: 03/12/1992
• Issued: 10/26/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JRM Consultants Incorporated
• Original Assignee: JRM Consultants Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Jon R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONAGHUE, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US07/850,221
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/275, 395/775, 395/250, 395/500, 395/575, 395/425, 340/835.5
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units

Abstract

A connector and data analyzer operate with a network of data storage devices connected to a serial data link. An arbitrarily large number of data storage devices may be connected via a serial data link with use of the connectors. Each device is connected to the serial data link by a connector. In one aspect of this invention, the converter is a microprocessor based system which functions to interface with the serial data link network and the bus attached to the peripheral device. In one embodiment, the microprocessor based system is generally composed of a network processor system and a device processor system. The converter may comprise a network processor which functions to maintain network continuity, monitors the serial data link for commands to the selected peripheral device, and provides command and information to a programmable device processor portion of the converter. The programmable device processor is configurable to interface with various bus requirements, and transfers control and data information to and from the peripheral device over the device bus. An important application of this invention is in providing a network for testing or analyzing peripheral devices via a host computer.

Claims

1. A network system for serially connecting a host processing system to plurality of computer peripherals, for testing said plurality of computer peripherals, the network comprising:

a host processing system for sending and receiving tokens, wherein the received tokens include resultant test reports, which are further processed and displayed, and the sent tokens include instructions defining a test sequence and configuration commands, N programmable test systems,

a first serial connection between the host processing system and a first of the N programmable test systems,

N - 1 serial connections, providing a serial connection between the first of the N programmable test systems and a next programmable test system, each such programmable test system connected to a next one of said programmable test systems, until all N of said programmable test systems are connected one-to-one by a serial connection,

a bus attached to each of said programmable test system, and the bus is connected to one or more of said plurality of computer peripherals to be tested,

each programmable test system comprising;

a network processing system, wherein the network processing system includes;

means for receiving, sending and regenerating the tokens,

means for performing network addressing function and maintaining logical continuity along all of said serial connections,

first means for generating test information in response to said instructions defining a test sequence,

second means or generating a resultant test report in response to result information generated by a test processing system,

means for signaling the host processing system, that the resultant test report is ready for sending and sending upon the host processing system request,

means or interfacing with the test processing for sending at least the test information and the configuration commands and receiving at least the result information, and

test processing system including;

first means for interfacing with the network processing system for sending at least the result information and receiving at least the test information and the configuration commands,

means or reconfiguring in response to the configuration commands sent by the host processing system,

means for generating test patterns on the bus,

means or verifying a response from the bus to the test patterns,

means for logging errors, in response to the verification, as a part of the result information,

a second means for interfacing with the bus, including means for operating under the protocol of the bus.

2. The network system of claim 1, wherein the test processing system includes a microprocessor.

3. The network system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of computer peripherals includes at least one data storage device.

4. The network system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of computer peripherals employs small computer system interface (SCSI).

5. The network system of claim 1, wherein the network processing system includes a microprocessor.