Universal serial bus interpreter

• US 6,389,560 B1
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chew, Michael N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce P.
• Application Number:
  US09/232,983
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 714/40, 714/43, 714/44, 714/56, 710/17, 710/19
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/221 to test buses, lines or interfaces, e.g. stuck-at or open line faults
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A system and method for testing the conformance of a universal serial bus (USB) system to a set of predefined USB Specifications. One embodiment of the system comprises a USB interpreter that can be used to selectively examine device data, execute USB commands and exercise USB functions without having to create or compile a test program. The USB interpreter comprises a test application and a test application driver. The test application driver interfaces with the USB system software. The USB system software may include a USB driver, a host controller driver and other host software. The USB driver interfaces with the test application through the test application driver. The host controller driver interfaces with the host controller and thereby interfaces the software on the host system with the USB interconnect and USB devices. In one embodiment, the USB interpreter incorporates a command line interpreter through which a user can enter commands to perform specific operations and tests on the USB system. The user may execute commands in an operating system (e.g., Unix) shell without having to interrupt a USB testing or debugging session. The user may also enter commands and perform USB system testing remotely via a communications link between the user and the system'"'"'s host computer.

Claims

1. A test system for determining compliance of a universal serial bus (USB) system to a set of predetermined specifications comprising:

a computer system wherein said computer system is configured to execute a test application and USB system software and wherein said computer system includes a host controller;

a USB interconnect coupled to said computer system and configured to be controlled by said host controller;

wherein said computer system is configured to accept test commands from a user, execution of each of said test commands being associated with a corresponding USB system operation, said operation being performed upon execution of said test command.

2. The test system of claim 1 wherein said computer system comprises a Unix operating environment, wherein said test application comprises a command line interpreter configured to accept said test commands via individually entered command lines and wherein said user may enter both Unix commands and said test commands, said test commands being executed by said test system and said Unix commands being executed by a Unix shell.

3. The test system of claim 1 wherein said test application is configured to perform a predetermined series of said operations in response to a user input.

4. The test system of claim 3 wherein said series of operations comprises a set of USB standard device requests.

5. The test system of claim 3 wherein said series of operations comprises a set of USB architecture functions.

6. The test system of claim 1 further comprising a communications link between said computer system and a remote location and wherein said test commands are entered into said computer system from said remote location via said communications link.

7. The test system of claim 6 wherein data generated as a result of execution of said test command is transmitted to said remote location via said communications link.

8. The test system of claim 1 further comprising one or more USB devices coupled to said USB interconnect.

9. The test system of claim 8 wherein said test application is configured to enumerate said one or more USB devices and to display data representative of said enumerated USB devices to said user, and wherein said test application is further configured to enable selection of one of said enumerated USB devices.

10. The test system of claim 8 wherein said test application is configured to enumerate said one or more USB devices and wherein said test commands are configured to designate a particular one of said USB devices for said operation.

11. The test system of claim 10 wherein each of said USB devices has one or more endpoints and wherein said test commands are configured to designate a particular one of said endpoints for said operation.

12. The test system of claim 8 wherein said test application and said USB system software are configured to recognize attachment of one or more additional USB devices to said USB interconnect and wherein said test application and said USB system software are configured to recognize removal of one or more of said USB devices to said USB interconnect.

13. The test system of claim 8 wherein said test application is configured to store state information associated with at least one of said USB devices.

14. The test system of claim 8 wherein said test application is configured to establish one or more pipes between said test application and one or more corresponding endpoints in said USB devices.

15. The test system of claim 1 wherein said USB system operation is a multi-step function and wherein said test system is configured to execute said USB system operation in a single-step mode.

16. The test system of claim 15 further comprising a logic analyzer coupled to said USB interconnect, said logic analyzer being configured to generate data indicative of signal traffic on said USB during execution of said USB system operation.

17. A method for testing a function of a universal serial bus (USB) system of a computer, said USB system having a USB interconnect, one or more USB interfaces and one or more USB devices, the method comprising:

entering a test command on said computer;

interpreting said test command using a command line interpreter;

executing an operation associated with said test command;

transmitting a test signal to said USB system; and

validating a test result generated by said USB system in response to said test signal.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said operation is a USB interface function and wherein said test signal is transmitted to one of said USB interfaces of said USB system.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said operation is a standard device request and wherein said test signal is transmitted to one of said one or more USB devices of said USB system.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said computer system is coupled to a remote location via a communications link and wherein entering said test command comprises entering said test command at said remote location and transmitting said test command over said communications link to said computer system.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising entering a shell command on said computer and executing said shell command in an operating system shell running on said computer.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein executing said operation occurs in a single-step mode.

23. A method for testing a universal serial bus (USB) system, the USB system including a host computer system, a USB interconnect coupled to the host computer system and one or more USB devices coupled to the USB interconnect, the method comprising:

creating a node corresponding to one of said one or more USB devices;

opening said node;

obtaining state information for said one of said one or more USB devices;

storing said state information;

executing one or more tests based on said state information, each of said one or more tests corresponding to a particular function of said USB system; and

validating the results of said one or more tests.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein creating said node comprises enumerating said USB system to identify said one or more USB devices and creating nodes for said devices.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein obtaining state information for said one of said one or more USB devices comprises requesting one or more descriptors from said one of said one or more USB devices.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said tests comprise tests of USBAI functions.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said tests further comprise tests of standard device request functions.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said tests correspond to one or more command lines entered by a user and interpreted by a command line interpreter.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein entering said command lines further comprises transmitting said command lines to said computer system from a remote location.