Test apparatus and test method

• US 8,149,721 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Shinichi, Goishi, Masaru, Nakayama, Hiroyasu, Tsuto, Masaru, Sugimura, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIYAMI, ABDULLA A
• Application Number:
  US12/569,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20100142391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/230, 370/235, 370/241, 370/241.1, 370/242, 370/243, 370/244, 370/245, 370/246, 370/250, 370/251, 370/252, 370/392, 370/394, 714/25, 714/27, 714/26, 714/33, 714/39, 714/57, 714/46, 714/103, 714/718, 714/724, 714/726, 714/728, 714/729, 714/731, 714/734, 714/733, 714/735, 714/738, 714/741, 714/742, 714/744, 702/57, 702/79, 702/108, 702/118, 702/119, 702/124, 702/125, 379/26.01, 379/27.04, 379/29.01, 379/26.02, 379/27.01, 379/27.02, 379/27.03, 709/223, 709/236
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

There is provided a test apparatus for testing a device under test, including an obtaining section that obtains a packet sequence communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test, from a simulation environment for simulating an operation of the device under test, a packet communication program generating section that generates from the packet sequence a packet communication program for a test, where the packet communication program is to be executed by the test apparatus to communicate packets included in the packet sequence between the test apparatus and the device under test, and a testing section that executes the packet communication program to test the device under test by communicating the packets between the test apparatus and the device under test.

Claims

1. A test apparatus for testing a device under test, comprising:

an obtaining section that obtains a packet sequence communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test, from a simulation environment for simulating an operation of the device under test;

a packet communication program generating section that generates from the packet sequence a packet communication program for a test, the packet communication program to be executed by the test apparatus to communicate packets included in the packet sequence between the test apparatus and the device under test; and

a testing section that executes the packet communication program to test the device under test by communicating the packets between the test apparatus and the device under test,

wherein the testing section includes,

a packet list processing section that executes the packet communication program to sequentially designate each of the packets communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test;

a sequencer that sequentially executes the instructions included an instruction sequence for the packet designated by the packet list processing section, and causes a data sequence for the packet designated by the packet list processing section to be sequentially output in accordance with the execution of the instruction sequence, so that a test data sequence designed for testing the device under test is generated;

a transmitting/receiving section that transmits and receives the data sequence for the packet that is generated by the sequencer to/from the device under test;

a packet list storing section that stores a plurality of packet lists extracted from the packet communication program, each packet list including a series of packets communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test; and

a flow control section that designates an order of executing the plurality of packet lists in accordance with an execution flow of the packet communication program, and

wherein the packet list processing section executes each packet list sequentially designated by the flow control section and sequentially designates to the sequencer each packet communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test.

2. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the obtaining section monitors packets communicated by the device under test during a simulation by the simulation environment to obtain the packet sequence communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test.

3. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the obtaining section extracts the packet sequence communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test, from a waveform dump of an input/output signal of the device under test obtained as a result of a simulation by the simulation environment.

4. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the obtaining section identifies a type of a packet communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test based on packet definition data, the packet definition data defining in association with each packet type the data sequence included in the packet of the packet type.

5. The test apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein

the testing section further includes

a packet data sequence storing section that stores, in association with each said packet type, a data sequence designated by the packet definition data, and

the sequencer reads from the packet data sequence storing section a data sequence for the packet designated by the packet list processing section to generate the test data sequence used for testing the device under test.

6. A test method for testing a device under test by a testing apparatus, comprising:

obtaining a packet sequence communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test, from a simulation environment for simulating an operation of the device under test;

generating from the packet sequence a packet communication program for a test, the packet communication program to be executed by the test apparatus to communicate packets included in the packet sequence between the test apparatus and the device under test; and

executing the packet communication program to test the device under test by communicating the packets between the test apparatus and the device under test

wherein a testing section that executes the packet communication program includes,

a packet list processing section that executes the packet communication program to sequentially designate each of the packets communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test;

a sequencer that sequentially executes the instructions included an instruction sequence for the packet designated by the packet list processing section, and causes a sequence for the packet designated by the packet list processing section to be sequentially output in accordance with the execution of the instruction sequence, so that a test data sequence designed for testing the device under test is generated;

a transmitting/receiving section that transmits and receives the data sequence for the packet that is generated by the sequencer to/from the device under test;

a packet list storing section that stores a plurality of packet lists extracted from the packet communication program, each packet list including a series of packets communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test; and

a flow control section that designates an order of executing the plurality of packet lists in accordance with an execution flow of the packet communication program, and

wherein the packet list processing section executes each packet list sequentially designated by the flow control section and sequentially designates to the sequencer each packet communicated between the test apparatus and the device under test.