Method and apparatus for testing network interfaces
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method to test electrical characteristics of a port-under-test, the method comprising:
- establishing a communication link to the port-under-test using a test cable connected between the port-under-test and a test port, having a medium dependent interface (MDI) and an integrated transceiver having a diagnostic digital receiver;
configuring the diagnostic digital receiver;
probing at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal originating from the port-under test over at least one wire pair within the test cable while maintaining the communications link to the port-under test;
processing the at least one probed diagnostic digital receiver signal into a measurement;
adjusting the measurement to remove from the measurement at least one predetermined power characteristic associated with at least one of;
the test cable;
the MDI; and
the diagnostic digital receiver; and
comparing the adjusted measurement to a predetermined standard for the port-under-test.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus provide for a system to measure transceiver parameters and test network interfaces at a physical layer without requiring specialized interface fixtures and excessive preparation and intervention.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method to test electrical characteristics of a port-under-test, the method comprising:
-
establishing a communication link to the port-under-test using a test cable connected between the port-under-test and a test port, having a medium dependent interface (MDI) and an integrated transceiver having a diagnostic digital receiver; configuring the diagnostic digital receiver; probing at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal originating from the port-under test over at least one wire pair within the test cable while maintaining the communications link to the port-under test; processing the at least one probed diagnostic digital receiver signal into a measurement; adjusting the measurement to remove from the measurement at least one predetermined power characteristic associated with at least one of; the test cable; the MDI; and the diagnostic digital receiver; and comparing the adjusted measurement to a predetermined standard for the port-under-test. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
wherein the port-under-test comprises the calibration test port; and further comprising retaining the inter-symbol interference measurement attributable to the test cable, to the medium dependent interface, and to the diagnostic digital receiver as a calibration.
-
-
6. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the diagnostic digital receiver comprises establishing a predetermined receiver gain;
-
wherein probing the at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal comprises probing a corrected digital signal and a reproduced digital signal; wherein processing the at least one probed diagnostic digital receiver signal into a measurement comprises computing power of the corrected digital signal and the reproduced digital signal averaged over a predetermined time interval; wherein adjusting the measurement to remove from the measurement at least on predetermined power characteristic comprises removing a predetermined noise power level attributable to the diagnostic digital receiver from the corrected digital signal power; and wherein comparing the adjusted measurement comprises computing a difference between the adjusted corrected digital signal power and the reproduced digital signal power and comparing that difference to the reproduced digital signal power.
-
-
7. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the diagnostic digital receiver comprises:
-
establishing a predetermined receiver gain; establishing a predetermined transmitter level; wherein probing the at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal comprises probing at least one canceller filter coefficient for the at least one wire pair; wherein processing the at least one probed diagnostic digital receiver signal into a measurement comprises computing power of the at least one canceller filter coefficient averaged over a predetermined time interval; wherein adjusting the measurement to remove from the measurement at least on predetermined power characteristic comprises; removing a predetermined canceller filter coefficient power attributable to the test cable, the medium dependent interface, and the diagnostic digital receiver from each probed canceller filter coefficient; summing power levels from the at least one adjusted canceller filter coefficient; and wherein comparing the adjusted measurement comprises comparing the adjusted measurement to a predetermined power transmitted to the port-under-test on the wire pair.
-
-
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
-
configuring a second different test port to be a calibration test port terminated with a nominal impedance; connecting the calibration test port as the port-under-test; and retaining the predetermined power characteristic measurement as a calibration.
-
-
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
-
configuring a second different test port to be a calibration test port terminated with a predetermined mismatch impedance; connecting the calibration test port as the port-under-test; computing transmit power from the adjusted measurement in combination with a predetermined return loss associated with the predetermined mismatch impedance; retaining the transmit power as the power transmitted; and wherein probing the at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal comprises probing at least one echo canceller filter coefficient for at least one wire pair.
-
-
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal on the at least one wire pair is an Ethernet signal, the integrated transceiver comprises an Ethernet transceiver, the port-under-test comprises an Ethernet port and the test port and the port-under-test are coupled by an Ethernet patch cable;
- and
wherein while measurements are performed the Ethernet port-under-test is in a state of one of; idle transmission; and transmitting arbitrary packet data.
- and
-
11. A method to test electrical characteristics of a port-under-test, the method comprising:
-
establishing a communication link to the port-under-test using a test cable, the test cable connected between the port-under-test and a test port, the test port having an integrated transceiver, a physical layer impairment generator, and a medium dependent interface, the medium dependent interface having a wideband impairment coupler; generating at least one pre-characterized physical layer impairment; applying at least one pre-characterized physical layer impairment through the wideband impairment coupler to at least one wire pair of the test cable; obtaining at least one status indication from the integrated transceiver while maintaining an idle communications link to the port-under-test; obtaining at least one status indication from the integrated transceiver while transmitting arbitrary packet data to the port-under-test; analyzing the at least one status indication from the integrated transceiver; and determining disruption of integrity and stability of the communication link caused by at least one pre-characterized physical layer impairment from the at least one status indication. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A system to measure transceiver parameters comprising:
-
a test port comprising a microcontroller; a medium dependent interface in communication with the microcontroller and including a wideband physical layer impairment coupler; an integrated transceiver in communication with the microcontroller and the medium dependent interface, the integrated transceiver comprising; a diagnostic digital receiver including a digital differential power detector; and a transmitter; and a memory including at least one predetermined power characteristic from at least one of; a test cable; the medium dependent interface; and the diagnostic digital receiver. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A computer readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions for a method comprising:
-
establishing a communication link to the port-under-test using a test cable connected between a port-under-test and a test port, having a medium dependent interface (MDI) and an integrated transceiver having a diagnostic digital receiver; configuring the diagnostic digital receiver; probing at least one diagnostic digital receiver signal originating from the port-under test over at least one wire pair within the test cable while maintaining the communications link to the port-under test; processing the at least one probed diagnostic digital receiver signal into a measurement; adjusting the measurement to remove from the measurement at least one predetermined power characteristic associated with at least one of; the test cable; the MDI; and the diagnostic digital receiver; and comparing the adjusted measurement to a predetermined standard for the port-under-test.
-
Specification