Products
Protocol Analyzers

Sierra M122A

The Sierra M122A is Teledyne LeCroy’s two port SAS / SATA analyzer with special licensing to allow 6 Gb/s protocol capture. This multifunction platform is available with an integrated traffic generation option capable of host and device emulation. There is also a “Jammer” option for stress testing at the system and component level. This model of the Sierra M122A is configured for 6Gbps SAS & SATA protocol capture and can be field-upgraded to support 12Gb/s SAS testing.

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Sierra T244  The Industry's first SAS 4.0 protocol analyzer provides accurate and reliable capture of up to four SAS 24 Gb/s physical links for efficient test and debug of next generation storage systems.
Sierra M244  The industry's first SAS 4.0 protocol analyzer / jammer / exerciser system for testing next generation storage systems, devices and software.
Sierra M124A  The flagship four port analyzer, exerciser and error injection system provides the most accurate and reliable capture of SAS 12 Gb/s protocol for fast debug, analysis and problem solving.
Sierra M122A  Two port Serial ATA (SATA) & Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) analyzer / exerciser platform; Supports 6Gb/s (upgradeable to support 12Gb/s SAS)
Serial ATA Test and Verification: Teledyne LeCroy's protocol analysis tools are designed from the ground up to address these unique characteristics of Serial ATA. Teledyne LeCroy's analysis and design suites are developed specifically for use with the SAS and SATA protocols, and provide extensive protocol decoding, expert error analysis, and complete user support when decoding and viewing the recorded traffic. This extensive protocol support, combined with the different traffic views, advanced triggering, data filtering, traffic generation, and error injection capability, allows engineers to rapidly become familiar with SATA-specific issues, and quickly understand new issues the first time they encounter them.
Teledyne LeCroy provides everything needed for Serial ATA analysis including real-time hardware triggering and filtering on the critical components of Serial ATA traffic. Teledyne LeCroy's Expert Analysis software simplifies the overall debug process by using collapsible, color-coded packets to represent commands, FISs and primitives. This provides point-and-click "drill down" to lower level details along with the ease of use and understanding that Teledyne LeCroy is well known for.
Learn more about SATA (Serial ATA)Technology
SATA (Serial ATA) Overview
The storage industry is in the midst of a large-scale transition from parallel ATA, the dominant desktop storage interface, to Serial ATA. This migration reflects a broader transition across the industry to Serial technologies for computer-based communications. Driven primarily by lower voltages and costs required in future chipsets, Serial ATA is poised for industry-wide adoption. The specification thoughtfully preserves software compatibility with the Parallel ATA command set. What's more, it offers smaller, thinner, lower cost cables that also offer compatibility at the physical layer with the emerging Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) standard.
Features
  • Performance - Parallel ATA does not have scalability to support several more speed doublings, and it is nearing its performance capacity. By contrast, Serial ATA defines a roadmap starting at 1.5 gigabits per second (equivalent to a data rate of 150 MB/s) up to 6Gigabits per second.
  • Lower Voltage - Parallel ATA's 5-volt signaling requirement will be increasingly difficult to meet as the industry continues to reduce chip core voltages. Serial ATA is better aligned with future manufacturing processes. It reduces signaling voltages to approximately 250 millivolts (1/4 volt).
  • Pin Count - Currently, the parallel ATA interface has 26 signal pins going into the interface chip. Serial ATA uses only 4 signal pins, improving the pin efficiency and accommodating a highly integrated chip implementation.
  • Improved Cabling - Parallel ATA bulky ribbon cables contain 40-pin header connector. Serial ATA introduces thin, flexible cabling scheme that offers longer cables and improved airflow within the chassis.
  • Software Compatible - Serial ATA is compatible at the register level with parallel ATA. This means Serial ATA requires no changes to existing software and operating systems in order to function, and it provides backward compatibility with existing operating environments.
  • SAS Compatibility - A significant feature offered by Serial ATA is the expectation that SATA will be form-factor compatibility with Serial Attached SCSI. SATA drives will plug directly into Serial Attached SCSI connectors and if supported in the system, will transparently operate as a SATA device. This allows systems to be deployed that can use either Serial Attached SCSI drives, for their high performance or SATA drives that will provide a lower-cost-per-megabyte storage platform.
  • SATA DevSleep™ - The latest SATA 3.2 specification includes DevSleep, a new feature designed to reduce power consumption and allow longer battery life as well as energy savings in the data center. It re-uses the 3.3V power pin on the SATA interface to instruct the device to enter the Sleep state where it uses less power than Slumber mode. With most low power modes, this new feature requires extensive testing at the protocol layer to ensure a seamless user experience.
Architecture
  • Serial ATA is a full duplex protocol. There is a continuous flow of signals from each device moving down the bus. The device and host are transmitting (TX) and receiving (RX) at the same time.
  • Bidirectional traffic pattern eliminates the need for bus negotiation overhead
  • Data characters vs Primitives - Primitives are the simplest elements within the Serial ATA protocol. Primitives are 32-bit DWORDs used to initiate control of the serial line functions (X_RDY, CONT, etc...). In addition to these "handshaking" and flow control signals, Primitives are also used to delimit or "frame" user data.
  • Frame Information Structure (FIS) - A frame is an indivisible unit of information exchanged between a host and device. A frame consists of a SOF primitive, a Frame Information Structure (FIS), a CRC calculated over the contents of the FIS, and an EOF primitive. A FIS is the user payload of a frame; a frame is a group of Dwords that convey information between host and device as described previously.

 

Flexible, Cost Effective 6G Protocol Test System
Based on the highly regarded Sierra M124A validation system, the M122A offers the same high-fidelity probe design in a lower-cost, 2-port, 6Gb/s configuration. The M122A can record two independent SAS or SATA links simultaneously. The platform can be upgraded to support 12Gb/s SAS plus traffic generation (Trainer) or error injection (InFusion) capabilities.

 

 

Unmatched Accuracy with T.A.P.3
The Sierra M122A features custom probe technology known as T.A.P.3 (Transparent Acquisition Probing) which has been field proven in Teledyne LeCroy's market-leading PCI Express, Fibre Channel and USB analyzer platforms. Designed to record SATA 6 Gb/s protocol with minimal impact on the signal-under-test, the Sierra M122A provides the most accurate picture of the SATA power-on reset behavior and speed negotiation timing.

 

 

Expert Analysis Software
From the link layer to the application layer, the Sierra analysis suite offers a wide range of traffic views and tools to enable engineers to easily zero-in on areas of interest. When working at the frame level, the Text View shows exchanges of frames and accompanying primitives. For viewing commands and frames in chronological order, the Spreadsheet View can filter out unwanted primitives and frames to simplify the display. The Sierra also features a hierarchical view for the application layer, logically assembling frames and primitives that are related to commands. The traditional hierarchical view groups commands, data, and status. The hierarchical display can be drilled-down to view the frame and link layers. All the analysis views can be used simultaneously synchronized and displayed within one application.

 

 

Innovative, Flexible, and Compact System Design
The Sierra's status indicators includes information on negotiated link speed, protocol error detection, link-up, out-of-band (OOB) and data frames currently on the bus. The LCD screen reports which user is currently connected to the Sierra system, the system IP address and status, which can be set from the front panel interface. Host connectivity to the Sierra includes support for both USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. The expansion port allows for future enhancements, such as providing DC power to a drive. The Sierra enclosure is easily positioned on the bench top or integrated into a 19" rack.

 

sierranet protocol analyzer

Pin-point triggering
From looking for a particular frame, to more complex events such as timing and status between events, Sierra's logical triggering algorithms give the engineer the ability to quickly define multiple logical state changes with 4 independent timers and counters. Sierra's powerful trigger capabilities include up to a 24-level state sequencer, the ability to pre-filter at each state, and the ability to assign individual triggers to each logical link. Triggering on specific header fields or commands is easy thanks to protocol-specific awareness. Spend more time engineering and less time searching for events with the deepest triggering available.

 

sierranet protocol analyzer

Automated Intelligence through software
With Sierra's transparent post-processing, searching, and hiding of unwanted traffic, analyzing the captured data has never been easier. Protocol-specific decoding, including the complete SAS and SATA command sets. Metrics are generated for every trace and allow engineers to easily determine what was captured at a glance. Performance reports can reveal command execution, errors, and other data traffic issues. Selecting from the broad range of reports provides each customer with rapid access to the information you seek.

 

Protocols SupportedSAS and SATA
Data Rates Supported12 Gb/s, 6 Gb/s, 3 Gb/s and 1.5 Gb/s
Trace Memory SizeUp to 32 GB
No of Ports SupportedM122A: Up to 2 ports
M124A: Up to 4 ports
CascadeableM122A: Up to 16 ports
M124A: Up to 32 ports
TriggeringAdvanced State Machine Trigger
FilteringPre-recording and Post-recording
Spread Spectrum ClockingYes
Performance AnalysisYes
Simulated Waveform Display of OOBYes
Data Bus InterfaceM122A: MiniSAS HD Connectors
Front Panel ConnectorM122A: MiniSAS HD Initiator, MiniSAS HD Target, External Trigger In/Out, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet
Front Panel IndicatorsM122A: LEDs (Trigger, Error, Line, Link Speed, Frame/OOB) for each of 2 initiators and 2 Targets; Status Display Panel
Rear Panel ConnectorsM122A: AC Power, Expansion Slot
Host RequirementsWindows 8.1 / Windows 7 / Windows XP / Windows Server 2012 (x64) / Windows Server 2008 (R2)
Host InterfaceUSB3.0 or USB2.0 or  Gbe
DimensionsM122A: 39.4 x 36.3 x 4.45 cm (15.5” x 14.3” x 1.75”)
WeightM122A: 3.0 Kg (7.5 lbs)
Power RequirementsM122A: 90-254 VAC, 47-63 Hz, 200W Max
Environmental
Operating Temperature0 to 50 C (32 to 121 F)
Non-operating-20 to 80 C (-4 to 176 F)
Operating Humidity10% to 90% RH (non-condensing)
Sierra Error Injector (Jammer)
Sierra SAS Traffic Generator
SAS 6 Gbps Analysis Option
CrossSync Multi-Protocol Analysis option
Sierra External Power Expansion Card v2
SAS Verification Option
1U Zero Carrying Case