Keysight N5991 Test Automation Software Platform Getting

Getting Started Guide

Keysight N5991 Test Automation Software Platform

Notices© Keysight Technologies 2020

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Manual Part NumberN5991-91011

Edition

Edition 1.0, September 2020

Keysight Technologies Deutschland GmbHHerrenberger Strasse 130,71034 Böblingen, Germany

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2 Keysight N5991 Test Automation Software Platform Getting Started Guide

Keysight N5991 PCIe Test Automation Software Platform User Guide 3

Contents

1 Introduction

Overview 6

Test Automation Software Platform 7

2 Installation Prerequisites

Software Requirements 10

Hardware Requirements 11

3 Software Installation and Update

Download the Software 14

Software Installation 15

Software Update 22

4 Starting and Registering the Software

Starting Registered Software 24

Software Registration 24

5 Using the Software

Starting Test Station Configurator 28Test Station Selection 28 Test Station Configuration 30Test Instrument Configuration 31Using Keysight IO VISA Connection Expert 33

4 Keysight N5991 PCIe Test Automation Software Platform User Guide

Contents

Starting the Test Station 35Configuring the DUT 37Main Window 39

Selecting, Modifying, and Running Test 40 System Calibration 40 Selecting Procedures 40 Modifying Parameters 40

Running Procedures 43

Results 46Run-Time Data Display 46Results Workbook 48Icons Representation 49

N5991 Data Structure 52 Calibrations 52 Settings 52 Pattern 52 SParameters 53 N5991 Backup 53

6 Additional Tools

ValiFrame Remote Interface 56

IBerReader Interface 57

7 Troubleshooting and Support

Troubleshooting 60

Support 61



1 Introduction

Overview / 6Test Automation Software Platform / 7


1 Introduction

Overview

This N5991 Getting Started Guide provides information for an initial setupof the N5991 Test Automation Software Platform.

This guide focuses on how to start the N5991 Software, run theprocedures with the desired hardware configurations, and obtain theresults.

Keysight N5991 Test Automation Software Platform Getting Started Guide 7

Introduction 1

Test Automation Software Platform

The N5991 Test Automation Software Platform, “ValiFrame” is an openand flexible framework for automating tests such as electrical compliancetests for digital buses. The N5991 supports a wide range of buses, forexample, PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), USB(Universal Serial Bus) HDMI (High-definition Multimedia Interface), MIPI(Mobile Industry Processor Interface) etc.

The product runs on a standard PC that controls a wide range of testhardware. Typically, the hardware comprises instruments for stimulus andresponse tests such as arbitrary waveform generators, BERTs (Bit ErrorRatio Testers), and oscilloscopes.

N5991 is implemented in C# within the Microsoft .NET Framework.


1 Introduction




Software Requirements / 10Hardware Requirements / 11



Software Requirements

• OS Windows® 10 64-bit, English version

• Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.7.1 or higher

• Keysight IO Libraries Suite 18.1 or higher

Recommendation:

• Microsoft Office Excel 2016 or higher, English version

During the installation process of the Test Automation Software, the installer wizard will check for the required software. If any of them is not installed, a link to the specific page for downloading will be available (refer to Figure 5).


Installation Prerequisites 2

Hardware Requirements

• Connectivity hardware for instrumentation, depending on configuration e.g. USB 3.0, Ethernet.

Recommendation:

• Multicore processor with 12 logical processors or more

• 16 GB RAM or higher




Gettinig Started Guide


Download the Software / 14

Software Installation / 15

Software Update / 22

The N5991 Test Automation Software Platform runs on a standard PC which controls the test instruments. If N5991 is already installed on the PC and it is not to be updated, proceed to the next chapter.



Download the Software

The N5991 installers can be found at the download section of the BitfiEye portal: https://www.bitifeye.com/download/. Here you can select several options:

• BitifEye License Manager

• N5990A Software

• N5991 Software

• Instruments Manuals & Firmware

Click on N5991 Software to see the list of all the available products for these solutions. Then by selecting the desired product, one or more download links will be available.

Figure 1 shows how to download the N5991 PCIe software. In this case, for PCIe there are four items available: N5991 ValiFrame PCI Express, VFSeasim software (required for Rx testing) and N5991 PCI Express Link Training Suite.

Figure 1 Download the Software

https://www.bitifeye.com/download/

https://www.bitifeye.com/download/


Software Installation and Update 3

Software Installation

To install a product just execute the corresponding installer and follow the steps of the installer wizard.

As an example, Figure 2–Figure 8 show the installation of the N5991 ValiFrame PCIe product.

Figure 2 Installer Welcome Setup Window

The second page of the installer wizard will show the software license agreement (see Figure 3). Read it carefully and select “I accept the terms of the License Agreement” option. Then, click on Next to continue.



Figure 3 Installer License Agreement Window

After the Next button has been pressed, the Choose Components window is displayed as shown in Figure 4. Select the “Full” option to install the default setup or “Custom” for custom installation. Then, click on Next to continue.



Figure 4 Installer Choose Components Window

In Figure 5, a list of required software for the N5991 Software and also the status of individual software is also shown. If any required software is not installed prior to N5991, the N5991 Required Software Window shows that the missing software needs to be installed. Press “Next” button to go to the next step.



Figure 5 Installer Required Software Window

The Choose Install Location window is displayed as shown in Figure 6. Click the Browse… button to select the destination folder in which the software is to be installed. Then, click the Install button to install the software.



Figure 6 Installer Choose Location Window

The following panel (Figure 7) appears and shows the status of the installation.



Figure 7 Installer Status Window

Once the installation is completed, click the “Next” button to continue. Figure 8 pops up.



Figure 8 Installer Final Window

Finally the N5991 software installation is ended by pressing on “Finish” button.



Software Update

If you want to upgrade to a new version of the Test Automation Software Platform but wish to keep your software settings, first see N5991 Data Structure / 52 section. Then please uninstall your present version of the Test Automation Software Platform from the PC and continue with the Software Installation / 15.




Starting Registered Software / 24

Software Registration / 24



Starting Registered Software

Double click on the ValiFrame icon on the desktop or start the N5991 Test Automation Software from the Start > Programs > BitifEye menu.

If the N5991 Software is already registered, it will start automatically. Proceed to the next chapter, Using the Software / 27.

Software Registration

If the software is started without a valid license, the following panel(Figure 9) will open.

Figure 9 No License Found – Dialog Window

To get a valid license, use the BitifEye License Manage (BLM) portal: https://licensing.bitifeye.com/. First time you access you will need to create an account. With the certification number you can add the license to your PC and activate it.

https://licensing.bitifeye.com/


Starting and Registering the Software 4

For detailed instructions of how to use the BLM please refer to the manual BitifEye License Manager User Guide. Also in the BitfiEye web portal you can find tutorial videos available.

While the N5991 Software is running, the license information can be reviewed by selecting Help > About from the menu (see Figure 10).

Figure 10 Show N5991 Software Info

Click on “License Information” to show the installed licenses (see Figure 11).

https://www.bitifeye.com/wp-content/uploads/Download_Manuals/SW%20Manuals/Bitifeye%20License%20Manager%20Guide.pdf



Figure 11 N5991 License Info Panel




Starting Test Station Configurator / 28Starting the Test Station / 35Selecting, Modifying, and Running Test / 40N5991 Data Structure / 52



Starting Test Station Configurator

Test Station Selection

The set of test instruments that are used for a specific application are referred to in the following as “Test Station” or in short “Station”. The test station is controlled by a suitable PC and the N5991 Test Automation Software Platform. Once the N5991 Software is installed successfully, two icons will appear on desktop such as “ValiFrame Station Configuration” and “ValiFrame” (see Figure 12 and Figure 17).

The ValiFrame Station Configuration must be started prior to launching ValiFrame. It allows you to select the required set of instruments. Double-click the icon (see Figure 12) to launch the software. Alternatively, to access the ValiFrame Station Configuration on a Windows-based PC:

Click Start > BitifEye Application N5991 > Application Station Configuration (N5991).

Figure 12 Station Configuration Icon (Example for PCIe)


Using the Software 5

When the ValiFrame Station Configuration is launched, the ValiFrame Configuration Wizard appears as shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13 Station Selection Window (Example for PCIe)

Next, you may optionally assign sounds that would mark the attainment of different states of the program.

1 End of Sequencer plays the selected sound at the end of a sequence.

2 Connection diagram plays the selected sound every time a connection diagram pops up.

3 Dialog Prompt plays the selected sound at each dialog prompt.

Select a sound tone from the following options available in the drop-down options. The option 'None' disables the sound for the respective action.

• Car brake

• Feep Feep

• Ringing

• TaDa

• Tud



Test Station Configuration

After selecting Test Station, click Next to continue. The Station Configuration stage of the Wizard is displayed as shown in Figure 14. Depending on the selected application, it shows the various options for instruments that can be used for testing.

Figure 14 Station Configuration Window (Example for USB4)



Test Instrument Configuration

Once all required instruments have been selected, those are listed in the N5991 Instrument Configuration Window (see Figure 15).

Figure 15 Instrument Configuration Window (Example for USB4)

NOTEAfter the installation process, all instruments are configured by default in “Offline” mode. In this simulation mode, hardware does not need to be physically connected to the test controller PC. ValiFrame can not connect to any instrument in this mode. .



In order to control the instruments that are connected to the PC, the instrument address must be entered. The address depends on the bus type used for the connection, for example, GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus) or LAN (Local Area Network).

Most of the instruments require a VISA (Virtual Instrument System Architecture) connection. To determine the VISA address, run the “VISA Connection Expert” (refer to Using Using Keysight IO VISA Connection Expert / 33 ). Copy the address string for each instrument from the Connection Expert entries and paste it as the instrument address in the ‘Station Configuration Wizard’.

The applications running on the oscilloscope use a different technology to provide remote access to ValiFrame, called .NET Remoting Communication. The remote access is only possible using a LAN connection to the oscilloscope and for this reason the IP address needs to be used with this type of instrument.

After the address strings have been entered, click Check Connections to verify that the connections for the instruments have been established successfully. If anything is wrong in the Instrument Address, a window is displayed with a message describing the problem.

Finally, click Finish to save the changes and close the ValiFrame Station Configuration.



Using Keysight IO VISA Connection Expert

The Keysight Connection Expert is recommended to set up new connections or verify existing connections, for which you must perform the following steps:

1 Start the Connection Expert by right-clicking the Keysight IO Libraries Suite icon in the task bar

2 Select Connection Expert. A window as shown in Figure 16, is displayed:

Figure 16 Keysight Connection Expert

3. Click Instruments > Rescan

For each instrument that is required, verify that an entry exists in the list for the instrument and that before the VISA Address, there is a green check mark. Once all the instruments to be used are listed properly, you



must enter their address strings in the ValiFrame Instrument Configuration Window (see Figure 4). The recommended way of doing this is by copying and pasting instrument addresses as follows:

1 Click the VISA Addresses field next to an instrument in the Connection Expert.

2 Copy the address, and highlight the same instrument in the Test Station Connection window.

3 Paste the address in the Instrument Address text field and click Apply Address.

4 Repeat this procedure for all the instruments being used, except standard specific applications running on the oscilloscope.



Starting the Test Station

Start the ValiFrame station with a double click on the ValiFrame icon that appears on the desktop as shown in Figure 17. Alternatively, start the ValiFrame station from “Start / All Programs / BitifEye Application N5991/ ValiFrame Application (N5991)”.

Figure 17 ValiFrame Station Icon (Example for PCIe)

The ValiFrame N5991 connects automatically to the instruments which are set to “Online” mode in the ValiFrame Instrument Configuration (see Figure 15). The application is ready for use once all the connections have been initialized successfully and the main menu will appear as shown in Figure 18:



Figure 18 ValiFrame User Interface (Example for PCIe)

The test parameters need to be configured before running any test or calibration procedure. Click on the NEW button (highlight in Figure 18) to pop up the Configure DUT window.



Configuring the DUT

The parameter selections available in the “Configure DUT” panel depend on the specific application. Select all parameters which apply to the particular application to configure the DUT as shown in Figure 19. Enter all information which is relevant for the DUT and the tests need to run in the text fields. The selected DUT parameters and the information entered by the user will be shown in the measurement reports.

NOTEIn most applications, the Compliance or Expert Mode must be selected because in compliance mode, the tests run according to the specific test specification. Where as in expert mode, the DUT can be characterized to determine performance margins, for example, it is provided for advanced users which may include additional tests. Also the tests might be implemented differently than in compliance mode.



Figure 19 Configure DUT Panel (Example for PCIe)



Main Window

Once the DUT has been configured, press the OK button in Configure DUT Panel. Test Automation Software Platform main window is displayed with the procedure tree as shown in Figure 20. It contains the list of calibration and test procedures, typically in the following groups:

• Calibration

• Receiver tests

Figure 20 Main Window (Example for PCIe)

On the top, the menu buttons allow to perform the main actions such as configure a new DUT, save/load a project or start the tests.

The parameter grid on the right-hand side of the window shows the parameters which are related to the selected procedures.

The log list at the bottom of the window shows calibration and test status messages (regular progress updates as well as warnings and error messages).



Selecting, Modifying, and Running Test

System Calibration

It is necessary to calibrate the test system before you run the first test, in order to ensure that test results are consistent from run to run. Provided the equipment has achieved thermal stability before the calibration is started (typically after 30 min of warm-up), the thermal environment is stable, and no system elements have been exchanged, the calibration is very stable and may only have to be repeated once a week or even less frequently. The calibration interval depends on the degree of accuracy desired. If the station is not calibrated prior to a DUT test, the results of the previous calibration will be used for the current tests.

Selecting Procedures

The calibration, receiver and transmitter test procedure groups can be selected globally by clicking on the check box at the top of the group. Alternatively, an individual test procedure can be selected by checking the specific selection boxes in front of the tests. Only the procedures which are selected will be executed.

Modifying Parameters

Most calibration and test procedures as well as the groups containing them have parameters that control the details of how the procedures are run. In compliance mode most of these parameters are read-only. In expert mode almost all parameters can be modified. First, select a specific calibration or test procedure or one of the groups contained in the N5991 procedure tree. The parameters are displayed in a property list on the right-hand side of the screen (See Figure 21). These parameters can be set only before the execution of the procedure subgroup or procedure is started. The test parameters selected are listed in the MS Excel/HTML test results worksheets.



Figure 21 Modifying parameters

Sequence Parameters

The sequencer parameters control the flow of the test sequencer, not the behavior of individual procedures. They are identical across all versions of ValiFrame. One of them, Repetitions, is available for all procedures and groups in the procedure tree. The others are only available for procedures. Like all other parameters the sequencer parameters are shown on right side of the ValiFrame user interface and they can be changed by the user as illustrated in Figure 22.



Figure 22 Sequence parameters

All sequencer parameters are listed in alphabetical order in Table 1.



Table 1 Sequencer Parameters

Common Parameters

The common parameters are used for several related calibration or test procedures. They are shown on the right side of the ValiFrame user interface when the selected entry of the procedure tree on the left is a group instead of an individual procedure.

Procedure Parameters

The Procedure Parameters are all parameters that do not fall into one of the previously described categories. They are shown on the right side of the ValiFrame user interface when the selected entry of the procedure tree on the left is an individual procedure. They only change the behavior of that single procedure. Procedures often have parameters with the same name, but set settings always apply on the selected procedure, and the meaning may be slightly different.

Running Procedures

To run the selected procedures, press the START button. The procedures are run in the order, shown in the procedure selection tree. Some procedures may require user interaction such as changing cable connections or entering DUT parameters. The required action is prompted in pop-up dialog boxes prior to the execution as shown in Figure 23:

Parameter Parameter Description

Procedure Error Case Behavior “Proceed With Next Procedure”: If an error occurs in the current test or calibration procedure, continue by running the next procedure in the sequence.“Abort Sequence”: Abort the execution of the sequence.

Procedure Failed Case Behavior “Proceed With Next Procedure”: If the current test or calibration procedure fails, continue by running the next procedure in the sequence.“Abort Sequence”: Abort the execution of the sequence.

Repetitions The number of times the group or procedure is going to be repeated. If the value is '0', it runs only once.



Figure 23 Pop-up Dialog for User Interaction

The connection diagram is also displayed by right-clicking on the desired test or calibration and selecting “Show Connection”.

When a test is running, use the PAUSE button to pause the test in the next step of the procedure sequence. Once the test is paused, pressing the STEP button continues the test until the next step. Otherwise, pressing the START button continues the test until the end of the procedure. Use the PAUSE button to toggle the state of the START/STEP button. This feature is useful for debugging purposes, for example to analyze the signal on the oscilloscope at each step.

To force the sequencer to stop running the tests, press the ABORT button. This action will stop the current test in progress and prevent the remaining tests from running.



Once all the procedures are run, the N5991 configuration can be stored as a single “.vfp” file using SAVE button and recalled using LOAD button without configuring the DUT again.

CAUTIONBefore executing the calibration or test procedures, ensure that the Station Configuration is conducted properly with all necessary instruments such as the Infiniium oscilloscope set to “online”. All calibrations can be run in offline mode, that is, without any instrument connected. The offline mode is intended for product demonstrations with simulated data. CALIBRATIONS RUN IN OFFLINE MODE DO NOT GENERATE VALID CALIBRATION DATA.



Results

Run-Time Data Display

Most procedures generate data output. While the procedure is running, the data is displayed in a temporary MS Excel worksheet or HTML page (depending on the selected viewer in the Station), which opens automatically for each individual procedure. An example is given in Figure 24:



Figure 24 Run-Time test result

The HTML page that is opened during the procedure run closes once the specific procedure is finished. As long as the N5991 Software is running, each worksheet or page can be reopened with a double-click on the



respective procedure. However, the individual worksheets or pages will be lost when the N5991 main window is closed, unless they have been saved by the user.

If a test or calibration procedure was run more than once, the list of results is visible below the particular procedure after expanding the tree below this procedure (see Figure 25).

Figure 25 Selecting test results

Results Workbook

All calibration and test data worksheets can be saved in a workbook by clicking on the EXPORT button on the top at any time. It is recommended that this step is carried out at least at the end of each N5991 run. If the calibration and test procedures are conducted several times during the same N5991 run, the result worksheets will combine only the most recent executions in the workbook.

An example of workbook is show in Figure 26:



Figure 26 Test report example

Icons Representation

Once the selected procedures are run successfully, the icon next to the individual procedure indicates the result (Pass / Fail / Incomplete) by displaying in specific ways as given below (see 1).\



Table 2 Icon Representation

Icon Description

NotRun. It indicates that the procedure has not been run yet.

NotRun-Iterative: It indicates that the procedure is going to be run more than once

Running. It indicates that the procedure is running (in online mode)Note that this icon has animation.

Running-Iterative. It indicates that the procedure is running with several repetitions. Note that this icon has animation.

Pass. It indicates that the procedure has passed successfully

Pass-Imported. It indicates that the imported procedure passed successfully.

Pass-Iterative. It indicates that the procedure was run for several repetitions and they passed successfully.

Fail. It indicates that the procedure has failed (in online mode)

Fail-Imported. It indicates that the imported procedure failed

Fail-Iterative. It indicates that the procedure was run for several repetitions and they failed.

Incomplete. It indicates that the procedure was aborted/disturbed somehow and failed (in online mode)



Incomplete-Imported. It indicates that the imported procedure was aborted/disturbed somehow and failed

Incomplete-Iterative. It indicates that the procedure was run for several repetitions and they were incomplete.

Additional States

CalMissing. This icon appears on the right-bottom corner of the main icon. For example:

It is specific for calibration procedures. It indicates that the calibration data is missing, and therefore is not available to be used in the Rx tests.

Offline. This icon appears on the right-top corner of the main icon. For example:

It indicates that the procedure has been run (or will be run) in offline mode.

Both states can happen at the same time. For example:

It indicates that the calibration was run offline and that the offline calibration data is not available.

Icon Description



N5991 Data Structure

All the N5991 internal data is saved in the application data folder: "ProgramData\BitifEye\ValiFrameK1\Application".

Note: Windows hides the system folders by default. To make the application data folder visible, check the "Show hidden files and folders" property in the Windows file explorer > View settings.

The ValiFrame application data folder contains the following folders:

• Calibrations

• CalibrationsOffline

• Data

• Settings

• Pattern

• SParameters

Calibrations

The calibration data is stored in the Calibrations or CalibratiosOffline folder depending if the calibration was run in online or offline mode. For each calibration procedure at least one calibration file is stored. These files are text files and can be imported into MS Excel.

Settings

The Settings folder contains the default setting file for the instrument and .vset files which contains the changes to the default registry entries. For each application, a sub folder is created and a ValiFrame.vset file is created in these sub folder as soon as any ValiFrame setting is changed from its default. The settings files contain for example the instrument connection setup.

Pattern

The Pattern folder contains the test pattern/sequence files. These are text files which contain the pattern in hexadecimal format. The pattern can also be defined with macros.



SParameters

The SParameter folder contains the S-parameter files which are required for some applications.

N5991 Backup

Use the ValiFrame application data folder to save calibration data, modified test pattern or settings for backup or transfer to another PC.

The files in the folder “Pattern” will be generated or if already exist, be overwritten during a N5991 Software installation. In the “Settings” folder, all instrument settings are overwritten by the installation except the .vset files. In the “Calibration” folder, all files are generated by the calibration procedures and will not be overwritten by the installation. To compare or archive the calibration data, backup the “Calibration” folder.



Keysight N5991 PCIe Test Automation Software Platform

User Guide

6 Additional Tools

ValiFrame Remote Interface / 56IBerReader Interface / 57


6 Additional Tools

ValiFrame Remote Interface

The ValiFrame remote interface allows ValiFrame functionality to be accessed, such as test setup information, calibration and test procedures, and results from external programming environments, for example Python scripts. The remote interface can thus be used to control ValiFrame by external software. In typical use, a top-level external test sequencer takes advantage of ValiFrame functionality.


Additional Tools 6

IBerReader Interface

For some DUTs proprietary tools exist to control the device (e.g. set it to loopback mode) as well as for reading internal checksum error counters, burst counters, or other indicators. These indicators make it possible to determine whether the receiver was able to receive the data properly. The integration of such proprietary tools into the Test Automation Software can be achieved with the iBerReader software interface. The interface acts as a wrapper for such tools and the definition is given in C# .NET.

It contains methods, which will be called by ValiFrame during test execution to configure the device under test (DUT) and request the pass/fail information from the DUT.


6 Additional Tools

Keysight N5991 PCIe Test Automation Software Platform

User Guide


Troubleshooting / 60

Support / 61



Troubleshooting

In the case of problems, check the Log List at the bottom of the main window. Note that all log information will be lost when the N5991 application is terminated unless you save the log file. The log file can be accessed by right-clicking within the Log List section.


Troubleshooting and Support 7

Support

In case of persisting problems with an application, send the Log File with the problem to Keysight support. For support options, please visit the link: www.keysight.com/find/contactus

www.keysight.com/find/contactus




This information is subject to change without notice.© Keysight Technologies 2020Edition 1.0, September 2020

www.keysight.com

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Keysight N5991 Test Automation Software Platform Getting