US 6,643,257 B1Granted

Verifying performance of a buffering and selection network device

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsRobert Brian Likovich, Jr., Darryl Jonathan Rumph, Chad Everett Winemiller

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Abstract

A method of and program for dynamically testing a buffering and selection device, wherein the buffering and selection device receives a transmission at an average bandwidth of T and in peak bandwidth bursts that may be greater than T, are provided. The buffering and selection device transmits data to one or more receive devices, all of which have a total average bandwidth of at least T. The buffering and selection device has buffers apportioned to each receive device in order to store data that is written in burst mode destined for that receive device. The method includes disabling the output data flow to the receive device being tested and then generating input data to the buffering and selection device tagged for each receive device in burst mode at a preselected number of transfers for each receive device. The program determines when the preselected number of transfers has occurred and then enables data flow to the receive device being tested. It is then determined if output to each receive device has commenced within a preselected latency period, and, if it has, it is determined if the preselected number of transfers of data has occurred within a preselected transfer period, i.e., meets bandwidth requirements.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of dynamically testing a buffering and selection device which is configured to receive data including destination tags at a given average bandwidth T, and in a peak bandwidth greater than T as bursts, and store and output data to at least one receive device, the total average bandwidth that the receive devices can transmit data being at least as great as T, and wherein said buffering and selection device includes a buffering system apportioned to each receiving device proportional to the portion of the total average bandwidth of each of said receiving devices to the total average bandwidth of all of the receiving devices, and selection logic to store in and read from said buffering system data written to each specific receive device individually, in burst mode, said method comprising the steps of:

a. disabling the output data flow to the receive device being tested;
b. generating input data to said buffering and selection device tagged for each receive device successively in burst mode and at a preselected number of transfers for each receive device;
c. determining when such preselected number of transfers of data has occurred to the receive device being tested;
d. enabling data flow to the receive device being tested,
e. determining if the output from each receive device has commenced within a preselected latency period;
f. if the output from a given device has commenced within the said preselected latency period, determining if the preselected number of transfers of the data has occurred within a preselected transfer period;
and
g. independently repeating steps a-f for each receive device.

5 more elements

A storage media containing a program for dynamically testing a buffering and selection device which is configured to receive data including destination tags at a given average bandwidth T, and in a peak bandwidth greater than T as bursts, and store and output data to at least one receive device, the total average bandwidth that the receive devices can transmit data being at least as great as T, and wherein said buffering and selection device includes a buffering system apportioned to each receiving device proportional to the portion of the total average bandwidth of each of said receiving devices to the total average bandwidth of all of the receiving devices, and selection logic to store in and read from said buffering system data written to each specific receive device individually, in burst mode, said program comprising instructions for:

a. disabling the output data flow to the receive device being tested;
b. generating input data to said buffering and selection device tagged for each receive device successively in burst mode and at a preselected number of transfers for each receive device;
c. determining when such preselected number of transfers of data has occurred to the receive device being tested;
d. enabling data flow to the receive device being tested;
e. determining if the output from each receive device has commenced within a preselected latency period;
f. if the output from a given device has commenced within the said preselected latency period, determining if the preselected number of transfers of the data has occurred within a preselected transfer period;
and
g. independently repeating steps a-f for each receive device.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.