Testing of transmitters for communication links by software simulation of reference channel and/or reference receiver

A computer-implemented method for testing a transmitter for a communications link, the method comprising a non-transitory processor executing software instructions to effect the steps of:

• accessing a stored waveform for the transmitter under test, wherein the stored waveform is based on capture of an output generated by the transmitter in response to a data test pattern applied to the transmitter;
• and
• calculating a performance metric for the transmitter under test, wherein the performance metric is a difference between (a) SNR for an ideal communications link, the ideal communications link including an ideal transmitter and an ideal channel that outputs a distortion-free version of a waveform based on the data test pattern and an ideal matched filter receiver;
• and (b) SNR for a test communications link comprising the transmitter under test, a reference channel and a reference receiver, the reference receiver including a decision feedback equalizer having a feedforward filter and a feedback filter and a slicer, the SNR for the test communications link measured at an input to the slicer;
• the performance metric calculated based on simulated propagation of the waveform through the reference receiver.