Next generation analyzer to empower leading edge developers to test and verify 4 Gbps Fibre Channel components

Santa Clara, CA---Computer Access Technology Corporation (CATC), a leading communications protocol expert company, announces the availability of its 4 Gbps Fibre Channel expert analysis system, the FCTracer 4G. The FCTracer 4G provides 4 Gbps Fibre Channel early adopters with a test platform that combines advanced display, analysis, capture and reporting tools with the interoperability to capture traffic at 1, 2 and 4 Gbps signaling speed.

The FCTracer 4G is a new plug-in module designed specifically for CATC's Universal Protocol Analyzer System (UPAS 10000), and is available with 2 or 4 non-intrusive recording channels. The FCTracer 4G builds upon the strengths of CATC's original FCTracer with an auto-detect mode for 1, 2 and 4 Gbps Fibre Channel traffic. It can independently monitor and analyze multiple Fibre Channel links operating at different speeds simultaneously.

The FCTracer 4G features the intuitive CATC Trace, which gives users the power to logically group events in a hierarchical display. The FCTracer 4G also incorporates CATC's Link Tracker time synchronized display. This chronological view of DWORD traffic moving upstream and downstream across each link provides precise timing context for analyzing FC-2 state transitions. The combination of these two methods of viewing and analyzing bus traffic creates a uniquely powerful approach to facilitating product time to market for Fibre Channel developers.

"The Fibre Channel industry will soon begin sampling 4 Gbps silicon. The FCTracer 4G provides the advanced functionality that developers need to accelerate the design and debug of mixed 2 and 4 Gbps Fibre Channel SAN segments," said James Wright, Director of Storage and Networking Products at CATC. "By recognizing this trend at the front end of the 4 Gbps Fibre Channel development cycle, CATC was able to rapidly developed an expert analysis system that provides the critical features developers need now to verify interoperability between 4 Gbps components and the large installed base of 2 Gbps SANs."

The FCTracer's "spool-to-disk" mode enables long-term recording for the capture of traffic over hours or days at a time. It has been enhanced to track intermittent problems in the network with the ability to search, report, and generate timing calculations between spooled segments. Users can easily configure the system to capture the traffic they want. It can identify a simple event or a complex sequence of transactions using two parallel trigger event sequencers, with up to 256 states each. Additionally, filter criteria may be established independently or integrated into the triggering system.

CATC Verification Script Engine (CATC VSE) is a documented API that allows scripts to programmatically extract information from an FCTracer recording. Technicians may use the CATC VSE to create automated test scripts that open and parse through trace files. These customized scripts can perform complex calculations including verifying protocol-level conformance.

The FCTracer 4G is a portable system capable of analyzing 2 or 4 channels in a highly mobile environment. It also offers the ability to scale up multiple UPAS chasses in cascaded configuration for verifying high port count environments. The ability to configure the FCTracer 4G from 2 to 16 channels means that it is equally valuable for field and lab applications.

Availability

CATC is now accepting orders for the FCTracer 4G protocol analyzer. For pricing or additional information, please contact CATC or its worldwide network of distribution partners.