Next Generation Streaming Data Test System for High Bandwidth Applications

Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) weapons systems technologies are driving need for testing high bandwidth digital communication links up to 12.8 GB/s that stream data at speeds up to 10 Gb/s. Multiple bus types are used to interconnect sensor inputs and outputs (I/O) and weapon system assemblies. Both copper and fiber optics connections exist between multiple networked assemblies. Testing requirements are data intensive and drive the need for test systems capable of real-time, high bandwidth data capture, storage of Terabytes of data, and front-end switching to manage many I/O, Current ATE systems face a variety of problems achieving these capabilities because of PC bottlenecks due to limited host system computer backplane speed, and total number of shared interfaces to peripherals. These problems limit data transfer and storage speeds. Fiber-optic I/O are preferred for high speed, high bandwidth connections and drive the need for test instrumentation capable of optical conversion and controlled transmission to overcome optical losses through test cabling. These performance limitations degrade the reliability of data transfer resulting in lost or corrupted data. The next generation of test equipment for ISTAR's must include reconfigurable, software-defined bus test instruments that cover all high-speed communication types and high performance switching for managing mixed unit under test (UUT) I/O connections.