Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating an equalizer. The method comprises the steps of defining one or more equalization parameters and calculating a bit error rate of a signal for one or more values of a first of the one or more equalization parameters by counting at least one of running disparity errors and incorrect symbol errors. A value for the first of the one or more equalization parameters which provides the lowest bit error rate is set.

Abstract: A system for detecting communication signals between two processing devices may include an interposer unit that comprises an active signal conditioning module to condition and convey portions of signals (e.g., 5 GHz or above) to a receiver, such as a measurement instrument. In an illustrative example, the interposer unit may convey high speed signals between a device under test (DUT) and a motherboard designed to operate with the DUT. A measurement instrument, such as a protocol analyzer, for example, may monitor signals on the interposer unit through a flexible transmission line (e.g., flex circuit) extending between the measurement instrument and the interposer unit. In various embodiments, active signal conditioning on the flexible transmission line may substantially mitigate degradation of the portion of the signals conveyed from the interposer unit to the instrument.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for selecting and recording multi-directional communication packet traffic in a compact manner in realtime while maintaining relative time between the selected packets passing in one direction and the selected packets passing in another direction. The apparatus includes a protocol interface, a block datapath, a record resource, and a trace merge memory. The protocol interface receives X and Y channel packets with interspersed idle times, segments the packets into time-aligned X and Y blocks, and eliminates idle times. The block datapath merges the X and Y blocks, then filters unneeded X and Y channel packets by purging the X and Y blocks from those packets. The record resource compares patterns for identifying the unneeded packets and trigger events. The trace merge memory records the time-aligned filtered merged block stream in a compact form for later analysis.

Abstract: A hierarchical display of protocol layers for communication data. Fields of the communication data are converted into field cells where each field cell has a text field and a field descriptor. The field cells for each protocol layer are arranged by an interpreter into protocol units according to a protocol standard for that layer and then displayed in a hierarchical manner. Detailed specifications for field cells taken directly from the protocol standard can be displayed by using a cursor over the field cell. Indicators in particular ones of the field cells allow certain field cells within a protocol unit to be collapsed or expanded within the protocol unit or allow lower protocol units to be collapsed or expanded into the higher protocol units.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronizing with a network without connecting to the network by shadowing a slave device while a master device connects the slave device to the network. The master device maintains a system clock time. The master and slave devices exchange communication traffic during time slots on channels in a channel hopping sequence derived from the system clock time. The method and apparatus obtain a slave clock time in an inquiry response packet from a slave device when the master and slave devices are not connected in the network and then use the slave clock time for shadowing the slave device for receiving a master page frequency hop synchronization (FHS) packet having the system clock time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronizing with communication traffic in a BLUETOOTH network without joining the network. The apparatus transmits an inquiry signal and receives an inquiry response signal having a coarse system clock time. The apparatus uses the coarse system clock time for estimating an initial channel in a channel hopping sequence then advances channels through the sequence in steps of four or more for scan window time periods of four or more time slot periods until a communication traffic signal is recognized. The time-of-arrival of the traffic signal is used for refining the coarse system clock time in order to acquire the exact system clock time. The exact system clock time is used by the analyzer for deriving the channels and timing of the sequence for synchronizing to subsequent communication traffic signals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronizing with communication traffic in a network without joining the network. The method and apparatus synchronize to the communication traffic by mimicking a BLUETOOTH slave device in order to obtain a preliminary or unconnected system clock time in a master page frequency hop synchronization (FHS) packet from a BLUETOOTH master device when the master device is not connected to any BLUETOOTH slave devices, and then updating the preliminary system clock time with a time-of-arrival of a communication traffic packet from the master device after a connection is formed between the master device and a BLUETOOTH slave device.