Back to Top

April 2007

LXI Applications: Making a Difference

I was talking with some engineers the other day about LXI applications. It seems that hardly a day goes by without hearing about another application using LXI where designers apply the power of Ethernet when building new test systems. Seeing and hearing about these new test systems reinforce that LXI is real, it's available, and it's making a difference.

We have long talked about the profound changes Ethernet made to our work and personal lives. Remember when file sharing meant the sneaker net and floppy disks? How about printing by connecting parallel cables directly to the computer? Today, I can transfer a file or have a printed document on a colleague's desk in Europe or Asia nearly instantaneously.

Last week, I was helping my son with his school project and thinking about the long hours at the library similar projects required in the past. The reality is that Ethernet has changed our work lives immeasurably.

I see the same thing happening with test systems. Many of the applications are simply the replacement of GPIB with LAN cables. It is easy and straightforward.

Regular readers of LXI ConneXion will recognize the airframe static test system described by VXI Technology. In that application, LXI helped coordinate tens of thousands of strain gage inputs.

In the last issue, Elgar described a satellite thermo-vac test system that muxed hundreds of power supplies. Instrument control was simple and straightforward using LXI. In another application, the integrator used LXI Web pages to monitor serial numbers and firmware revisions for compliance reporting.

We have seen applications extend distances well beyond what was practical just a few years ago. For example, LXI is found in test ranges that span great distances. And several applications use LXI as the backbone for cable TV monitoring systems scattered across the country where a single engineer monitors network performance from a remote location.

We have only scratched the surface. I am personally aware of applications under development that use peer-to-peer and multicast communications between instruments, independent of a central controller. Combined with scripts and IEEE 1588 timing, these LXI features bring powerful new tools to system integrators and designers. For example, timestamps can simplify system development, troubleshooting, and upgrades.

The list of LXI applications continues to grow. If you have an application to share or you would like to consult with some LXI experts, I would like to hear from you. Contact me at bob_rennard@agilent.com.
 

PDF of this article

Back to Top

January 2007

It's All About Economics

Ethernet has been around forever, yet it continues to remake itself with new capabilities. The secret sauce behind all this innovation is the vast economic engine pulling Ethernet. We live in a world of technology; but at the end of the day, it's all about economics.

Since its standardization in 1983, Ethernet has become the most widely adopted networking technology, carrying an estimated 95% of the world's data. No other interconnect technology comes close to achieving the level of commercial success enjoyed by Ethernet, and no other interconnect technology has seen the level of technical innovation demonstrated by Ethernet.

This is precisely why the LXI Consortium selected Ethernet connectivity for instrumentation and has consistently stuck with standard Ethernet. LXI is not a custom standard. It simply is a consistent implementation of standard Ethernet. It's all about using economics to our advantage.

The Ethernet eco-system consistently rises to meet new applications at a scale unmatched by any other IO technology. Others have tried to demonstrate technical superiority, but they always are short-lived. Without a broad market and supplier base, they suffer higher prices, slower innovation, and eventual replacement. Ethernet turned this corner years ago, giving it a deep pool of suppliers to drive innovation and improvement rather than obsolescence.

I was reminded of this recently while discussing switched fabric and backplane technologies for Ethernet. Keep in mind that standard Ethernet easily meets most system throughput needs.

For most applications, the size of the pipe has nothing to do with test throughput. But there are a few specialized test applications that require fast data transfer. For them, the Ethernet eco-system once again comes to the rescue. And the test industry gets it free.

I am referring to several exciting IEEE efforts underway to reduce latency and improve speed, two important topics for test developers. The 802.3ap Ethernet Over Backplane (EOB) Task Force is standardizing Ethernet's backplane signaling and autonegotiation capability, allowing coexistence and compatibility between 10GB XAUI devices and GbE devices. The 802.3ar Congestion Management Task Force and the 802.1 efforts are defining new advances in Ethernet congestion management, addressing issues that have traditionally limited some latency-sensitive entertainment applications.

These examples represent some of the innovation going on behind the scenes in the Ethernet community. Interconnect technologies will continue to evolve to meet changing applications.

Ethernet brings us a steady stream of new capabilities that will improve test in ways we have only begun to understand. I am consistently amazed at the level of innovation and support driving Ethernet and I am reminded it is not the technology that is important—it is the economics that makes it all possible.
 

PDF of this article

Back to Top

October 2006

Taking a Bold Step—With Eyes Wide Open

During the development of the LXI promotional plan, the consortium's marketing committee was concerned about how we should communicate our intentions to people who create test systems. Overly bold statements about the demise of GPIB could scare off some who have a large inventory of test equipment. Vague promises of frothy benefits might fail to capture the imagination of those who can truly benefit from LAN as their system I/O.

If you’ve seen the consortium’s full-page advertisement for LXI, then you already know that we ultimately chose a bolder approach. But it took long hours of discussion to get there.

In our wee-hours deliberations, we were emboldened by stories from members who had presented LXI to system creators. More often than not, the reaction was ‘‘It’s about time!’’

Still, we didn’t want to give anyone the impression that they should throw away their hard-earned expertise in automated test systems. Yet, we wanted to proclaim our mission: provide a modern, long-lived successor to GPIB—not just a successor, but the successor.

A Shakespearean successor often ascends the throne in a noisy, dramatic, and messy fashion. In contrast, LXI will take a patient, logical, and professional approach, much like the talented COO who is being groomed by the immensely popular CEO. Both know it’s best if they can coexist amicably without forcing anyone to take sides.

For GPIB and LXI, the concept of hybrid systems is the key to peaceful coexistence and a graceful transition. The consortium recognizes that real-world systems will include many types of instruments—GPIB, PXI, VXI, and now LXI—for years to come. We’re even formalizing the concept of hybrid systems in the next revision of the LXI standard.

Confidence precedes boldness, and doing the right things the right way builds confidence. The decision to leverage existing standards and then define how they should work together was the foundation. Ensuring that LXI can work side-by-side with its predecessor strengthens that foundation and our confidence.

The real confidence booster, though, has been the rapidly growing global interest in LXI. At every turn, positive reactions from people like you who build test systems have deepened our commitment to our bold message: LXI is the successor to GPIB. It’s only a matter of time.

PDF of this article

Back to Top

July 2006

Giving New Meaning to Global Network

The pervasiveness of Ethernet and the reach of the Web have enabled the creation of global online communities. Attracted by the power of those same technologies, the burgeoning community of LXI manufacturers, integrators, and end users is becoming increasingly international.

Within its first year, the LXI Consortium built a roster of more than 40 member organizations. Perhaps more significant is the global reach of the LXI network: Anritsu and Yokogawa Electric in Japan, BAE Systems and Pickering Interfaces in the U.K., Brüel & Kjaer in Denmark, GOEPEL electronic and Rohde & Schwarz in Germany, Shaanxi Hitech in China, and SofTec Microsystems in Italy.

Interest in LXI certainly is on the rise across the Atlantic. The PlugFest held April 25-27 in Munich, Germany, was our first in Europe. The people at Rohde & Schwarz were terrific hosts, and it was exciting to see the enthusiasm of European integrators, end users, and members of the IEEE 1588 community. Based on comments heard during the meetings and in casual conversations, LXI clearly is gaining momentum as the successor to GPIB in many applications.

Elsewhere, some end users are so intrigued by the benefits of LXI that they are organizing themselves at the grassroots level. Most notable is recent activity in China where a new LXI association is preparing for its inaugural event in September in the scenic South China city of Zhang Jia-Jie. Organizers expect more than 150 attendees from local universities, R&D institutes, and manufacturers. To help accelerate understanding of LXI, the association is planning to translate the standard into Chinese and make it available in time for the meeting.

Also in China, several university professors are working to create LXI-related courses to teach engineering students about emerging trends in test systems. Many of these same professors are proposing R&D projects to develop LXI-based systems that demonstrate the concepts and capabilities of the standard.

For member companies, it’s one thing to tout the capability of LXI to enable remote troubleshooting of a system halfway around the world. It’s another to say it when you’re confident that another enthusiastic fan of LXI is sitting in front of the remote system. That confidence will grow as global interest in LXI continues to give new meaning to the term global network.

PDF of this article

Back to Top

April 2006

Be Ready for the Light-Bulb Moment

Fueled by the growing number of compliant products and a variety of seminar tours, LXI is beginning to spark the imagination of test engineers and test managers around the world.

In my conversations with these folks, they often ask, ‘‘How easily can I do what I’m doing today?’’ As they listen to the answers, the light-bulb moment is almost tangible. The next flurry of questions revolves around not only new ways to do the usual tasks, but also unusual ways to solve the larger issues that surround testing.

Which issues? Smaller teams, tighter launch windows, and greater reliance on offshore manufacturing all come to mind. LXI offers a cost-effective way to create test systems in this dynamic environment. It also generates new opportunities that are difficult—if not impossible—to implement with other architectures.

Remote measurement is one especially promising application. Through the LAN connection, LXI makes it possible to place instruments far from the PC and from each other and near the devices they measure or the processes they monitor.

This isn’t just a marketer’s fever dream. A leading supplier of prefabricated concrete parts has assembled an LXI-based system to implement a method called cathodic protection. This technique prevents corrosion of the steel reinforcement used in concrete modules by applying an electric field to the steel and scanning embedded sensors that monitor the system.

Remote access to the LXI-compliant switch/measure unit and modular power system is accomplished through a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) wireless link and a secure virtual private network (VPN) channel. The system software runs on a Linux server that can automatically monitor multiple remote installations such as parking structures. Using LXI enhances the flexibility of the solution without compromising the quality or predictability of the measurement.

LXI enables many other intriguing applications, ranging from remote troubleshooting of a system halfway around the world to the emulation of outdated equipment via synthetic instruments. Unleash your imagination—and brace yourself for the light-bulb moment.
 

PDF of this article

Back to Top
 

January 2006
LXI: This Is a Good Thing!

I recently was talking to my new neighbor about what I do for a living. This discussion always involves more than just a simple description of test engineering or that I’m in measurement and test. What? Test? Isn’t that something you try to avoid in life? Test is one of those activities that most people just don’t think about because someone else does. For example, when was the last time you wondered if your cell phone was really going to work? This is a good thing.

Now we are launching an entirely new test environment on a topic that most of the general population doesn’t even know exists or cares to know about. What does all this have to do with LXI and the recently released version 1.0 of the specification at Autotestcon 2005? Who would have envisioned that 40 of the world’s leading test companies would be members after only a year in the making?

LXI is one of those good things that ultimately you don’t want anyone to think about. The goal of the consortium and the standard is that LXI just exists—it works consistently, predictably, efficiently, reliably.

If LXI is implemented correctly, it will revolutionize worldwide test deployment. It should reduce implementation cost, minimize system integration obstacles, and ultimately not be thought about much.

When was the last time you went to the Internet and wondered what was going to happen? You just don’t think about the infrastructure that makes it work—it just works. This is a good thing.

So, too, for LXI. We’ve gone through the efforts of concept selling, enlistment, specification, and implementation. Now we begin the task of making it happen. In the end, no one will think about how it all works—it just does, consistently, predictably, efficiently, reliably—that’s LXI.

The next time you are asked about what you do for a living, just say casually, I implement worldwide test systems that use LXI, a standards-based specification uniquely designed for test and measurement that allows companies across the known universe to design and deploy product and component testing for aerospace, communications, and other wide and varied electronics manufacturing so that you don’t have to think much about it.

This is a good thing. It’s LXI.
 

PDF of this article

Back to Top
 

October 2005

365, 100, 36, 7, 6, 3, 2, 1

So what is the significance of this string of numbers? Nothing if you weren’t participating or haven’t been paying attention since Sept. 14, 2004. Since that day, there has been a whirlwind of activity for most companies in the test and measurement business.

An entire year, 365 days to be exact, has gone by, and since then, we have engaged more than 100 engineers from 36 test and measurement companies working across seven countries on three continents. We had six full membership meetings, two plug fests, and countless subcommittee and working-group meetings to produce one document that defines a unified specification for LAN-based instrumentation.

When we launched the LXI Consortium, we hoped to bring together a diverse group of companies and users to establish a standard that benefits the test and measurement customer. We believed that by working together we could create a uniform Ethernet implementation that ensures interoperability across vendors, simplifying the system developer’s task. We wanted to launch a communications environment that leverages the power, ubiquity, and cost profile of Ethernet yet preserves the integrity and longevity required by the test and measurement industry.
LXI meets that challenge.

We have written a specification document that addresses many of the issues that typically have been associated with LAN, such as triggering, latency, and speed, with innovations including a unified trigger model and the application of IEEE 1588. The LXI specification captures the power of Ethernet yet ensures interoperability among vendors. The LXI working groups built definitions that enable a wide variety of solutions and applications by giving customers the standards-based requirements they need today and in the future.

The consortium has achieved a lot in the past year—we have been challenged, fatigued, and honored to be part of this effort. When I think back to some of the earliest discussions where an independent industry consortium was proposed, I am amazed by the level of teamwork, professionalism, cooperation, and progress the consortium has made in the past year. I am honored to work with such a group, and I have made many great friendships along the way.

With the release of Spec 1.0, we will begin to see our ideas flourish as products and systems. I’m incredibly excited to see what will take place in the next 365.

PDF of this article

Back to Top

Go to LXI Consortium