C H A P T E R  56

SuperI/O Test (sutest)

sutest checks the on-board system serial ports (su[0,1]). Data is written and read in asynchronous mode, using various loopback paths. You can select the loopback paths to use, the amount of data to transfer, and the baud rate.

The test writes and reads data through the loopback path and compares the data to the original data. The test first sends a single character. If no errors or timeouts are detected, the rest of the data is simultaneously written and read, then compared.

This test uses the asynchronous communication protocol. The termio(7I)interface is used for configuring port characteristics.

For CPU 0, port a on the CPU board (motherboard) uses the su0 asynchronous device, while port b uses su1.

Intervention mode must be enabled to run this test.

This test is nonscalable.


Loopback Connectors

This test requires null modem and plug connectors, which are described in Appendix A.

There are a variety of loopback paths available. The exact type of loopback connector required depends on the system I/O panel.

The loopback for the "Null Modem a to b" option is a female-to-female plug. Its pin configuration is the same as the one described for the 9-Pin to 9-Pin Port-to-Port Loopback Cable.

The loopback for the "Plug a to a" option is described in the section 9-Pin Female Single-Port Loopback Plug.



Note - sutest supports any pair of ports, not just a and b.




sutest Options

To reach the dialog box below, right-click on the test name in the System Map and select Test Parameter Options. If you do not see this test in the System Map, you might need to expand the collapsed groups, or your system may not include the device appropriate to this test. Refer to the SunVTS User's Guide for more details.

FIGURE 56-1 sutest Test Parameter Options Dialog Box

Screenshot of the sutest Test Parameter Options dialog box.
TABLE 56-1 sutest Options

sutest Options

Description

Test Type

Selects how the test will run. Test options include:

bullet a= runs the test on port a

bullet b= runs the test on port b

bullet a_b= runs the test on ports a and b sequentially

bullet a_b_concurrent= runs the test on port a and port b concurrently.

Loopback Type

Selects the loopback test. Options include:

bulletInternal_a_to_a__b_to_b_ is an internal path for a, b, a_b, and a_b_concurrent test types.

bulletPlug_a_to_a__b_to_b is an external loopback plug for a, b, a_b, and a_b_concurrent test types.

bulletnull_modem_a_to_b is an external loopback cable for a_to_b and a_to_b_concurrent test types.

Data Type

Selects the data pattern to transfer. The user can select:

bulletRandom

bulletSequential

bulletAlphanumeric

bullet0x00-0xff

Async Baud Rate

Selects the baud rate for Asynchronous mode testing. The valid rates are: 50, 110, 300, 600, 1200, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200, and ALL. The default rate is 9600 baud. Some platforms can only support up to 38400 or 76800. The test will return an error if you try to use a higher baud rate then is supported. For baud rates greater then 153600 the serial line drivers must be set for RS-423 mode and not RS-232 mode. The RS-423 and RS-232 modes are usually selected by a hardware jumper on the motherboard. Consult your hardware installation manual for more information.

User Defined Baud Rate

Allows the user to set new baud rate values for the test. First select the User Defined option from the Async Baud Rate menu. Then enter the new value in the User Defined Baud Rate field.

Async Data Size

Selects the total number of bytes to transfer in Asynchronous mode. This can range from 1 to 10000.

Async Flow Control

Selects the type of flow control to use in asynchronous mode testing. The user can select Hardware (RTS/CTS), Software (XON/XOFF) or None. The default depends on the loopback type. Software flow control is not allowed on a, b, a_b, or a_b_concurrent loopback types.



sutest Test Modes

sutest supports the following SunVTS test modes.

TABLE 56-2 sutest Supported Test Modes

Test Mode

Description

Connection

Tries to open the port to determine if the device is connected. If it fails and the port is not busy, the test exits with an error. If it is successful or fails with a busy or exclusive use error, then the port is considered connected, and the test passes.

Functional

(Offline)

Performs the selected loopback test.



sutest Command-Line Syntax

/opt/SUNWvts/bin/sutest standard_arguments -o dev=device_name,
porta=
port_name,T=test_type,L=loopback_type,D=data_pattern,
AB=
baud_rate,BS=write_size,F=flow_control

TABLE 56-3 sutest Command-Line Syntax

Argument

Explanation

dev=device_name

Identifies the serial port(s) to test. There is no default value. You must specify a device name such as su0.

porta=port_name

The name of the first device of a serial device pair. The default is a.

T=test_type

Specifies the type of test to run:

  • a= runs the test on port a.

  • b= runs the test on port b.

  • a_b= runs the test on ports a and b sequentially.

  • a_b_concurrent= runs the test on port a and port b concurrently.

  • a_to_b= runs the test from port a to port b.

L=loopback_type

The type of loopback connector attached to ports:

  • Internal_a_to_a__b_to_b

  • Null_modem_a_to_b

  • Plug_a_to_a__b_to_b

D=data_pattern

Selects the data pattern to transfer. The user can select:

  • Random

  • Sequential

  • Alphanumeric

  • 0x00-0xFF

AB=baud_rate

Asynchronous baud rate (default = 9600). The valid values are between 110 - 460800.

Note: Some platforms can only support asynchronous baud rates up to 38400 or 76800. For baud rates greater then 153600 the serial line drivers must be set for RS-423 mode and not RS-232 mode.

BS=write_size

Asynchronous mode write size; from 1 to 10000 bytes.

F=flow_control

Asynchronous mode flow control

  • Hardware (RTS/CTS)

  • Software (xon/xoff)

  • None




Note - 64-bit tests are located in the sparcv9 subdirectory: /opt/SUNWvts/bin/sparcv9/testname. If a test is not present in this directory, then it may only be available as a 32-bit test. For more information refer to 32-Bit and 64-Bit Tests.