NC51xx PCIe 10 Gigabit Server Adapter Software and Configuration Guide

Diagnostics 33
Diagnostic test descriptions
The diagnostic tests are described in the following section.
Control registers. Reads the values stored in the control registers. The setting or clearing of specific bits
during the initialization process indicates whether the board has been configured correctly. Performs a
write/read back/compare operation to selected registers to verify each register's accessibility.
Flash memory. Reads the contents of the flash memory, calculates the checksum, and then compares the
calculated checksum to the value stored in memory.
Interrupt loop-back test. Communicates with the driver to force the hardware to generate selected
interrupts. Then, the utility reads the interrupt status register to verify that the interrupt was generated and
processed.
Internal loopback. Sets the Ethernet core (Media Access Control) to perform a loop-back operation. Sends
packets to itself and then compares the contents of the packets to verify that the sent and received values
are the same. No external hardware is required for the internal loop-back test.
External loopback. Sends packets to itself through the optical transmit lane, reads the contents on the
receive lane, and then compares the contents of the packets to verify that the sent and received values are
the same.
For CX4 (copper interface) applications an external module is required to connect the four transmit lanes
to the four corresponding receive lanes. This module must contain all of the associated handshake signals
required to redirect the four transmit lanes to the four receive lanes.
For XFP (10 Gigabit small form factor pluggable module) applications, an 850 nm multi-mode cable with
LC connectors is required to connect the transmit lane to the receive lane externally.
Link. Reports the status of the link as up or down.
LED. Interactive test that causes the LEDs to blink. The software/driver has no auto-detect mechanism for
checking LEDs. Visually inspect the LEDs on the adapter. The LEDs should blink for several seconds. No
blinking LEDs indicates that the test failed.
All Tests. Runs all of the diagnostic tests described in this section by using the single command.