Category: Embedded Diagnostics

Debugging CATERR in field systems

Alan Sguigna

January 18, 2014
4:46 pm

Let’s say you wanted to debug a CATERR on an Intel x86-based system out in the field. And let’s say that the CATERR only happened in a given datacenter once a week. An embedded implementation of the In-Target Probe (ITP) would help.

Software Debug in Environmental Chambers

Alan Sguigna

November 10, 2013
4:28 pm

Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) and Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS) are often used to detect faults in electronic systems, testing the extremes and determining the outer limits of system margins. All hardware components and systems will eventually fail under environmental stress. But can this technique be used to improve software reliability as well?

Faster Firmware Debug with Intel Embedded Trace Tools

Larry Osborn

August 14, 2013
9:50 am

Defects on High-Speed Memory – Part 2

Alan Sguigna

May 19, 2013
8:37 pm

Last month, we saw how defects on memory data lines can cause a system to fail, and yet escape detection by the system boot loader or BIOS. Let’s examine this in more technical detail.

Embedded Run-Control for Debug and Test

Alan Sguigna

June 20, 2012
8:40 pm

Embedded run-control (aka on-chip debug, or processor debug port control) has numerous benefits in the areas of test and debug, for Design Engineering, Manufacturing Test Engineering, and Field Service. What are they?

What is Board Bring-Up, and why does it take so long?

Alan Sguigna

March 21, 2012
3:48 pm

Board bring-up is a phased process whereby an electronics system is repeatedly tested, validated and debugged, in order to achieve readiness for manufacture. This process can take so long that a product never gets to market because it is succeeded by the next generation...

The Coming Crisis in Board Bring-Up

Alan Sguigna

December 4, 2011
7:18 pm

I was reflecting on how much processor speeds, memory, and data transmission rates have increased over the last few decades. And yet the same old tools and techniques are often used to bring up new designs. When do you think we fall off the cliff?

Debugging CATERR and other failures

Alan Sguigna

October 23, 2011
12:02 pm

The challenge of system debug on Intel (and other) systems can be huge. What new tricks are available for debugging system hangs, crashes, or application errors?

Is your laptop highly available?

Alan Sguigna

April 17, 2011
2:06 pm

Is your laptop highly available? Maybe not yet, but... The author ruminates on why he's spending his precious weekend hours troubleshooting gadgets that should work all the time.

Debugging on Steroids

Alan Sguigna

April 3, 2011
9:18 am

ScanWorks Embedded Diagnostics is embedded firmware which uses a CPU’s debug port to access a system’s architecturally visible registers, memory and I/O. See the technology and benefits behind this "debugger on steroids".

Category: Embedded Diagnostics

Debugging CATERR in field systems

Software Debug in Environmental Chambers

Faster Firmware Debug with Intel Embedded Trace Tools

Defects on High-Speed Memory – Part 2

Embedded Run-Control for Debug and Test

What is Board Bring-Up, and why does it take so long?

The Coming Crisis in Board Bring-Up

Debugging CATERR and other failures

Is your laptop highly available?

Debugging on Steroids

Archives

Categories