Capture RCDT and SNTT SAS speed negotiation decodes in a network diagnostic component

1. A method for one or more hardware modules of a network diagnostic component that is placed in-line between first and second nodes in a network to compare in real time the duration of a portion of a speed negotiation signal with a desired duration, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a speed negotiation signal from the first node for communication with the second node during a speed negotiation window, wherein the speed negotiation signal includes a first component comprising one or more data units and a second component comprising one or more common voltage units;

an act of detecting the one or more data units of the first component and the one or more common mode voltage units of the second component;

an act of generating aligned data representing the detected one or more data units of the first component and the detected one or more common mode voltage units of the second component, while routing the speed negotiation signal to the second node, the aligned data being such that the one or more data units can be measured without also having to measure the one or more common mode voltage units and the one or more common mode voltage units can be measured without also having to measure the one or more data units;

an act of measuring the duration of the one or more data units of the generated aligned data;

an act of comparing the measured duration of the one or more data units with a desired duration; and

an act of generating a record that specifies whether the measured duration of the one or more data units compare with the desired duration.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

an act of affixing a timestamp to the generated record.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising:

an act of displaying the generated record on a display device.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the network diagnostic component is a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (“SAS”) network diagnostic component that supports the SAS protocol.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

an act of measuring the duration of the one or more common mode voltage units of the generated aligned data,

an act of comparing the measured duration of the one or more common mode voltage units of the second component with a second desired duration; and

an act of generating a record that specifies whether the measured duration of the one or more common mode voltage units compare with the second desired duration.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the second component is a D.C. idle.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first component is speed negotiation data.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the speed negotiation signal is of the Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (“SAS”) protocol.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the act of measuring the duration of the data units comprises:

an act of counting the data units with a counter; and

an act of calculating the total time of the counted data units based on a known time value.

10. A network diagnostic device placed in-line between first and second nodes in a network comprising:

a first module configured to receive a speed negotiation signal from the first node, during a speed negotiation window, for communication with the second node, wherein the speed negotiation signal includes a first component comprising one or more data units and a second component comprising one or more common voltage units;

the first module configured to detect the one or more data units of the first component and the one or more common mode voltage units of the second component;

the first module configured to generate aligned data representing the detected one or more data units of the first component and the detected one or more common mode voltage units of the second component, while routing the speed negotiation signal to the second node, the aligned data being aligned such that the one or more data units can be measured without also having to measure the one or more common mode voltage units and the one or more common mode voltage units can be measure without also having to measure the one or more data units;

a second module configured to measure the duration of the one or more common mode voltage units of the generated aligned data;

a third module configured to compare the measured duration of the one or more common mode voltage units with a desired duration;

a fourth module configured to generate a record that specifies whether the measured duration of the one or more common mode voltage units compare with the desired duration; and

one or more processors for interfacing with the first, second, third and fourth modules;

wherein the first, second, third and fourth modules comprise at least one of computer hardware and computer software; and

wherein the computer hardware is one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), a field programmable logic array (“FPLAs”), a programmable logic array (“PLAs”), any programmable logic device, and application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”).

11. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , further comprising:

a fifth module that is configured to generate a timestamp and affix the timestamp to the generated record;

wherein the fifth module comprises at least one of computer hardware and computer software; and

wherein the computer hardware is one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), a field programmable logic array (“FPLAs”), a programmable logic array (“PLAs”), any programmable logic device, and application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”).

12. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the first module is a speed negotiation state machine.

13. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the second module is a Speed Negotiation Transmit Time (“SNTT”) counter.

14. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the network diagnostic device is a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (“SAS”) network diagnostic component that supports the SAS protocol.

15. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the first component is one of speed negotiation data or D.C. idle.

16. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the network diagnostic device is one of a bit error rate tester, a protocol analyzer, a generator, a jammer, and a monitor.

17. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , further comprising:

a fifth module configured to measure the duration of the one or more data units of the generated aligned data; and

wherein the third module is further configured to compare the measured duration of the one or more data units of the generated aligned data with a second desired duration and wherein the fourth module is further configured to generate a record that specifies whether the measured duration of the one or more data units of the generated aligned data compare with the second desired duration; and

wherein the fifth module comprises at least one of computer hardware and computer software; and

wherein the computer hardware is one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), a field programmable logic array (“FPLAs”), a programmable logic array (“PLAs”), any programmable logic device, and application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”).

18. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 17 , wherein the fifth module is a Rate Change Delay Time (“RCDT”) counter.

19. The network diagnostic device in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the second component is a D.C. idle.

20. A diagnostic network comprising:

a first Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (“SAS”) node;

a second SAS node;

a SAS diagnostic device placed in-line between the first and second SAS nodes comprising:

a first module configured to receive a speed negotiation signal, during a speed negotiation window, wherein the speed negotiation signal includes a first component comprising one or more data units and a second component comprising one or more common mode voltage units;

the first module configured to detect the one or more data units of the first component and the one or more common mode voltage units of the second component;

the first module configured to generate aligned data representing the detected one or more data units of the first component and the detected one or more common mode voltage units of the second component, while routing the speed negotiation signal to the second SAS node, the aligned data being aligned such that the one or more data units can be measured without also having to measure the one or more common mode voltage units and the one or more common mode voltage units can be measured without also having to measure the one or more data units;

a second module configured to determine the duration of the one or more data units of the generated aligned data;

a third module configured to compare the duration of the one or more data units with a desired duration; and

a fourth module configured to generate a record that specifies whether the duration of the one or more data units compares with the desired duration; and

one or more processors for interfacing with the first, second, third and fourth modules;

wherein the first, second, third and fourth modules comprise at least one of computer hardware and computer software; and

wherein the computer hardware is one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), a field programmable logic array (“FPLAs”), a programmable logic array (“PLAs”), any programmable logic device, and application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”).

21. The diagnostic network in accordance with claim 20 , wherein the first component is speed negotiation data.