vLink

Overview

Products in the Verified!™ family use an IP-based protocol for all communications between devices under test (DUTs) and external hosts. These hosts may include a PC being used to verify the hardware design itself, PCs on the factory floor being used to run manual or automated production tests, or a portable PC doing field interrogation during a service call.

In the production environment, vLink™ supports Verified!’s IP communications protocol between a DUT running VTOS and a host PC running test management software such as National Instruments’ TestStand, or Kozio’s SequenceRunner.

VTOS + vLink in Production

Using vLink, a subset of VTOS’s high-integrity test functionality can be deployed by production to fully test the functional behavior of an embedded platform. Each and every board is consistently tested to the same high-quality standard.

Under the Hood

vLink is a Java-based communication program that translates between the test management software’s I/O (typically serial driver based) and the IP layer in VTOS. Using the IP protocol allows VTOS to communicate over virtually any communications channel built into the DUT, including Ethernet, USB, and serial.

All of the features of VTOS, including its command line and any specific tests that have been pre-compiled in, are available through vLink. Test output is passed back over the same IP link and can be parsed or stored by the test management system.

Licensing

vLink is licensed on a floating basis, allowing for fast stand-up and teardown of production lines that incorporate it.

Display System Test Video

Benefits

  • Provides the link between test management software and VTOS
  • Supports the serial communications typically used by test management software (TMS)
  • Makes the VTOS command line available to TMS
  • Allows a subset of VTOS tests to be run on the production floor
  • Test sets can be chosen or modified for test time
  • All tests in VTOS are available through vLink
  • IP communications support over Ethernet, USB, and serial
  • Test output from VTOS is passed back for parsing or storage