PassMark PM142 User manual

USB Power Delivery Tester –User’s Guide Page 1
PCIe Gen3 Test Card
Users Guide
Model PM142
Document Edition: 1.10
Date: 29 March 2023
Web site: www.passmark.com

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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................3
What’s Inside .................................................................................................................3
General Notes.................................................................................................................5
Hardware Requirements.............................................................................................5
Compatibility .............................................................................................................5
Testing PCIe x1 slot:..................................................................................................5
Multiple PCIe Test Cards...........................................................................................5
Speed..........................................................................................................................6
Electrostatic Discharge Caution.................................................................................6
Windows Installation:....................................................................................................6
Step 1 –Installing the PCIe Test card in a PC Chassis..............................................6
Step 2 –Install the device driver................................................................................7
Step 3 –Starting the Test Software............................................................................9
Loopback Test................................................................................................................9
Benchmark Test .............................................................................................................9
Advanced Error Reporting...........................................................................................10
Uninstalling in Windows .............................................................................................11
Trouble shooting..........................................................................................................11
Updating the firmware.................................................................................................11
Technical Specifications..............................................................................................15
Disclaimer....................................................................................................................15

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Introduction
The PCIe Gen 3 Tester can be used to diagnose and troubleshoot PCIe slots. With the
PCIe Gen 3 Tester, you can test that PCI-Express slots function correctly and provide
the expected speed. It is possible to verify that:
•The PCIe slot is powered.
•That a port is capable of Gen3.0 (8Gb/s per lane) or Gen2.0 (5Gb/s per lane) or
GEN1.0 (2.5Gb/s per lane). The maximum speed of the slot can be benchmarked.
(On Windows only)
•That data can be sent and received from the PCIe host slot.
•That data can be transferred without error.
•The system remains stable under long periods of load.
•Concurrently check multiple PCIe slots at the same time
The PCIe Test Card is software upgradable via an included micro USB cable.
What’s Inside
The PCIe Gen3 Tester is a software developed by Passmark Software that runs on a
Xilinx KCU116 kit. By purchasing the software, you will receive a complete KCU116
kit.
Please note some of the accessories such as zSPF Electrical Loopback Module and
Ethernet cable are not required for PCIe testing.

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KCU116 Board
Featuring the XCKU5P-2FFVB676E FPGA
USB Micro Cable for updating the firmware on the card.
Power Adapter

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Power Cord Multiple (UK, USA and European plugs)
General Notes
Hardware Requirements
You need a Xilinx KCU116 Evaluation Kit. This kit is manufactured by Xilinx and
comes as part of Passmark PCIe Gen3 Test card.
Compatibility
Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 supported.
PCIeGen3Test software is required for Windows. Only 64bit Windows driver is
available.
Testing PCIe x1 slot:
The card has a x8 edge which means it can’t be inserted into a x1 slot. For testing a x1
slot, you need a PCIe Gen 3 (or higher) riser card extension adapter (x1 to x8 or x1 to
x16). Please note this extension adapter is not included in the kit.
Multiple PCIe Test Cards
Multiple PCIe Test Cards can be connected, and simultaneous loopback and
benchmark testing carried out.
Each PCIe Test Card is unique and has its own serial number, which is displayed by
PCIeGen3Test.exe. This can be used to distinguish between multiple cards plugged
into your system.

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Speed
PCIe Gen3.0 is normally quoted as 8GBps per lane. Data rates will never reach these
speeds on a real device because some signalling bandwidth is used by bit encoding,
TLP, DLLP and PLP overhead. On a correctly functioning PC with a single PCIe
device connected; you should typically see measured maximum speed results shown
in the below table:
PCIe Gen3 Lane width
Expected speed
X1
985MB/s
X8
5500MB/s
The PCIe Test Card has a maximum bandwidth of 5500 MBps, so the card cannot
benchmark up to the PCIe gen 3.0 maximum x8 bandwidth of ~7880 MBps).
Electrostatic Discharge Caution
To prevent ESD damage:
•Use an ESD wrist or ankle strap and ensure that it makes skin contact.
•Connect the equipment end of the strap to an unpainted metal surface on the
chassis.
•Avoid touching the adapter against your clothing. The wrist strap protects
components from ESD on the body only.
•Handle the adapter by its bracket or edges only.
•Avoid touching the printed circuit board or the connectors.
•Put the adapter down only on an antistatic surface such as the bag supplied in
your kit.
Windows Installation:
Step 1 –Installing the PCIe Test card in a PC Chassis
Make sure the computer is completely off. Insert the PCIe card into a vacant PCIe
slot. When the card installed in the PCIe slot, power is provided from the ATX power
supply 4-pin peripheral connector through the ATX adapter cable which is plugged
into J52 on the PCIe Test card.
CAUTION! ESD can damage electronic components when they are improperly
handled and can result in total or intermittent failures. Always follow ESD-
prevention procedures when installing or removing the PCIe test card.

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In case your PSU doesn’t have a ATX 4-Pin peripheral power connector, you can use
the external adapter that comes with the kit.
The image below illustrates the two options for powering up the board.
Slide the KCU116 board power switch SW1 to the ON position. Wait a few seconds
until the board boots, then power on the PC.
Step 2 –Install the device driver
If a PassMark PCIe Test Card has been installed on the system previously, the device
drivers will be automatically installed, and the installation is complete.
If the driver is not installed, download the latest device driver from the below link and
follow the below steps to install the driver.
https://www.passmark.com.au/products/pcie-gen3-test-card/download.php
Start Device Manager by selecting Windows Start and typing “Device Manager” or
through the Control Panel. If the PCIe Test Card has never been installed before, it
should appear as “PCI Serial Port” under Device Manager>>Other devices
CAUTION! Do NOT plug a PC ATX power supply 6-pin connector into J52. The
ATX 6-pin connector has a different pin out than J52. Connecting an ATX 6-pin
connector into J52 damages the PCIe Test card and voids the board
warranty.

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If the PCIe Test Card already has drivers installed and you wish to update the driver
then it should appear as “Xilinx DMA” under Device Manager >> Xilinx Drivers
Right-click the device and select “Update Driver Software...” from the drop-down
menu.
Select “Browse my computer for driver software” and enter the location of the device
drivers. Click Install.

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After successful installation, a Window will be displayed indicating that “Windows
has successfully updated your driver software”.
If the PCIe Test Card already has drivers installed and you wish to update the driver
then it should appear as “Xilinx DMA” under Device Manager >> Xilinx Drivers
Step 3 –Starting the Test Software
The PCIe Test Card can be used to test PCIe slots with PCIeGen3Test software. The
latest version of PCIeGen3Test software can be downloaded from the below link.
https://www.passmark.com.au/products/pcie-gen3-test-card/download.php
To run PCIeGen3Test, download the standalone test application from Passmark
website and click on “PCIeGen3Test.exe”.
Loopback Test
In Loopback test, the software sends 16MB of data to the plug and reads back the data
from the card. Then, data is verified, and low-level errors occurred during
communication will be reported.
Benchmark Test
In the Benchmark test, the Test application initiates 16MB transfers and measures the
time each transfer takes to calculate the throughput. The transfer size can be changed
via the Configuration window.

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Advanced Error Reporting
AER (Advanced Error Reporting) is a PCI Express feature that allows for more
enhanced reporting and control of errors than the basic error reporting scheme. AER
errors are categorized as either correctable or uncorrectable and can be detected by the
test software.
Correctable errors include those error conditions where hardware can recover without
any loss of information. Hardware corrects these errors and software intervention is
not required.
Uncorrectable errors are those error conditions that impact functionality of the
interface. There is no mechanism defined by PCIe specification to correct these errors.
The below table summarize the list of errors that can be detected by the PCIe Gen3
Test card.
Name of Error
Classification & severity
Data Link Protocol Error
Uncorrectable
Poisoned TLP
Uncorrectable
Flow Control Protocol Error
Uncorrectable
Completion Timeout
Uncorrectable
Completer Abort
Uncorrectable
Unexpected Completion
Uncorrectable
Receiver Overflow
Uncorrectable
Malformed TLP
Uncorrectable
Unsupported Request Error
Uncorrectable
Uncorrectable Internal Error
Uncorrectable
Receiver Error
Correctable
Bad TLP
Correctable
Bad DLLP
Correctable