CN120523668A - Function verification method, system, storage medium and program product for endpoint device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application discloses a method, system, storage medium and program product for functional verification of an endpoint device, and relates to the field of chip verification technology. The verifier can operate the verification item control and the verification item start control on the verification page, select the error detection function (i.e., AER type) that needs to be verified, and start the functional verification of the endpoint device. The verifier only needs to operate the verification page, and does not need to know the format and protocol content of the generated first data packet, nor does it need to know the information of the relevant interfaces in the verification process, etc., which can reduce the workload of the verifier and reduce the implementation complexity of the interactive process. After receiving the first data packet, the endpoint device executes the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet to verify the error detection function of the endpoint device, and displays the verification result on the verification page, which can reduce the cost of functional verification of the endpoint device.

Description

Function verification method, system, storage medium and program product for endpoint device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of chip verification technologies, and in particular, to a method, a system, a storage medium, and a program product for verifying functions of an endpoint device.

Background

When performing AER function verification on EP devices in a PCIe link based on the Zebu platform, a verifier needs to study various interfaces provided by PCIe Transactor. Because the Zebu platform provides more PCIe Transactor interfaces, the learning cost of the verification personnel is higher. Second, the verifier also needs more time to learn the protocol contents related to packet formats, AERs, etc. in PCIe protocols, and needs to encode to implement these functions. Therefore, the workload of the verification personnel can be increased, the labor cost is higher, the project cost can be increased, and the product competitiveness can be reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a function verification method, a system, a storage medium and a program product of endpoint equipment, which are used for at least solving the problem of high cost of performing error detection function verification on the endpoint equipment.

The application provides a function verification method of endpoint equipment, which comprises the steps of displaying a verification page aiming at an error detection function of the endpoint equipment, responding to first verification operation acted on the verification item control and the verification item start control, generating a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation according to a preset message format, sending the first data packet to the endpoint equipment, enabling the endpoint equipment to execute a verification use case corresponding to the first data packet so as to verify the error detection function of the endpoint equipment, receiving a verification result sent by the endpoint equipment, and displaying the verification result on the verification page.

The application also provides a function verification system of the endpoint device, which comprises a server, root endpoint devices and the endpoint device, wherein the server displays a verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint device, the verification page comprises a verification item control and a verification item starting control, the server responds to first verification operations acting on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operations is generated according to a preset message format and is sent to the endpoint device, the endpoint device executes a verification case corresponding to the first data packet and sends a transaction layer packet to the root endpoint device according to the verification case, the root endpoint device responds to the transaction layer packet and generates a response data packet, the endpoint device analyzes the response data packet, generates a verification result and sends the verification result to the server, and the server displays the verification result on the verification page.

The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein the computer program when executed by a processor implements the steps of the function verification method of any one of the endpoint devices described above.

The application also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the steps of the method of verifying the functionality of any one of the endpoint devices described above.

By the function verification method of the endpoint device, the verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint device is displayed, and a verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification item starting control to select the error detection function (namely AER type) needing to be verified and start the function verification of the endpoint device. The host responds to a first verification operation of a verification personnel acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, and generates a first data packet based on a preset message format. In the process, the verifier only needs to operate the verification page, does not need to know the format and protocol content of the first data packet, does not need to know the information of the relevant interface in the verification process, and the like, so that the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow can be reduced. After the endpoint device receives the first data packet, the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet is executed, so that the error detection function of the endpoint device is verified, and a verification result is displayed on a verification page, so that a verifier can intuitively and rapidly know the verification result. The verification page provided by the embodiment can provide great convenience for the verifier, reduce the cost of performing function verification on the endpoint equipment, and reduce the risk of the endpoint equipment before streaming.

Drawings

For a clearer description of embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described, it being apparent that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings may be obtained according to the drawings without inventive effort for those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a functional verification system of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for verifying a function of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of another method for verifying functions of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for verifying a function of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a functional verification apparatus of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present application will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without making any inventive effort are within the scope of the present application.

It should be noted that in the description of the present application, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The terms "first," "second," and the like in this specification are used for distinguishing between similar objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order.

First, terms related to one or more embodiments of the present application will be explained.

Host, host. Is defined in a centralized computer mode as a large time-sharing computer system in which a host communicates with a plurality of terminals and relies on the host for processing.

CPU (Central processing Unit, central Processing Unit, CPU for short) is the final execution unit for information processing and program running as the operation and control core of computer system.

Zebu-Zebu platform is a hardware acceleration platform developed by Synopsys, inc. for coping with the increasing complexity and simulation requirements of integrated circuit (INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, IC) and System on Chip (SoC) designs. Compared with the traditional software simulation, the accelerator is provided with special hardware facilities, realizes performance improvement of a plurality of orders of magnitude, accelerates design verification period, and reduces time and development cost entering the market.

Transactor A comprehensive simulation model with a software interface is provided by Synopsys and is used for simulating protocol behaviors such as PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express, PERIPHERAL COMPONENT INTERCONNECT EXPRESS, for short PCIe), AXI (advanced extensible interface, advanced eXtensible Interface, for short AXI), NVMe (nonvolatile memory host controller interface Specification, non-Volatile Memory Express, for short NVMe) and the like.

PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express, PERIPHERAL COMPONENT INTERCONNECT EXPRESS, PCIe for short), a serial computer expansion bus standard at high speed, is a carrier of the NVMe protocol.

Linux, an open-source, multi-user and multi-task operating system, has high stability, safety and flexibility, and is widely applied to a plurality of fields such as servers, embedded systems, mobile devices, personal computers and the like.

AER (advanced error report, advanced Error Report, AER for short), a mechanism for detecting and reporting errors occurring in PCIe devices. Error conditions of PCIe devices can be monitored and handled by AERs to improve data integrity and reliability. Common PCIe devices include a graphics card, a network card, a sound card, a hard disk drive controller card, and the like, and these devices are connected to the motherboard through a PCIe interface.

RC (Root Complex, also called Root endpoint device, RC for short) is used to connect the CPU/Memory subsystem and the I/O device.

EP (endpoint device EndPoint, EP for short) is used to denote a serial or I/O device.

PCIe is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard that is used primarily to connect various components within a computer. Such as graphics cards, network cards, sound cards, hard drive controller cards, etc., which have significant advantages of high transmission rates, high bandwidth, low latency, and flexible topology. Since then, it has become the first solution for connecting various high-speed devices, and is widely used in the fields of data centers, high-performance computing, consumer electronics, and the like.

AER is a high-level function of the PCIe bus standard and is a mechanism for enhancing error detection, reporting, and processing capabilities. By detecting and reporting various types of errors, the computer system can efficiently handle errors, reduce the risk of data corruption, and improve the overall performance of the computer system. AER includes correctable errors (Correctable Errors) and uncorrectable errors (Uncorrectable Errors), which are further subdivided into fatal errors (Fatal Errors) and Non-fatal errors (Non-Fatal Errors).

The Zebu platform is a hardware acceleration platform developed by Synopsys corporation, and can be used for prototype realization and acceleration verification before chip streaming. The Zebu platform provides a kind of PCIe Transactor when performing PCIe related authentication. Transactor can be used directly in the setup of PCIe validation environments while providing a corresponding API (application programming interface, application Programming Interface, abbreviated API) interface. By invoking these interfaces, the verifier operations PCIe Transactor enable communication with the DUT (device under test, device Under Test, simply DUT), thereby achieving the purpose of verifying PCIe before streaming.

When performing AER function verification on EP devices in a PCIe link based on the Zebu platform, a verifier needs to study various interfaces provided by PCIe Transactor. Because the Zebu platform provides more PCIe Transactor interfaces, the learning cost of the verification personnel is higher. Second, the verifier also needs more time to learn the protocol contents related to packet formats, AERs, etc. in PCIe protocols, and needs to encode to implement these functions. Therefore, the workload of the verification personnel can be increased, the labor cost is higher, the project cost can be increased, and the product competitiveness can be reduced.

In view of this, the present application proposes a method, a system, a storage medium and a program product for verifying functions of an endpoint device. The method comprises the steps of displaying a verification page aiming at an error detection function of the endpoint device, wherein the verification page comprises a verification item control and a verification item starting control, responding to first verification operations acted on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, generating a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operations according to a preset message format, sending the first data packet to the endpoint device, enabling the endpoint device to execute a verification case corresponding to the first data packet so as to verify the error detection function of the endpoint device, receiving a verification result sent by the endpoint device, and displaying the verification result on the verification page.

According to the function verification method of the endpoint equipment, the verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint equipment is displayed, and a verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification item starting control to select the error detection function (namely AER type) needing to be verified and start the function verification of the endpoint equipment. The host responds to a first verification operation of a verification personnel acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, and generates a first data packet based on a preset message format. In the process, the verifier only needs to operate the verification page, does not need to know the format and protocol content of the first data packet, does not need to know the information of the relevant interface in the verification process, and the like, so that the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow can be reduced. After the endpoint device receives the first data packet, the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet is executed, so that the error detection function of the endpoint device is verified, and a verification result is displayed on a verification page, so that a verifier can intuitively and rapidly know the verification result. The verification page provided by the embodiment can provide great convenience for the verifier, reduce the cost of performing function verification on the endpoint equipment, and reduce the risk of the endpoint equipment before streaming.

The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and detailed description for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand the aspects of the present application.

The specific application environment architecture or specific hardware architecture upon which the execution of the functional verification method of the endpoint device depends is described herein.

The application provides a function verification system of endpoint equipment. As shown in fig. 1, the system mainly includes a Host (i.e., host) and Zebu platforms. The Host comprises an error detection function verification system and a software part of the RC equipment, and the Zebu platform comprises a hardware part of the RC equipment and an SoC. The RC software comprises a driving module, an initializing module, an AER error management module (a correctable error management module, a fatal error management module and a non-fatal error management module) and other functional modules. The RC hardware is responsible for realizing RC functions by matching with a driving module and other software, the SoC comprises EP hardware and EP software, the EP software comprises an initialization module, a Men TLP management module, other TLP management modules, a DMA (direct memory access, direct Memory Access, DMA for short) resource management module, an interrupt resource management module and other functional modules, the EP hardware comprises an EP controller and other hardware equipment, and the EP software and the EP hardware are matched to complete the EP basic functions.

The functional verification system of the endpoint device of the present application is described as follows:

A verification page for providing management and display functions of AER verification for a verifier including, but not limited to, AER category display, AER function verification options, verification environment generation, verification item initiation, verification result query, running status query, and link status query, wherein,

The aer category shows correctable errors, non-fatal errors, and fatal errors as shown in fig. 1.

AER function verification options by which a verifier can select one or some AER categories. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the correctable error corresponds to one verification item control, the non-fatal error corresponds to one verification item control, and the verifier can select the AER category to be verified by clicking the verification item control on the verification page.

C. Verification environment generation as shown in fig. 1, a verification person can generate a verification environment corresponding to the AER category through a verification environment generation control.

D. Verification item initiation, as shown in fig. 1, a verifier may initiate functional verification of a selected AER category through a verification item initiation control.

E. Verification result inquiry, as shown in fig. 1, a verification person can inquire a verification result through a verification result inquiry control. Of course, the verification result may also be displayed directly on the verification page.

F. running status query, as shown in fig. 1, through the running status query control, the verifier can know whether the selected AER category is verifying.

G. Link state query as shown in fig. 1, a verifier queries a current link state through a link state query control.

And the server is used for forwarding the data packet or the related information such as the request of the verification page to the background subsystem.

And the background subsystem is used for providing data for the display of the verification page or processing a data packet or a request of the verification page. Wherein, the

A. And the sending module is used for sending the received data packet or the received request of the verification page to the RC equipment and the EP equipment.

B. And the receiving module is used for receiving the data packet or the request of the verification page and related information sent by the EP equipment and the RC equipment.

C. And the analysis module is used for analyzing the received data packet or request sent by the RC equipment and analyzing the received data packet or request sent by the EP equipment.

D. and the link state query module is used for sending a request to the RC equipment and acquiring link state information.

E. and the result sending module is used for sending the verification result to the verification page.

F. And the result receiving module is used for receiving the verification result sent by the EP equipment.

An RC device for implementing RC basic functions, wherein,

RC hardware is used for matching with RC software to realize RC basic functions.

B. And the driving module is used for finishing the initialization of the RC hardware and providing interfaces for the interaction of other functional modules and the RC hardware.

C. And an initialization module, wherein after the initialization module runs, the RC enters a ready mode, for example, a verification environment corresponding to the AER category is generated.

D. the error management module comprises a correctable error management module, a fatal error management module and a non-fatal error management module, realizes the management of the correctable error management module, the fatal error management module and the non-fatal error management module, and provides an interface for AER verification.

E. Other functional modules.

The SOC includes EP hardware and EP software, wherein,

EP hardware, including EP controllers and other hardware devices, performs basic functions along with EP software.

B. and the initialization module is used for initializing the EP hardware.

C. The resource management module comprises an interrupt resource management module and a DMA resource management module.

And d, a Mem TLP management module, which is used for managing a Mem TLP (memory transaction layer packet, memory Transaction LAYER PACKET, called Mem TLP for short) request and realizing an initiation control interface of the Mem TLP request.

E. other TLP management modules are configured to implement management of an originating control interface and an exception interface of other TLP requests, and handle exceptions in a working process.

F. and the other functional modules are used for processing other functions in the working process of the EP equipment.

According to an embodiment of the present application, there is provided an embodiment of a method of functional verification of an endpoint device, it being noted that the steps shown in the flowchart of the figures may be performed in a computer system, such as a set of computer executable instructions, and that although a logical sequence is shown in the flowchart, in some cases the steps shown or described may be performed in a different order than what is shown or described herein.

In this embodiment, a method for verifying functions of an endpoint device is provided, which may be used for the host, and fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for verifying functions of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 2, where the flowchart includes the following steps:

Step S202, displaying a verification page for the error detection function of the endpoint device, wherein the verification page comprises a verification item control and a verification item starting control.

Endpoint devices (Endpoint), also known as EP devices, typically represent serial or I/O devices, are end devices on the PCIe bus. The EP device is responsible for receiving requests from a root endpoint device (i.e., RC device) or other devices and performing corresponding data transmissions, acting as a Slave (Slave). The common external devices such as a display card, a network card, a storage controller and the like mostly work in an EP mode. For example, in a computer, a graphics card acts as an EP device, connects to the motherboard over the PCIe bus, receives requests from a host (which may then be considered an RC device), and transmits graphics data to the display/screen.

The error detection function (AER function) of the endpoint device is a function that the endpoint device identifies erroneous packets during its communication with the root endpoint device. AER includes correctable errors (Correctable Errors) and uncorrectable errors (Uncorrectable Errors), which are further subdivided into fatal errors (Fatal Errors) and Non-fatal errors (Non-Fatal Errors).

The verification page may be an interactive page for verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device, which may be a web page or an interactive interface in an application program, which is not limited in the present application.

And under the condition that the verification item control is operated, the AER category corresponding to the verification item control is selected, and the function verification is carried out on the selected AER category of the endpoint equipment. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a correctable error corresponds to one verification item control, a non-fatal error corresponds to one verification item control, and a fatal error corresponds to one verification item control. And if the verification item control corresponding to the correctable error is operated, selecting the correctable error, and performing functional verification on the selected correctable error of the endpoint equipment.

And under the condition that the verification item starting control is operated, starting to perform corresponding functional verification on the selected AER category. Of course, after starting to perform corresponding function verification on the selected AER category, if the verification item start control is operated again, the corresponding function verification on the selected AER category may be stopped, or after starting to perform corresponding function verification on the selected AER category, the verification item start control may be updated to be a verification item pause control, for example, words such as "pause" or "stop" are displayed on the verification item start control, so that a verification person is prompted to stop performing corresponding function verification on the selected AER category by operating the verification item pause control.

The verification page for the error detection function of the endpoint device may be displayed directly after the server is started, or may be displayed in response to an operation of running a website or an application program related to the verification page.

In addition, before the verification page is displayed, a Host starts and loads a driving module in the RC equipment, so that the RC equipment enters a standby state, loads an initializing module in the EP equipment, and enters the EP equipment into the standby state and runs a website or an application program related to the verification page.

Step S204, responding to a first verification operation acted on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, and generating a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation according to a preset message format.

The first verification operation may be a verification operation generated by a verifier operating a verification item control and a verification item activation control. The predetermined message format may be a preset message format, and in the present application, the specific form of the predetermined message format is not limited, and only information related to the selected AER type needs to be carried.

In the actual application process, the first data packet may carry information related to the selected AER type, and may also carry information related to the verification case related to the selected AER type. That is, the first data packet may further carry other information related to the error detection function of the verification endpoint device, which is not limited in the present application.

Step S206, the first data packet is sent to the endpoint device, so that the endpoint device executes the verification case corresponding to the first data packet to verify the error detection function of the endpoint device.

After receiving the first data packet, the end point device (EP device) generates a transaction layer packet according to the corresponding verification use case, and sends the transaction layer packet to the root end point device (RC device). After receiving the transaction layer packet, the RC equipment sends a response data packet to the EP equipment, and the EP equipment analyzes and corrects the response data packet. If the EP device can correct the error in the response packet, it is expected that the AER function of the EP device is verified as passing.

Step S208, receiving the verification result sent by the endpoint device, and displaying the verification result on the verification page.

The verification result can be characterized by the words such as 'verification success' or 'verification pass', and the corresponding AER category is verified, or the verification process and the verification result are displayed on the verification page simultaneously in the form of a chart. For example, the data packet between the RC device and the EP device may be counted and enumerated in the form of a table, and it is enumerated which bits in the data packet are erroneous, whether the EP device detects it, and so on. For another example, the type of errors and the number of errors detected by the EP device may be displayed in the form of a bar graph or a line graph.

According to the function verification method of the endpoint device, the verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint device is displayed, and a verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification item starting control to select the error detection function (namely AER type) needing to be verified and start the function verification of the endpoint device. The host responds to a first verification operation of a verification personnel acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, and generates a first data packet based on a preset message format. In the process, the verifier only needs to operate the verification page, does not need to know the format and protocol content of the first data packet, does not need to know the information of the relevant interface in the verification process, and the like, so that the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow can be reduced. After the endpoint device receives the first data packet, the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet is executed, so that the error detection function of the endpoint device is verified, and a verification result is displayed on a verification page, so that a verifier can intuitively and rapidly know the verification result. The verification page provided by the embodiment can provide great convenience for the verifier, reduce the cost of performing function verification on the endpoint equipment, and reduce the risk of the endpoint equipment before streaming.

In an alternative embodiment, the predetermined message format includes a first data field, a second data field, and a third data field, where the first data field is used to indicate a type of error detection, the second data field is used to indicate whether the type of error detection is a fatal error type, the third data field is used to indicate a type of error corresponding to the error detection, and the first data field, the second data field, and the third data field are sequentially arranged from a low order to a high order.

In the above embodiment, the predetermined message format is divided into different data fields, and the different data fields correspond to different functions, so that by unifying and standardizing the message formats, analysis errors caused by non-unification of the formats can be reduced, analysis programs and related codes can be written more quickly, and stability and reliability of the system are enhanced. Meanwhile, the functions corresponding to different data fields are clear, key information can be rapidly positioned and analyzed, the processing efficiency of corresponding data packets is improved, the message formats of various data packets and/or requests in the verification process are simplified, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow is further reduced.

The first data field is used to characterize the type of error detection, i.e. the corresponding AER type, which may be a correctable error or an uncorrectable error. The second data field is used to characterize whether the type of error detection is a fatal error type, i.e., if the type of error detection is an uncorrectable error, the uncorrectable error is a fatal error type. The third data field is used for representing the error type corresponding to the error detection, namely the detailed error type corresponding to the correctable error or the uncorrectable error.

In addition, the first data field, the second data field and the third data field are sequentially arranged in the order from low order to high order, that is, the bits corresponding to the first data field, the second data field and the third data field are sequentially arranged in the order from low order to high order. For example, the bit corresponding to the first data field is at a low order, the bit corresponding to the third data field is at a high order, and the bit corresponding to the second data field is between the first data field and the third data field.

For a predetermined message format, it may also include a fourth data field. The fourth data field may be a reserved bit, and in the actual application process, the data packet may be flexibly set or the information carried by the request may be flexibly set according to the actual needs. For example, in verifying the error detection functionality of multiple endpoint devices simultaneously, the fourth data field may be used to characterize unique identification information of each endpoint device. For another example, in the case where a different verification use case is set for the type of error detection that is not possible, the fourth data field may carry the number information of the verification use case, or the like.

In an alternative embodiment, the first data field includes a first sub-data bit for characterizing a correctable error, a second sub-data bit for characterizing an uncorrectable error, a second data field includes a third sub-data bit for characterizing a fatal error, a fourth sub-data bit for characterizing a non-fatal error, a third data field includes a fifth sub-data bit for characterizing a receiver error, a sixth sub-data bit for characterizing an error in the PCIe data link layer, a seventh sub-data bit for characterizing a corrupted transaction layer packet, an eighth sub-data bit for characterizing a return packet timeout, and a ninth sub-data bit for characterizing an unsupported request, and a fourth sub-data bit for characterizing a non-fatal error.

In the above embodiment, different data bits, that is, different bit values, correspond to different error types, so that when the system is abnormal, the nature and source of the error can be rapidly determined, thereby facilitating the verification personnel to check and solve the problem in a targeted manner and shortening the fault removal time.

For example, taking a predetermined message format of 32 bits as an example, the first data field has a bit range of 00-01, where a first sub-data bit may be denoted by 00 for characterizing a correctable error (correctable AER) and a second sub-data bit may be denoted by 01 for characterizing an uncorrectable error (uncorrectable AER). The second data field has a bit range of 02-03, wherein a third sub-data bit may be denoted by 10, which is used to represent a fatal error, and a fourth sub-data bit may be denoted by 01, which is used to represent a non-fatal error. The third data field may have a bit range of 04-15, where the fifth sub-data bit may be denoted by 00 for characterizing a receiver error, i.e., recevers error, the sixth sub-data bit may be denoted by 01 for characterizing an error in the PCIe data link layer, i.e., a bad tlp, the seventh sub-data bit may be denoted by 02 for characterizing a corrupted transaction layer packet, poisoned TLP RECEIVED error, the eighth sub-data bit may be denoted by 03 for characterizing a return packet timeout, i.e., completion timeout error, and the ninth sub-data bit may be denoted by 04 for characterizing an unsupported request, i.e., unsupported request error. In addition, the application reserves reserved bits not only in the preset message format, but also in the second data field and the third data field, so that the reserved bits can be directly used in the actual use process.

The predetermined command format in the present application may be octal, hexadecimal or thirty-binary, and is not limited thereto in the present application. For example, in the case of thirty-binary, the predetermined command format may be in the form shown in Table one.

List one

In this embodiment, a method for verifying functions of an endpoint device is provided, which may be used for the host, and fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for verifying functions of an endpoint device according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 3, where the flowchart includes the following steps:

Step S302, a verification page for the error detection function of the endpoint device is displayed, wherein the verification page comprises a verification item control and a verification item starting control. Please refer to step S202 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, which is not described herein.

Step S304, responding to a second verification operation acted on the verification item control and the verification environment generation control, and generating a second data packet corresponding to the second verification operation according to a preset message format.

And under the condition that the verification environment generation control is operated, generating the verification environment corresponding to the AER type aiming at the AER type corresponding to the verification item control. Of course, in the actual application process, the verification page may not include the verification environment generation control.

For example, in the case where the verification page does not include a verification environment generation control, a first data packet and a second data packet are generated in response to a first verification operation acting on a verification item control and a verification item initiation control, respectively. And when receiving the third data packet sent by the root endpoint device, sending the first data packet to the endpoint device, and enabling the endpoint device to execute a verification use case corresponding to the first data packet so as to verify the error detection function of the endpoint device.

For another example, the first data packet and the second data packet are sent to the root endpoint device, so that the root endpoint device generates a verification environment required for verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device, and after the root endpoint device generates the verification environment required for verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device, the root endpoint device sends the first data packet to the endpoint device, so that the endpoint device executes a verification case corresponding to the first data packet to verify the error detection function of the endpoint device.

Step S306, the second data packet is sent to the root endpoint device, so that the root endpoint device generates a verification environment required for verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device.

In the PCIe bus standard, the RC device (root endpoint device) is used to connect the CPU/memory subsystem and the I/O device, and is the starting point on the PCIe bus, responsible for initiating bus transactions and managing all devices on the bus. In a desktop computer or server system, the root endpoint device is typically acted upon by a PCIe controller internal to a chipset or processor on the motherboard.

The verification environment is one test scenario provided for verification of the error detection functionality of an endpoint device. After the verification environment is generated, the root endpoint device simulates an error condition corresponding to the AER type. After receiving the transaction layer packet sent by the endpoint device, generating a corresponding response data packet based on the error condition corresponding to the AER type, sending the response data packet to the endpoint device, and detecting various simulated error conditions by the endpoint device.

In step S308, a third data packet sent by the root endpoint device is received, and if the third data packet characterizes that the root endpoint device has generated a verification environment, the first data packet is sent to the endpoint device.

Through the third data packet, the server can quickly and accurately know that the root endpoint device generates the verification environment, so that the server can quickly send the first data packet to the endpoint device, and the response capability of the whole system can be improved.

Through steps S304 to S308, by generating a verification environment corresponding to the AER type, various error situations possibly encountered by the endpoint device in actual operation can be simulated, so that an error detection function of the endpoint device can be tested under a controllable condition, interference of external uncertain factors is avoided, and therefore, error detection capability of the endpoint device is more accurately evaluated, and accuracy and reliability of a verification result are improved.

In step S310, in response to a first verification operation acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation is generated in a predetermined message format. Please refer to step S204 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 in detail, which is not described herein.

Step S312, the first data packet is sent to the endpoint device, so that the endpoint device executes the verification case corresponding to the first data packet to verify the error detection function of the endpoint device. Please refer to step S206 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, which is not described herein.

Step S314, receiving the verification result sent by the endpoint device, and displaying the verification result on the verification page. Please refer to step S208 in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, which is not described herein.

According to the function verification method of the endpoint device, the verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint device is displayed, a verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification environment generation control to generate the verification environment, and the verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification item starting control to select the error detection function (namely AER type) needing to be verified and start the function verification of the endpoint device. In response to a first verification operation by a verifier acting on a verification item control and a verification item initiation control, a first data packet is generated based on a predetermined message format. In the process, the verifier only needs to operate the verification page, does not need to know the format and protocol content of the first data packet, does not need to know the information of the relevant interface in the verification process, and the like, so that the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow can be reduced. After the endpoint device receives the first data packet, the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet is executed, so that the error detection function of the endpoint device is verified, and a verification result is displayed on a verification page, so that a verifier can intuitively and rapidly know the verification result. The verification page provided by the embodiment can provide great convenience for the verifier, reduce the cost of performing function verification on the endpoint equipment, and reduce the risk of the endpoint equipment before streaming.

In an alternative embodiment, the verification page further comprises a link state query control, and the method further comprises the steps of responding to a link state query operation acting on the link state query control after the first data packet is sent to the endpoint device, sending the link state query request to the root endpoint device, enabling the root endpoint device to query link state information of the endpoint device in the verification process of the error detection function according to the link state query request, receiving the link state information sent by the root endpoint device, and displaying the link state information on the verification page.

For the verifier, only the link state inquiry control on the verification page is required to be operated, and the link state information in the process of verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device can be obtained, so that the verifier does not need to obtain the link state information through various interfaces, and can know the progress of verification at any time, such as whether the link is normal, whether data transmission is smooth or not, and the like, further, the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the use experience of the verifier is better.

In an alternative implementation mode, the verification page further comprises an operation state query control, the method further comprises the steps of responding to operation state query operation acting on the operation state query control after the first data packet is sent to the endpoint device, sending the operation state query request to the root endpoint device to enable the root endpoint device to query operation state information of the endpoint device in the verification process of the error detection function according to the operation state query request, receiving the operation state information sent by the root endpoint device, and displaying the operation state information on the verification page.

For a verifier, only the running state query control on the verification page is required to be operated, running state information for verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device can be obtained, for example, AER selected by the verifier is in verification queuing, verification is in verification, verification is completed and the like, so that the verifier can conveniently obtain the progress of verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device, the workload of the verifier can be further reduced, and the use experience of the verifier is better.

In the actual application process, the verification page can also comprise a verification item selection condition control. When the verifier operates the verification item selection condition control, the selected AER category can be displayed on the verification page, so that the verifier can know the selected AER category in time, and convenience is provided for the verifier.

In an alternative implementation mode, the first verification operation comprises a first sub-operation and a second sub-operation, the first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation is generated according to a preset message format in response to the first verification operation acting on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, the first data packet comprises the steps of obtaining error detection type information corresponding to a target error detection function in response to the first sub-operation acting on the verification item control, obtaining starting information for starting verification of the target error detection function in response to the second sub-operation acting on the verification item starting control, and encoding the error detection type information according to the preset message format if the starting information is obtained, so that the first data packet is generated.

The error detection type information is acquired through the first sub-operation, and the starting information is acquired through the second sub-operation, so that the integrity and the accuracy of the information acquired in the verification process can be ensured, verification errors caused by operation confusion or information deletion are avoided, the generated first data packet can accurately reflect the related information of the target error detection function, and the accuracy of verifying the error detection function is improved.

In an alternative implementation mode, the method for receiving the verification results sent by the endpoint equipment and displaying the verification results on the verification page comprises the steps of receiving the verification results sent by the endpoint equipment, analyzing the verification results according to a preset analysis mode to obtain analyzed verification results, and displaying the analyzed verification results on the verification page.

The predetermined parsing scheme may be a message format corresponding to the predetermined message format, so that detailed description of the predetermined parsing scheme is omitted.

The verification result is parsed by a predetermined parsing scheme, so that the original verification result can be converted into a form easily understood by a verifier. For example, the protocol content of the complex data packet is converted into popular and easily understood characters, charts or visual state identification, so that the verification personnel can intuitively know the verification result, and the use experience of the verification personnel is further better.

For easy understanding, the method for verifying functions of the endpoint device in the present application will be described by taking the verification page as a Web page as an example. As shown in fig. 4, the present application further provides a flowchart of a functional verification method of the endpoint device. The flow chart includes steps S401 to S414.

And S401, starting a Host, and loading RC equipment and EP equipment. After the Host is started, RC equipment and EP equipment can be automatically loaded to enable the RC equipment and the EP equipment to enter a standby mode, or a verifier can start the RC equipment and the EP equipment to enable the RC equipment and the EP equipment to enter the standby mode.

Step S402, running the Web page. For the operation of the Web page, the Web page can be automatically operated after the Host is started, and a corresponding website can be input by a verifier to operate the Web page.

Step S403, initializing the EP hardware.

Step S404, selecting AER category. The verifier may operate a verification item control on the Web page to select the AER category. For AER categories on Web pages, the verifier can choose one or more.

Step S405, starting verification. If the verifier operates the verification item start control on the Web page, the verification process is started, that is, steps S406 to S413 are executed, and if the verifier does not operate the verification item start control on the Web page, the verification process is not started, that is, step S414 is executed.

Step S406, a second data packet is sent to the RC equipment. The verifier may operate the verification environment generation control on the Web page, cause the Web server backend to generate a second data packet in response to a second verification operation acting on the verification environment generation control, and send the second data packet to the RC device.

Step S407, generating a verification environment. After receiving the second data packet, the RC equipment generates a verification environment corresponding to the AER type according to the second data packet.

And step S408, the RC equipment sends a third data packet to the Web background. If the RC equipment generates the verification environment, the third data packet is sent to the Web background, so that the Web background can know that the RC equipment has generated the verification environment in time.

Step S409, the Web background sends the first data packet to the EP device.

Step S410, executing the verification case. After receiving the first data packet, the EP device executes a verification case corresponding to the AER type, sends a transaction layer packet to the RC device, receives a response data packet sent by the RC device, and performs error detection according to the response data packet, thereby generating a verification result.

In step S411, the EP device transmits the verification result to the Web background.

And step S412, the Web background analyzes the verification result and sends the analyzed verification result to the Web page.

Step S413, the Web page displays the verification result.

Step S414, waiting for start-up.

From the description of the above embodiments, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the method according to the above embodiments may be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, but of course also by means of hardware, but in many cases the former is a preferred embodiment.

The embodiment of the application also provides a function verification device of the endpoint equipment, which can be applied to a server. As shown in fig. 5, the function verification apparatus of the endpoint device includes a first display module 510, a first generation module 520, a first transmission module 530, and a second display module 540.

The first display module 510 is configured to display a verification page for an error detection function of the endpoint device, where the verification page includes a verification item control and a verification item start control.

The first generation module 520 is configured to generate, in response to a first verification operation acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation according to a predetermined message format.

The first sending module 530 is configured to send the first data packet to the endpoint device, so that the endpoint device executes a verification case corresponding to the first data packet to verify an error detection function of the endpoint device.

And the second display module 540 is configured to receive the verification result sent by the endpoint device, and display the verification result on the verification page.

In an alternative implementation mode, the verification page further comprises a verification environment generation control, the device further comprises a second generation module, a second sending module and a first receiving module, wherein the second generation module is used for responding to second verification operations acting on the verification item control and the verification environment generation control before sending the first data packet to the endpoint device, generating second data packets corresponding to the second verification operations according to a preset message format, the second sending module is used for sending the second data packets to the root endpoint device to enable the root endpoint device to generate verification environments required by error detection functions of the verification endpoint device, and the first receiving module is used for receiving third data packets sent by the root endpoint device and sending the first data packets to the endpoint device if the third data packets represent that the root endpoint device has generated the verification environments.

In an alternative implementation mode, the verification page further comprises a link state query control, the device further comprises a third generation module, a first query module and a second receiving module, wherein the third generation module is used for responding to the link state query operation acted on the link state query control to generate a link state query request, the first query module is used for sending the link state query request to the root endpoint device so that the root endpoint device queries link state information of the endpoint device in the verification process of the error detection function according to the link state query request, and the second receiving module is used for receiving the link state information sent by the root endpoint device and displaying the link state information on the verification page.

In an optional implementation manner, the verification page further comprises a running state query control, the device further comprises a fourth generation module, a second query module and a third receiving module, wherein the fourth generation module is used for responding to running state query operation acted on the running state query control to generate a running state query request, the second query module is used for sending the running state query request to the root endpoint device so that the root endpoint device queries running state information of the endpoint device in the verification process of the error detection function according to the running state query request, and the third receiving module is used for receiving the running state information sent by the root endpoint device and displaying the running state information on the verification page.

In an alternative implementation mode, the first verification operation comprises a first sub-operation and a second sub-operation, the first generation module comprises a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit and a generation unit, the first acquisition unit is used for responding to the first sub-operation acted on the verification item control to acquire error detection type information corresponding to the target error detection function, the second acquisition unit is used for responding to the second sub-operation acted on the verification item start control to acquire start information for starting verification of the target error detection function, and the generation unit is used for encoding the error detection type information according to a preset message format if the start information is acquired to generate a first data packet.

In an optional implementation manner, the second display module comprises a receiving unit, an analyzing unit and a display unit, wherein the receiving unit is used for receiving the verification result sent by the endpoint device, the analyzing unit is used for analyzing the verification result according to a preset analyzing mode to obtain an analyzed verification result, and the display unit is used for displaying the analyzed verification result on the verification page.

In an alternative embodiment, the predetermined message format comprises a first data field, a second data field and a third data field, wherein the first data field is used for representing the type of error detection, the second data field is used for representing whether the type of error detection is a fatal error type, the third data field is used for representing the corresponding error type of error detection, the first data field comprises a first sub-data bit and a second sub-data bit, the first sub-data bit is used for representing a correctable error, the second sub-data bit is used for representing an uncorrectable error, the second data field comprises a third sub-data bit and a fourth sub-data bit, the third sub-data bit is used for representing a fatal error, the fourth sub-data bit is used for representing a non-fatal error, the third data field comprises a fifth sub-data bit, a sixth sub-data bit, a seventh sub-data bit, an eighth sub-data bit and a ninth sub-data bit, the fifth sub-data bit is used for representing a receiver error, the sixth sub-data bit is used for representing an error in a PCIe data link layer, the seventh sub-data bit is used for representing a damaged transaction layer packet, the eighth sub-data bit is used for representing the eighth data bit is used for representing a timeout, the third sub-bit is used for supporting the third data field, and the third data field is arranged in sequence from the upper data field to the third data field.

The function verification device of the endpoint device displays the verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint device, and a verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification item starting control to select the error detection function (namely AER type) needing to be verified and start the function verification of the endpoint device. The host responds to a first verification operation of a verification personnel acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, and generates a first data packet based on a preset message format. In the process, the verifier only needs to operate the verification page, does not need to know the format and protocol content of the first data packet, does not need to know the information of the relevant interface in the verification process, and the like, so that the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow can be reduced. After the endpoint device receives the first data packet, the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet is executed, so that the error detection function of the endpoint device is verified, and a verification result is displayed on a verification page, so that a verifier can intuitively and rapidly know the verification result. The verification page provided by the embodiment can provide great convenience for the verifier, reduce the cost of performing function verification on the endpoint equipment, and reduce the risk of the endpoint equipment before streaming.

The description of the features in the embodiment corresponding to the function verification device of the endpoint device may refer to the related description of the embodiment corresponding to the function verification method of the endpoint device, which is not described herein in detail.

The embodiment of the application also provides a function verification system of the endpoint equipment, which comprises a server, root endpoint equipment and the endpoint equipment, wherein the server displays a verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint equipment, the verification page comprises a verification item control and a verification item starting control, the server responds to first verification operations acting on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operations is generated according to a preset message format and is sent to the endpoint equipment, the endpoint equipment executes a verification case corresponding to the first data packet and sends a transaction layer packet to the root endpoint equipment according to the verification case, the root endpoint equipment responds to the transaction layer packet to generate a response data packet, the endpoint equipment analyzes the response data packet to generate a verification result and sends the verification result to the server, and the server displays the verification result on the verification page.

The function verification system of the endpoint device displays the verification page aiming at the error detection function of the endpoint device, and a verification personnel can operate the verification item control and the verification item starting control to select the error detection function (namely AER type) needing to be verified and start the function verification of the endpoint device. In response to a first verification operation by a verifier acting on a verification item control and a verification item initiation control, a first data packet is generated based on a predetermined message format. In the process, the verifier only needs to operate the verification page, does not need to know the format and protocol content of the first data packet, does not need to know the information of the relevant interface in the verification process, and the like, so that the workload of the verifier can be reduced, and the implementation complexity of the interaction flow can be reduced. After the endpoint device receives the first data packet, the verification use case corresponding to the first data packet is executed, so that the error detection function of the endpoint device is verified, and a verification result is displayed on a verification page, so that a verifier can intuitively and rapidly know the verification result. The verification page provided by the embodiment can provide great convenience for the verifier, reduce the cost of performing function verification on the endpoint equipment, and reduce the risk of the endpoint equipment before streaming.

The embodiment of the application also provides electronic equipment which can be the host. As shown in fig. 6, the electronic device comprises a memory 610 and a processor 620, the memory 610 having stored therein a computer program, the processor 620 being arranged to run the computer program to perform the steps of any of the above described embodiments of the method of verifying functionality of an endpoint device.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein the computer program is configured to perform the steps of any of the above described embodiments of the method of verifying functionality of an endpoint device when run.

In an exemplary embodiment, the computer readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, a U disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a removable hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc. various media in which a computer program may be stored.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the functional verification method embodiment of any one of the endpoint devices described above.

Embodiments of the present application also provide another computer program product comprising a non-volatile computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the functional verification method embodiment of any one of the endpoint devices described above.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, and that the various illustrative elements and steps are described above generally in terms of functionality in order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

The method, the system, the storage medium and the program product for verifying the functions of the endpoint device provided by the application are described in detail above. The principles and embodiments of the present application have been described herein with reference to specific examples, the description of which is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the method of the present application and its core ideas. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations of the application can be made without departing from the principles of the application and these modifications and adaptations are intended to be within the scope of the application as defined in the following claims.

Claims (10)

1. A method for functional verification of an endpoint device, comprising:

Displaying a verification page for an error detection function of the endpoint device, wherein the verification page comprises a verification item control and a verification item starting control;

responding to a first verification operation acted on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, and generating a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation according to a preset message format;

the first data packet is sent to the end point device, so that the end point device executes a verification case corresponding to the first data packet to verify the error detection function of the end point device;

and receiving a verification result sent by the endpoint equipment, and displaying the verification result on the verification page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification page further comprises a verification environment generation control, the method further comprising, prior to sending the first data packet to the endpoint device:

Responding to a second verification operation acted on the verification item control and the verification environment generation control, and generating a second data packet corresponding to the second verification operation according to the preset message format;

Transmitting the second data packet to a root endpoint device, so that the root endpoint device generates a verification environment required for verifying the error detection function of the endpoint device;

and receiving a third data packet sent by the root endpoint device, and if the third data packet characterizes that the root endpoint device has generated the verification environment, sending the first data packet to the endpoint device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification page further comprises a link state query control, the method further comprising, after sending the first data packet to the endpoint device:

Generating a link state query request in response to a link state query operation acting on the link state query control;

Sending the link state query request to root endpoint equipment, so that the root endpoint equipment queries link state information of the endpoint equipment in the verification process of the error detection function according to the link state query request;

And receiving the link state information sent by the root endpoint device, and displaying the link state information on the verification page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification page further comprises a run state query control, the method further comprising, after sending the first data packet to the endpoint device:

Generating an operation state query request in response to an operation state query operation acting on the operation state query control;

sending the running state query request to root endpoint equipment, so that the root endpoint equipment queries running state information of the endpoint equipment in the verification process of the error detection function according to the running state query request;

and receiving the running state information sent by the root endpoint equipment, and displaying the running state information on the verification page.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first verification operation comprises a first sub-operation and a second sub-operation;

responding to a first verification operation acted on the verification item control and the verification item starting control, generating a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation according to a preset message format, wherein the first data packet comprises the following components:

responding to the first sub-operation acted on the verification item control, and acquiring error detection type information corresponding to a target error detection function;

Responding to the second sub-operation acting on the verification item start control, and acquiring start information for starting verification of the target error detection function;

And if the starting information is acquired, encoding the error detection type information according to the preset message format to generate the first data packet.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein receiving the authentication result sent by the endpoint device and displaying the authentication result on the authentication page comprises:

receiving the verification result sent by the endpoint device;

analyzing the verification result according to a preset analysis mode to obtain the analyzed verification result;

And displaying the analyzed verification result on the verification page.

7. The method according to any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein,

The predetermined message format comprises a first data field, a second data field and a third data field, wherein the first data field is used for representing the type of error detection, the second data field is used for representing whether the type of error detection is a fatal error type, and the third data field is used for representing the error type corresponding to the error detection;

the first data field includes a first sub-data bit for characterizing a correctable error and a second sub-data bit for characterizing an uncorrectable error;

The second data field includes a third sub-data bit for characterizing a fatal error and a fourth sub-data bit for characterizing a non-fatal error;

The third data field includes a fifth sub-data bit, a sixth sub-data bit, a seventh sub-data bit, an eighth sub-data bit, and a ninth sub-data bit, where the fifth sub-data bit is used to characterize a receiver error, the sixth sub-data bit is used to characterize an error in a PCIe data link layer, the seventh sub-data bit is used to characterize a corrupted transaction layer packet, the eighth sub-data bit is used to characterize a return packet timeout, the ninth sub-data bit is used to characterize an unsupported request, and the first data field, the second data field, and the third data field are sequentially arranged in order from lower bits to higher bits.

8. A functional verification system for an endpoint device, the system comprising a server, a root endpoint device, and an endpoint device, the server displaying a verification page for an error detection function of the endpoint device, the verification page comprising a verification item control and a verification item initiation control, wherein,

The server responds to a first verification operation acting on the verification item control and the verification item start control, generates a first data packet corresponding to the first verification operation according to a preset message format, and sends the first data packet to the endpoint device;

The end point device executes the verification case corresponding to the first data packet and sends a transaction layer packet to the root end point device according to the verification case;

the root endpoint device responds to the transaction layer packet to generate a response data packet;

the end point device analyzes the response data packet, generates a verification result and sends the verification result to the server;

The server displays the verification result on the verification page.

9. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the function verification method of an endpoint device according to any of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of functional verification of an endpoint device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.