Sifos Technologies PowerSync PSA100-SA Technical Reference Manual Download Page 15

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PowerSync Service Analyzer Reference Manual

February 8, 2010

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Also, because many LAN terminations include various methods of EMI suppression (e.g. “Bob Smith termination”), Sifos
recommends that the OUT port

not

be connected to a LAN analyzer or other Ethernet device when running precision PoE

signaling measurements including the optional

PSE Conformance Test Suite

available for PSA-1200 platforms since

these can devices can present unpredictable AC loads and impairments that will negatively affect those PoE signals.

2.4.

System Software Overview

PowerSync Analyzers require externally hosted software in order
to operate. PSA software is primarily designed for the Microsoft
Windows operating environment. A version is also available for
Linux and Unix based hosts. PSA software consists of several
distinct subsystems:

PSA Interactive

: A graphical user interface designed to

promote interactive use of the PSA1200 or PSA-PL instrument.

PowerShell

: A scripting and application program development

environment for creating and executing automated test
sequences. The PowerShell script development environment is
built upon the Tcl/Tk scripting language.

PSE Conformance Test Suite

: A series of applications

developed specifically for conformance testing PSE ports to the
802.3 PoE specification given an PSA-1200 platform.

PSE Multi-Port Test Suite

: A series of applications developed specifically for system performance testing PSE power

management, capacity, and multi-port decision behaviors.

PoE Service Analyzer

: A set of applications and tools for in-depth analysis of PoE Service characteristics at the PD

interface available for the PSA-1200 platform.

PowerShell

includes a robust set of commands added into Tcl/Tk that create the Application Programming Interface (API)

for the PowerSync Analyzer family of instruments. Both

PSA Interactive

and each of the

test suites

fully utilize the

PowerShell API to control and monitor the PSA. This assures complete uniformity of behaviors when the instrument is
configured from either the PowerShell interface or from PSA Interactive.

2.4.1. PSA

Interactive

PSA Interactive is a Tcl/Tk based graphical user interface (GUI) constructed on top of the PowerShell API.  It offers robust
control of most PowerSync Analyzer functions.  It is intended for users who intermittently or regularly use the PowerSync
Analyzer for PD emulation and PSE measurements as well as for PSE Conformance (PSA-1200) and PSE Multi-Port
(PSA-1200 and PSA-PL) testing.

2.4.2.

PowerShell Scripting Environment

PowerShell provides command level access to the PowerSync Analyzer. It consists of the full Tcl/Tk programming shells
(Tcl and Wish) combined with numerous extensions specific to the PowerSync Analyzer.

Tcl/Tk offers two shell programs for interactive command / query execution and scripting development.  The “classic” Tcl
shell is an interpretive development environment for Tcl command and script execution. In Windows, the Tcl shell is
typically the Windows command shell with the full range of Tcl libraries (command set) packaged in.
Many operating system (e.g. “MS DOS”, Linux “Bash”) commands also execute in this shell.

The Wish shell enables Tk extensions useful for developing graphical user interfaces.   As a shell program, Wish is more
“Windows-like” in its support of a mouse controlled cursor as well as its cut and paste editing capabilities.   It does impose
certain limitations in the handling of “standard input” (interactive user prompting) however.

For the most part, PowerShell commands and scripts run equivalently in either the Tcl Shell or the Wish Shell, so users are
generally free to use the shell that best suits their needs.   When PSA software is installed, certain configuration files will be
placed such that opening either the Tcl Shell or the Wish Shell will automatically integrate all of the PowerShell resources.

Figure 2.10

PSA Host Software Architecture

PSA Interactive

Graphical User
Interface Software

PSE Test Suites

Conformance Suite

(excluding PSA-PL)

Multi-Port Suite
PoE Service Analyzer

(excluding PSA-PL)

PowerShell

TK/Tcl Based Application
Development Environment

10/100BaseT