ScanWorks® Embedded Diagnostics

Debug and diagnose from anywhere, at anytime, on as many systems as you want

Debugging circuit boards is an inside job with the ScanWorks® embedded diagnostics solution. Unlike all previous debuggers which run on a PC that’s external to the board being debugged, this ScanWorks solution runs on the most powerful diagnostic engine on the board, its processor. And because it’s embedded in the board’s firmware, it’s always available to you, whether you’re across the lab from the board or across the country.

Embedded diagnostics is one of the many solutions that you can be configured from the ScanWorks platform for embedded instruments. In fact, ScanWorks is so flexible and so efficient, that it can be embedded in-system as a solution like embedded diagnostics. ScanWorks intellectual property (IP) for embedded diagnostics operates independently of any system software or BIOS. And if the system is in the field and it crashes or just gets hung up, ScanWorks embedded diagnostics can automatically gather failure analysis data that would be lost if it was up to the operating system. You can take that data and improve your system’s reliability over time.

The ScanWorks embedded diagnostics solution draws on some of the tools that comprise the ScanWorks processor-controlled test (PCT) product. PCT takes control of a board’s processor by way of its debug or JTAG port and mimics the operations of the processor to debug and diagnose faults and failures in the system. Embedded diagnostics supports all of the typical debugging routines, such as reading and writing to registers, to memory, and to I/O interfaces; setting and retrieving breakpoints; and single-stepping through code.

The first embedded debugger for Intel® x86 platforms

Growing out of its longstanding relationship with Intel, the ScanWorks embedded diagnostic solution is the first and only embedded debugger for Intel x86 platforms. As the x86 architecture makes significant inroads into high-availability applications such as high-end routers, wireless base stations, military and aerospace applications, and ultra-mobile devices, remote debugging and the gathering of failure analysis data will be critical to assuring the highest levels of reliability that are required in these applications.

Embedded Diagnostics Explained

Technical Overview: “ScanWorks Embedded Diagnostics”

White Paper: “Economics of Embedded Diagnostics for Highly-Available Systems”

Blog: "Intel x86 Design for Debug Guidelines"

Check out these other ScanWorks solutions:

• Non-intrusive Board Test (NBT)
• High-Speed I/O Validation
• Board Bring-Up

Ask us how ScanWorks® Embedded Diagnostics could benefit your products.