SYNCLOOP(1M)SYNCLOOP(1M)NAMEsyncloop - synchronous serial loopback test program
SYNOPSIS
/usr/sbin/syncloop [-cdlstv] device
DESCRIPTION
The syncloop command performs several loopback tests that are useful in
exercising the various components of a serial communications link.
Before running a test, syncloop opens the designated port and config‐
ures it according to command line options and the specified test type.
It announces the names of the devices being used to control the hard‐
ware channel, the channel number (ppa) corresponding to the device
argument, and the parameters it has set for that channel. It then runs
the loopback test in three phases.
The first phase is to listen on the port for any activity. If no
activity is seen for at least four seconds, syncloop proceeds to the
next phase. Otherwise, the user is informed that the line is active
and that the test cannot proceed, and the program exits.
In the second phase, called the "first-packet" phase, syncloop attempts
to send and receive one packet. The program will wait for up to four
seconds for the returned packet. If no packets are seen after five
attempts, the test fails with an excoriating message. If a packet is
returned, the result is compared with the original. If the length and
content do not match exactly, the test fails.
The final phase, known as the "multiple-packet" phase, attempts to send
many packets through the loop. Because the program has verified the
integrity of the link in the first-packet phase, the test will not fail
after a particular number of timeouts. If a packet is not seen after
four seconds, a message is displayed. Otherwise, a count of the number
of packets received is updated on the display once per second. If it
becomes obvious that the test is not receiving packets during this
phase, the user may wish to stop the program manually. The number and
size of the packets sent during this phase is determined by default
values, or by command line options. Each returned packet is compared
with its original for length and content. If a mismatch is detected,
the test fails. The test completes when the required number of packets
have been sent, regardless of errors.
After the multiple-packet phase has completed, the program displays a
summary of the hardware event statistics for the channel that was
tested. The display takes the following form:
CRC errors Aborts Overruns Underruns In<-Drops-> Out
0 0 0 0 0 0
This is followed by an estimated line speed, which is an approximation
of the bit rate of the line, based on the number of bytes sent and the
actual time that it took to send them.
OPTIONS
The options for syncloop are described in the following table:
Option Parameter Default Description
-c packet_count 100 Specifies the number of
packets to be sent in the
multiple-packet phase.
-d hex_data_byte random Specifies that each packet
will be filled with bytes
with the value of
hex_data_byte.
-l packet_length 100 Specifies the length of each
packet in bytes.
-s line_speed 9600 Bit rate in bits per second.
-v Sets verbose mode. If data
errors occur, the expected
and received data is dis‐
played.
-t test_type none A number, from 1 to 4, that
specifies which test to per‐
form. The values for
test_type are as follows: 1:
Internal loopback test.
Port loopback is on. Trans‐
mit and receive clock
sources are internal (baud
rate generator). 2: External
loopback test. Port loop‐
back is off. Transmit and
receive clock sources are
internal. Requires a loop‐
back plug suitable to the
port under test. 3: External
loopback test. Port loop‐
back is off. Transmit and
receive clock sources are
external (modem). Requires
that one of the local modem,
the remote modem, or the
remote system be set in a
loopback configuration. 4:
Test using predefined param‐
eters. User defines hard‐
ware configuration and may
select port parameters using
the syncinit(1M) command.
All numeric options except -d are entered as decimal numbers (for exam‐
ple, -s 19200). If you do not provide the -t test_type option, syncloop
prompts for it.
EXAMPLES
Example 1 A sample display of using the syncloop command.
In the following command syncloop uses a packet length of 512 bytes
over the first CPU port:
example# syncloop-l 512 zsh0
In response to the above command, syncloop prompts you for the test
option you want.
The following command performs an internal loopback test on the first
CPU port, using 5000 packets and a bit rate of 56Kbps:
example# syncloop-t 1 -s 56000 -c 5000 zsh0
SEE ALSOsyncinit(1M), syncstat(1M), attributes(5), zsh(7D)DIAGNOSTICS
device missing minor device number
The name device does not end in a decimal number that can be used
as a minor device number.
invalid packet length: nnn
The packet length was specified to be less than zero or greater
than 4096.
poll: nothing to read
poll: nothing to read or write.
The poll(2) system call indicates that there is no input pending
and/or that output would be blocked if attempted.
len xxx should be yyy
The packet that was sent had a length of yyy, but was received with
a length of xxx.
nnn packets lost in outbound queueing
nnn packets lost in inbound queueing
A discrepancy has been found between the number of packets sent by
syncloop and the number of packets the driver counted as transmit‐
ted, or between the number counted as received and the number read
by the program.
WARNINGS
To allow its tests to run properly, as well as prevent disturbance of
normal operations, syncloop should only be run on a port that is not
being used for any other purpose at that time.
Mar 9, 1993 SYNCLOOP(1M)
