System Performance Analysis Software
The System Performance Analysis (SPA) software is included as
standard software in the HP 16550 family of logic analyzers.
SPA provides you with a set of functions for performing statistical
analysis on your target system. Its functions include State Overview,
State Histogram, and Time Interval modes.
To be successful with this software, you should be familiar with the
operation of the logic analyzer.
The screen shots shown in this chapter are HP 16550A screens. Your
screens will be similar. This chapter is organized as follows:
• "What is System Performance Analysis?" outlines typical SPA
applications, and describes the operating characteristics for each
SPA mode.
• "Getting Started" describes how to access the SPA menus and how
to select the SPA modes and set the specifications.
• "SPA Measurement Processes" is a detailed description of the
measurement processes used by the SPA package. This theory of
operation explains how the SPA software samples and sorts the
data from the target system, and how the onscreen measurement
values are computed for the State Overview, State Histogram, and
Time Interval modes.
• "Using State Overview, State Histogram, and Time Interval" leads
you through the three modes. It also tells how to set up SPA for the
three modes, how to interpret the acquired data, and how to make
measurements on specific areas of interest.
• "Using SPA with Other Features" tells you how to use SPA with
other features.
Error messages and warnings used by SPA are the same as those used
by the logic analyzer. Refer to "Error Messages," Chapter 12, for
descriptions of these messages.
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