Patent ID: 9342425
Filing Date: 2016-05-17
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A test apparatus that tests a device under test, comprising: one or more test modules that each include a plurality of testing sections that test the device under test by exchanging signals with the device under test; and a plurality of control apparatuses that control operation of the testing sections, wherein each of the testing sections is allocated to one of the control apparatuses and, in each of the one or more test modules, at least two of the plurality of testing sections are allocated to different control apparatuses from among the plurality of control apparatuses, such that the plurality of testing sections in each of the one or more test modules can execute different tests under the control of different control apparatuses simultaneously, each of the control apparatuses is capable of executing a test program managed by a different user, and controls operation of the testing sections allocated thereto, each of the one or more test modules further includes an interface section that, according to a command received from one of the control apparatuses, accesses one of the testing sections assigned to the control apparatus that transmitted the command, in each of the one or more test modules, the interface section includes an assignment storage section that stores an entry of identification information for each of the testing sections in the test module, the identification information indicating the control apparatus that is assigned to the testing section, such that the at least two of the plurality of testing sections are allocated to different control apparatuses by their respective entries of identification information in the assignment storage section, each control apparatus, prior to executing a thread of a new test program, exclusively stores identification information for identifying the control apparatus in an empty entry of the assignment storage section of a test module of the one or more test modules, the identification information including a set of a site number indicating the control apparatus and a context number indicating the thread, each control apparatus executes in parallel a plurality of threads corresponding respectively to a plurality of test programs, during execution of a thread, each control apparatus transmits to a test module of the one or more test modules a command that includes a set of a site number indicating the control apparatus and a context number indicating the thread, and, in each of the one or more test modules, the interface section further includes an input/output section that acquires the command in a case where the set of the site number and the context number contained in the received command are included in the identification information stored in the assignment storage section and discards the command in a case where the set of the site number and the context number contained in the received command are not included in the identification information stored in the assignment storage section.