Patent ID: 7859856

Claim:
A system for use in performing protocol analysis comprising: a tap board comprising: a first end that connects with a host; a second end that connects with a card that is under test; a memory that stores a tap ID; an interface that can detachably connect with a pod that is separate from the tap board, wherein the tap ID is provided to the pod over a first set of pins in the interface; a first side having a plurality of traces that form at least a portion of a bus between the card and the host; a repeater having a plurality of differential inputs, each differential input receiving a line from the bus and a reference voltage that is derived from a host voltage; and a plurality of connections that form a connection between one or more of the traces in the bus and first inputs in the plurality of differential inputs to the repeater; the pod that interfaces with the tap board via the tap board interface and that receives signals present on the bus of the card under test from the tap board, wherein the pod is configured with data based on the tap ID received from the tap board, and wherein the pod decodes the signals on the bus; and an analyzer that interfaces with the pod to perform protocol analysis on the data received from the pod, wherein the analyzer performs the protocol analysis on the data based on a pod ID received from the pod.