Patent ID: 6957371

Claim:
A method of embedded serial testing, debugging, or programmably configuring an electronic circuit or system, comprising the steps of: developing serial input data, serial expected data, and serial mask data by automatic test equipment, the automatic test equipment being communicably coupleable to the electronic circuit or system via an embedded test bus; storing the serial input data, the serial expected data, and the serial mask data in a memory by the automatic test equipment; selectively accessing the serial input data, the serial expected data, and the serial mask data from the memory by a serial test controller, the serial test controller being communicably coupleable to the electronic circuit or system via the embedded test bus, the serial test controller being operative to coordinate the testing, debugging, or programmable configuration of the electronic circuit or system; applying the serial input data to the electronic circuit or system by the serial test controller to test, debug, or programmably configure the electronic circuit or system; and verifying serial output data generated by the electronic circuit or system in response to the serial input data applied thereto by the serial test controller, wherein the serial output data is verified using the serial expected data and the serial mask data selectively accessed by the serial test controller.