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LXI Conformance Requirements

How to Get a Product LXI Certified


Why is certification necessary?

Interoperability.  Plain and simple.  The LXI Consortium was formed in part to drive assurance that all LXI devices could work seamlessly together, creating an open standard environment and driving a consistent user experience.  Certification allows the usage of the LXI Logo on your device and in your promotional material. Certifying a product as LXI assures your product is interoperable and participates in an open standard environment. Being part of the LXI Consortium opens the door to more information on conformance, the standard, and it allows you to participate and collaborate with more than 50 of the top Test and Measurement industry leaders.


Overview

The following document describes the LXI Consortium policies for certifying conformance to the current LXI 1.6 and previous versions:

Note: No vendor may use the LXI logo or the letters "LXI" on an instrument or in any promotional material or press releases regarding the instrument until the instrument passes all certification tests and is approved by the LXI Conformance Committee as being LXI compliant. The LXI Consortium will enforce the laws governing the use of the LXI trademark for the benefit of all its members.


Where to start

The first order of business is to join the LXI Consortium. Information on joining is located at http://lxistandard.org/Consortium/HowToJoin.aspx. There are various classes of membership (University, Informational, Participating, and Strategic), so you can choose which one is right for you.  If you have questions, contact the LXI consortium LXI contact.

Once you join, you will have access to the conformance information to get started. You will also be able to use the LXI Reference Design software to speed the development of LXI products, and the latest LXI Conformance Test Suite to conduct the basic LXI conformance tests. In addition, you gain insight into the evolving LXI Standard, can contribute to and collaborate with T&M industry leaders, customers and partners, advance your knowledge of new testing approaches and grow marketing leverage for your new LXI-conformant products.


Conformance Version Restrictions

There are version restrictions for new devices and technical justification as shown in the next figure.
Terms used in the figure:
NVS = New Version Starts
PVE = Previous Version Ends
Technical justification: See the Technical Justification below for more details.





Conformance Test Suites for LXI Conformance Testing

The Consortium currently allows two different conformance test suites for all classes of LXI Devices as specified in the LXI Device Specification 2022:


Test SuiteTSEP Kerberos Test SuiteLXI Conformance Test Suite
LXI 1.6 (current)YesNo
LXI 1.5YesYes
LXI 1.4NoYes
ContactTSEP.comContact LXI

The recommended test suite is the TSEP Kerberos Test Suite. This is a test suite that requires a special piece of hardware that must be purchased from TSEP (www.tsep.com). You connect a computer to the Kerberos box with a LAN cable and plug the device under test into the Kerberos box. The software tests run on the Kerberos box and a remote-control software application runs on the computer.

The LXI Conformance Test Suite is the original test suite that has been updated as the LXI specification has evolved over the years. This software is an automated test bench maintained by the LXI Consortium, which covers all the mandatory rules specified in the LXI Standard. The complexity of the LXI standard increased and starting with LXI 1.6, the current LXI version, the LXI Conformance Test Suite is not supported anymore. On the other hand, this test suite still is valid for LXI versions 1.5 and 1.4. Once you are a member you can request to download the LXI Conformance Test Suite by contacting the LXI Consortium here.

Either one of the Conformance Test Suites can be used by vendors for any in-house pre-certification testing for those who would like to see how their products are doing with the LXI conformance process. It should be treated as a pre-test before submitting the product for compliance testing.

The Conformance Test Suites are used for the conformance testing during LXI Plug Fests or by the independent test houses (see below).


Ready to test?

There are two basic ways for you to test your device:

  • Test at a LXI PlugFest:

Pre-register your product and sign up to attend the next available LXI PlugFest.  Event schedule is on the website under Upcoming Events. There are no additional costs associated with conformance testing for members attending the PlugFest.

  • Test using an approved, privately arranged LXI Test House:

Currently there are three test houses in the US and Europe:

If testing at a LXI PlugFest, the vendor must have a representative familiar with the device present at the conformance testing. Immediately after testing, you will get an official record of the test results and a statement that your device has passed or failed. If using an LXI Test House, then a product expert needs to be available by phone for questions.  The compiled test results, which are the XML-based output of the LXI Conformance Test Suite, are then forwarded to the Chair of the LXI Conformance Committee.

Pass or Fail? Immediately after testing, you will get an official record of the test results and a statement that your device has passed or failed. If it has failed, you will receive a statement explaining why and what steps to take to pass.

  • Self-Certification

Self-Certification is applicable for the LXI Device Specification 2016, and later, along with the following LXI Extended Functions:

  • LXI VXI-11 Discovery and Identification
  • LXI HiSLIP
  • LXI IPv6
  • LXI API
  • LXI Security

Requirements apply for LXI Self Certification:

  • Being a LXI Member in good standing
  • Use the TSEP Kerberos Test Suite for Conformance Testing
  • Have at least one certified LXI device

If an LXI vendor company fulfills these requirements it can apply for LXI Self-Certification. The LXI Vendor company’s representative submits the registration form and signs up to attend an LXI PlugFest. This is to demonstrate the LXI Self-Certification testing capabilities to qualify for LXI Self-Certification Approval.


Apply for LXI Conformance

If your device has successfully passed the LXI conformance tests submit your “Application for Certification to LXI Device Specification 2016” with your conformance documentation together with the test results (LXI Conformance Test Suite XML/PDF file) to the LXI Conformance Committee. For the conformance documentation use the 2-page template form:

The LXI Conformance Committee Chair will then present the application to the LXI Conformance Committee for review. If approved, you will receive the notification to use the LXI trademark and advertise the device as LXI conformant.  In addition, your product will be included in the official list of LXI conformant devices on the LXI website.

If denied, you will get an explanation why and detailed steps to resolve any issue(s).


Technical Justification

Vendors can use LXI legacy to claim conformance of similar products through Technical Justification. For more details on Technical Justification see the following slides:

After successfully completed, the LXI Conformance Tests with the new (similar) product submit the following documents via email to the LXI Conformance Committee:

  • Original submission for LXI Conformant Device
  • Original test data for LXI Conformant Device
  • Test results from running one of the Conformance Test Suites tests on the new product
  • Conformance document form for the new product