SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug.19, 2008 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that it has added an extended interface module for Active State Power Management (ASPM) testing to its E2960B Series for PCI Express (PCIe(tm)) protocol test. This module provides lock of 11 Fast Training Sequences, the fastest lock time on the market.

The E2960B with ASPM testing will be demonstrated at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) , Aug. 19-21, in San Francisco, Moscone Center West at booth 720.

ASPM is a key strategy used in the industry to reduce power consumption in electronic devices. Power saving is critical for mobile devices, as this leads to longer battery life. However, power saving is becoming more important even in data-center devices -- such as servers, storage and networking equipment -- driven by the increasing costs of energy and environmental considerations. This trend will drive more stringent design and test requirements in device manufacturing for ASPM. Agilent's extended interface module is designed to simplify the testing of ASPM.

"In testing ASPM, the lock time of the test instrument is critical," said Jun Chie, marketing manager, Agilent's Logic and Protocol Test business. "A test instrument without a faster lock time than the device under test cannot reliably measure the ASPM behavior of the device. Agilent's extended interface module provides the fastest lock time in the industry, with a typical lock time of 11 Fast Training Sequences, and matches the test requirements of the industry leaders."

"Implementation and test of ASPM has always been an important point of discussion during our PCIe training classes," said Ravi Budruk, business development manager, Mindshare Inc., a world-class leader in providing highly technical and innovative trainings. "With the trend toward greener devices, we are seeing an increased interest in this topic. The availability of Agilent's extended interface module for PCIe 2.0 will help address our customers' test challenges and ensure that customers can optimize their power management implementations faster."

The extended interface module is optional, allowing a manufacturer to purchase it when ASPM testing becomes important to its business. This flexibility makes deploying the module more cost-effective. In addition, the extended interface module fits into the same frame as the protocol analyzer module and supports all existing Agilent PCIe 2.0 probes, including mid-bus 2.0, Slot Interposer and flying lead probe 2.0. Thus, the extended interface module provides industry-leading lock times for all probe types while protecting investment and adding value to any Agilent PCI Express 2.0 analyzer.

Agilent's extended interface module is a key addition to the company's E2960B Series PCI Express protocol test, addressing new test challenges in the industry. Agilent's E2960B Series is one of the leading development tools for PCIe 2.0. Benefits of Agilent's PCI Express tools include a versatile form factor, wide range of probing options, and a powerful yet user friendly user interface, including features such as easy flow and context-sensitive columns.

U.S. Pricing and Availability
The Agilent E2960B Series including the N5322A extended interface module is available now. Pricing starts at $36,000. More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/pcie2.