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Question from the Customer:        

My understanding is that the Advanced Cable Tester v2 API has been used to call up Advanced Cable Tester v2 test results through the network interface. To expand test and verification capabilities, I want to integrate the Advanced Cable Tester v2 into our test system. Before doing so, I have some questions:

• Can these test results be accessed or generated with API, or can test results only be exported via JSON?
• Is there a way to remotely trigger the Advanced Cable Tester v2 to run a test?
• How could an Advanced Cable Tester v2 be integrated into a test system? Does API support that?

Response from Technical Support:

Thank you for your questions! The test results are available, but only in JSON format. The Advanced Cable Tester v2 API could be used for system integration as well as triggering tests, which is documented in this Python script.

Run Tests Remotely with Advanced Cable Tester v2

Here is an overview of running tests remotely.

Starting a test:

The high-level process is executing the list_profiles() command, which will identify the UUID for the profile you want to use. To run the test, execute start() for that UUID.

How the test runs:

Once the test is started, the test operation is the same as what takes place in the Advanced Cable Tester v2 GUI:

1. Wait for a cable.
2. Start testing.
3. Wait for cable removal.
4. Wait for cable insertion.
5. Repeat steps 1-4.

View results and take action:

During the above operation, you can query status() to examine the results and determine what to do next. For example, while a cable is inserted, you can execute retest(), or immediately stop to finish the test.

Examples of Using Advanced Cable Tester v2 API

The Python script covers the functionalities of automating the Advanced Cable Tester v2, and provides the following information:

• API documentation
• A direct command-line interface
• A library that can be included in other Python scripts

Here are commands that you could use for your proposed setup:

• List the available profiles:

  $ ./act2.py --host 10.1.2.3 list_profiles

• Start a C-to-C cable test with the autodetect profile:

  $ ./act2.py --host 10.1.2.3 start 427892a4-dff2-43eb-bb6e-dc2d92b5efa4

• Get the system status. in this example, ACT v2 is on the LAN at lan, and has a username/password set:

  $ ./act2.py --host actv2a.lan --username username --password password statusStatus provides the current system status - such as running, done, etc., as well as the UUID of the last test report and other information. For a complete report, all of the information can be passed into get_reports.

Note – to fully manage the state of the system, you can poll the state and then issue the appropriate  start/stop/restart commands.

We hope this answers your questions. Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:

• Advanced Cable Tester v2 User Manual
• Total Phase Advanced Cable Tester v2 Adapter Testing

If you want more information, feel free to contact us with your questions, or request a demo that applies to your application.