| Installation |
 System requirements
Uninstall a previous release
Software installation
Laptop installation prerequisites
Galaxy eLicense: activating the license for an Evaluation node
Galaxy eLlicense: activating the license for a Standalone node
Galaxy eLicense: activating the license for a Server
Software license |
| Examinator versions available |
Evaluation version...how to get it, what does it do?
Standalone version...what does it do?
Server version...what does it do?
Standalone vs. Server versions...what's the difference?
Windows, Unix versions: what's the difference?
Can the Server version accept a mix of Windows and Unix nodes?
Can a GEX node connect to a Server in a remote country? |
| Scripting |
Which GEX versions support scripting?
Can a standalone GEX support scripting?
Are script files platform dependant? |
| Pricing, order, license activation... |
GEX Pricing: how much is it, support policy, cost?
How to place an order
How to get and activate the software?
How to get the latest release?
If license expires...when is it? |
| Benchmarks: How fast is GEX?! |
Windows & Unix benchmarks: GEX really flies! |
| Pricing, order, license activation... |
Who can use STDF? Agilent, Credence, etc...?
I can't download the latest release, what's wrong?
How to install GEX, what if installation fails...?
GEX runs only if logged as adminstrator...
Which STDF versions are supported?
Missing information in the .CSV or HTML report?
How to get direct support for Galaxy Examinator?
How to export HTML reports in a PDF Acrobate file ?
Where does the test information come from?
How to change Galaxy Examinator from being the default viewer for files with the .std extension? |
| |
| Installation |
| System requirements |
Examinator
requirements:
- Computer OS: Windows 95/98,Me, NT, 2000, 20003, XP, Vista and higher , Sun Solaris
2.6 or higher and Linux (Red Hat or Fedora).
- Hardware: Your computer must also have at least one Ethernet board adaptor with support of the TCP/IP protocol.
- RAM:
1GB of RAM suggested to handle large data crunching
- Disk: 50MB of disk space for the software
installation.
License manager
- Uses 2MB of RAM when loaded in memory
|
| Uninstall a previous release |
Under Microsoft Windows: uninstalling the software can be performed by running the windows Add/Remove programs from the Control Panel folder.
Under Unix, simply erase the installation directory where the Galaxy STDF Examinator previous release was created : rm -r galaxy_examinator |
| Software installation |
| The installation process is very simple and only takes seconds! See details in the Installation page. |
| Laptop installation prerequisites |
If you plan to install GEX on a notebook computer that sometimes connect to a docking station, you must perform the GEX installation on the notebook undocked, and you must have an Ethernet board active. When GEX is executed and creates a license request file, it looks for the Ethernet boards present. The first board detected is considered the master board and GEX will always need to find it at launch time. So if you install GEX while connected to the docking station, GEX may consider the Ethernet board of the docking extension as the master one, and will refuse to run on the notebook each time it will be undocked! When docked, GEX will detect two Ethernet boards but as the master board is one of the two detected, it will accept to run.
If you have set different hardware profiles on your computer, it may happen that GEX refuses to run if you do not follow the correct license activation process. Here is the process you MUST follow to ensure a smooth GEX Standalone license activation on your laptop:
- Have the GEX software installed on your notebook (you can be using a docking station at this stage, it's not a problem)
- Disconnect your laptop from its docking station
- Log to your laptop and activate your off-line profile if you have one (this is to have your computer in the exact same situation as if working remotely from your network)
- Run GEX, select the Standalone running mode and enter your Product Key ID then press the Next button.
- GEX will create the gex_request.txt license request file with the correct hardware profile information
Note: If you didn't follow the above steps, simply restart from step one, so your previous gex_request.txt gets updated. |
| Galaxy eLicense: activating the license for an Evaluation node |
| Once you have downloaded the GEX software and installed it as detailed in the email you received, you have to run the software. At its first execution, select the 'Evaluation' running mode from the welcome page then click the Next button. This creates a license request file that includes identification details about your computer (computer name, network board, disk, etc...). All these information are encrypted in the file gex_request.txt. In order to activate your evaluation license and be able to run the GEX software, you have to email this gex_request.txt file to the Galaxy eLicense server (the email address is given to you by the GEX software when you run it). In reply, you receive the gex_license.txt file that must be copied to your GEX directory. This file includes all activation details and allow you to run the software for the trial period. |
| Galaxy eLicense: activating the license for a Standalone node |
| The process is exactly the same as for an evaluation activation: each computer that want to run the GEX software has to receive its own activation license file and has to go through the process detailed above (Evaluation mode). |
| Galaxy eLicense: activating the license for a Server node |
| The process is exactly the same as for an evaluation activation except that only the computer used as the server has to request the license activation from the Galaxy eLicense server. |
| Software license |
Please pay attention to the Software license terms (they are also in the GEX on-line HTML help). It is mandatory that you comply with them before installing and using Galaxy Examinator software.
One important aspect of the license is that you must be a Registered User. This means you must be an identified user listed in the Galaxy Semiconductor database.
The registered process is automatic if you have downloaded the software from the Galaxy Semiconductor website; otherwise you are required to send an email to sales@galaxysemi.com with the following information:
Full name
Company name
Business email address
Business telephone number
Primary tester platform used
This registration process is not an option. You must do it to comply with the license terms.
|
| Examinator versions available |
| Evaluation version |
| The GEX evaluation version is the complete real GEX solution...that you can run for a limited trial period. You can download it from the Galaxy web site and run it up to 10 days and have complete access to all its features (including scripting). After this evaluation period, you will need to have placed a PO and received a license file if you want to continue using it. As the evaluation version gives you complete access to all GEX features, you will be able to value all the benefit the application brings you, and how much time and money you will save using it. See pricing for details. The Evaluation is available under all the supported OS platforms: Windows, Sun-Solaris and HP-UX. |
| Standalone version |
| The GEX standalone version is designed to run on a specific workstation only. It is CPU locked and can't be transferred to another computer. This is typically the license selected by users that need regular access to the software and want a dedicated license for them. This is also the best licensing option for notebooks as they do not need a license server to operate. Custom scripts can't be created or executed, but all GEX standard functions remain available. The GEX standalone is the best release for users looking for a turn key ready-to-use solution. |
| Server version |
The GEX server version is using the well known floating license model (see note 1 and note 2 below). Such version can run on any station and requests a floating license from the license server software running on the network. The license server can be any station and allows as many concurrent GEX server releases to run as specified in your purchase order.
Note1: Clients and server must be of the same operating system type. E.g.: A Solaris server will only service Solaris GEX nodes and will refuse Windows or HP-UX clients to connect. Same apply to Windows and HP-UX severs.
Note2: The server only accepts to connect clients located on the same time zone. Therefore, a server located in California will refuse nodes from the USA East coast, Europe or Asia to connect. |
| Standalone vs Server version |
There are only two differences between the GEX standalone and server versions:
GEX standalone can only run on a defined CPU station (CPU locked) while GEX server can run on any station over the network (floating license)
GEX standalone doesn't accept to run user scripts while GEX server accepts.
|
| Windows, Unix versions...what's the difference? |
There are only two differences between the GEX standalone and server versions:
GEX standalone can only run on a defined CPU station (CPU locked) while GEX server can run on any station over the network (floating license)
GEX standalone doesn't accept to run user scripts while GEX server accepts.
|
| Can a Server version accept a mix of Windows and Unix nodes? |
Yes.
The license manager doesn't need to run under the same
OS as client nodes. Also client nodes can be running
different OS too. Example: you can install the license
manager on a Linux box, then run Examinator under
Windows, or Solaris and Linux workstations.
|
| Can a GEX node connect to a Server in a remote country? |
No. The GEX server only accepts GEX nodes of the same time zone. Therefore, a server located in California will refuse nodes from the USA East coast, Europe or Asia to connect.
|
| Scripting |
| Which GEX versions support scripting? |
The GEX standalone doesn't accept to process scripts (writing scripts is however possible as it is simply ASCII files). Only the GEX server and the GEX Evaluation versions support execution of scripting files. The scripting language is quite convenient for automated batched operations. This is particularly useful for big data crunching...and let the software work at night! However not everyone feel comfortable in designing scripts. If you definitely want to use the scripting language, you have to run a GEX server version.
Note: To run the server version on a notebook not connected to a server (such as when traveling) you have to run the license manager software on your notebook too. |
| Can GEX standalone run scripts? |
| No. Only the GEX server can run scripts. The GEX standalone is designed for users that want local use of the solution and want a standard turn-key solution with no custom files to support: this is exactly what the GEX assistants provide. To run scripts, you need to run the GEX server version. |
| Are script files platform dependant? |
Not at all! Script files are ASCII files, and as such can be written using any text editor under any computer platform (you don't even need to run the dos2unix and unix2dos utilities! ). You can write and debug a script under a Unix platform then simply use it 'as-is' under the windows platform. When using platform specific data (such as a file path for instance), scripting conditional commands are provided to help design platform specific code (eg: #if unix)
|
| Pricing, order, license activation,... |
| How much is GEX, support policy and cost? |
Galaxy Examinator pricing has been designed to be very attractive. While price depends of the licensing mode (standalone vs Server), and the quantity ordered, it will cost you less than $3 per day (if not $2) per license! Contracts are on a yearly basis and include full free support and free new releases during the 12months period. Because what you pay for is the service GEX brings to you during 12 months, you don't suffer of depreciation in your accounting books. Also you do not pay high premium upfront as most other vendors do! GEX has over 1,000 happy users and remains the best beat for your bucks! In short, GEX is available under:
One year license
Typically costs $2 to $3 per day
Includes free email/web support
Includes free updates all over the year
No extra costs, no hidden costs!
To get the exact quote for your needs, simply contact your nearest Galaxy sales person. |
| How to place an order? |
After you have received the appropriate quotation to your needs, simply place your order to your nearest Galaxy sales person. All we need in your order is:
The type of licenses ordered (standalone or server)
The number of licenses ordered
The targeted platform (Windows, Solaris or HP-UX)
In return, you will receive a PO confirmation with all details to download the software from the Galaxy web site and activate your licenses through the Internet: when you receive the PO confirmation, it only takes minutes for you to install and run the solution! |
| How to get and activate the software? |
| When we have processed your PO, a PO confirmation is emailed to you. This email includes all details to download the software from the Galaxy web site and activate your licenses through the Internet: it only takes minutes for you to install and run the solution! All this is automated and you do not need any Galaxy engineer to be involved to activate your licenses |
| How to get the latest release? |
| During the validity period of your license (12 months) your can download and upgrade your GEX release for free at any time and as often as you want. All you need is download the latest software version posted on the web site and use it! |
| If license expires...when is it? |
The Galaxy Examinator software runs as long as defined in your license file. Standard licenses run for 12 months from the PO date, and when renewed start from another 12 months. To display when your license expires, simply click the computer icon located at the lower right corner of the GEX application, or use the software to analyze a STDF file, then from the report generated see the Global Information section: it shows the expiration date of the license.
|
| Benchmarks: How fast is GEX? |
| Windows & Unix benchmarks: GEX really flies! |
Remember that you can download GEX and do your own free 10 days evaluation! But before you find the time to do so, you must know that GEX screams! When it comes to speed and ease of use, GEX is by far the best solution around. Following is the processing time when generating a standard HTML report with all test statistics, histograms and wafer maps pages. See by yourself how fast is GEX!
Data files (Examinator)
Database size (ExaminatorDB) |
PC (Windows)
processing time |
Sun-Solaris (Unix)
processing time |
60 Mbytes
|
18.3 sec |
18.1 sec |
| 4.3 Mbytes |
3.7 sec |
3.5 sec |
| 950 Kbytes |
1 sec |
1 sec |
Rule of thumb: GEX processes your files in few seconds if not less! Then for big data crunching over tens or hundreds of mega bytes, speed is about 2 to 3 Mega bytes / sec . So do not expect to find time for a coffee break!
Note: Network performance may affect overall processing time if the data file analyzed is not located on the same station as where GEX is running. Also number of tests in the data files may affect the processing speed too.
Windows configuration: Pentium 3 at 800Mhz, Windows 2000, 256M RAM
Solaris configuration: UltraSparc10, Solaris 6, 256 M RAM. |
| |
| Miscellaneous |
| Who can use STDF? Agilent, Credence, etc... the Galaxy Examinator is for you too! |
Many people are still confused about STDF usage because it was designed by Teradyne (tm). Some people believe only Teradyne clients can use it, others believe a license must be paid. Let's make this statement very clear:
The STDF file format specification document was created in the 80's, by Teradyne. This document was given to Teradyne customers, and any potential client as well. The goal was to define a file format used to store test results, and make this file format a standard so that the whole industry could benefit from it. By doing so, it allowed ATE users, and ATE manufacturers to support a common database format, and made different brands of testers work with a unified statistical package.
Today, Agilent, Credence, LTX, SZ, and many others do generate and support the STDF file format. So no matter who you are: a Teradyne client, an Agilent client, or even a Teradyne competitor , you can use the Galaxy Examinator! |
| Top |
| I can't download the latest release, what's wrong? |
First go the the Galaxy web site home page, then hit the 'refresh' button on your web explorer: it sometimes happen that you explorer is using cache and 'forgets' to download the latest web pages from the Galaxy web site...showing you the page you visited weeks ago! So each time you are not sure about the content of a page, hit the refresh button to ensure you web browser downloads and displays the very latest page! |
| Top |
| Which STDF versions are supported? |
The Galaxy Examinator tool supports both STDF V3 and STDF V4 file types. It also supports files generated by all types of workstation platforms (PC, UNIX, DEC, etc.).
Therefore, any STDF file you have that complies with the STDF specifications will work with GEX. |
| Top |
| Missing information in the .CSV or HTML report? |
The report includes all information that can be extracted from the STDF file. Depending on how the file was generated at the tester, some information may be missing.
For example, when you do partial sampling in production, not all parts tested appear in the STDF file. In this case, the Histogram section would not be accurate because samples are missing.
The same applies to the wafer map section: a wafer map is complete only if all die and binning information is present in the STDF file. |
| Top |
| How to get direct support for Galaxy Examinator? |
| For any questions or support issues, first check the Galaxy Semiconductor web site. If you still can't find the answer to your question, contact our Support Team! |
| Top |
| How to generate a PDF file from the HTML report? |
| All you need is to have the Adobe PDF Writer package installed on your computer. Then from the HTML viewer, simply click the print icon. Then ensure the printer output is the Adobe Distiller or Adobe PDFWriter. It is that simple! |
| Top |
| Where does the test information come from? |
Galaxy Examinator does a full scan of the STDF file to ensure that each test record is processed thereby allowing us to build an accurate histogram. To be more precise, if Galaxy Examinator finds more test records for a given test than what is listed in the summary, the software concludes that the summary was reset during the data collection.
In this case, the summary information that Galaxy Examinator displays is from the computed test records rather than the summary. Situations like this are rare but we've seen this occur on a few occasions. |
| Top |
| How to change Galaxy Examinator from being the default viewer for files with the .std extension? |
When Galaxy Examinator is first installed, Examinator becomes the default viewer for files with the .std extension. This means that when you double click a file with such extension, Examinator is launched (applies to Windows release only, not Solaris nor HP-UX versions).
You can easily disable this feature, and force any other application to be launched instead. To do this, follow these steps:
- Double click the 'My Computer' icon.
- Go to menu Tools/Folder or View/Options.
- Select the 'File types' page.
- Scroll down the list until you see the line:
- STD galaxy_examinator Document
- Select the line, then click the 'Change' button.
- From the list, select the application you want to be launched instead of the Galaxy Examinator when .std files are double-clicked.
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| Top |
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