Peripheral Testing

Abstract

Computer peripherals include VDUs (terminals), printers, backing stores (floppy disks and hard disks) and magnetic tape devices (digital cassettes and audio cassettes). The electro-mechanical nature, with the inherent associated unreliability, of much of this type of equipment means that frequently the cause of an overall system fault is the breakdown of a peripheral. Sometimes the computer system is still operative, but is downgraded, for example when a printer fails. Testing techniques and the natures of peripheral faults are described in this chapter.