The present invention provides an improved boundary scan test system that
can scan device scan paths in a parallel manner. In one embodiment, an
improved method for processing a scan command from a pattern file is
provided. The scan command is associated with (e.g., includes, points to)
test device data that is to be scanned into physical system under test
devices of a type specified by the command. Initially, a parallel device
structure is acquired for the specified device type. The parallel device
structure has one or more groups each identifying one or more parallel
scan paths of devices within the physical system under test. A scan image
is then prepared for each of the one or more groups whose one or more
identified parallel scan paths include a device of the specified device
type. For each group whose one or more scan paths has a device of the
specified device type, a scan request, with the scan image prepared for
the group, is then generated for that group. The scan request, when
provided to a utility unit, causes the unit to scan in parallel the scan
image into the one or more scan paths of the group in order to scan the
test device data into the devices of the specified device type within the
group.
