Lucent Technologies Inc.

Daniel James McGuire

David A Fishman

David A Kiley

Ronald E Boston

Disclosed is an electronic device that can communicate with a plurality of testing devices that utilize a plurality of communication formats. To accommodate the plurality of testing devices, the electronic device can be configured to communicate with external test equipment using multiple communication path configurations and multiple message protocols. An exemplary method of the present invention is a method of configuring an electronic device for communicating with either of a first or second testing device. The first and second testing devices use, respectively, first and second physical communication path configurations and first and second message protocols. As an initial matter, the method of the present invention includes identifying a presently-used testing device, the presently-used testing device comprising one of the first and second testing devices. Once the presently-used testing device is identified, the electronic device self-configures to a select physical communication path configuration, the select communication path configuration comprising that of the first and second communication path configurations which corresponds to the presently-used testing device. Next, the electronic device receives a message from the presently-used testing device, the message containing information relating to a testing routine to be performed. Once the message is received, the message protocol corresponding to the presently-used testing device is employed to obtain the information relating to the test routine to be performed. Finally, the test routine identified in obtained information is performed.

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New York, NY, United States of America

Daniel James McGuire