Hardware error detection on a high-speed serial connection

Hardware error detection on a high-speed serial (HSS) connection including tracking, by a hardware state machine on a HSS receiver, errors in a data stream, wherein tracking, by the hardware state machine, the errors in the data stream comprises, for each sample of incoming data: inspecting, by the hardware state machine, a detected error indicator in a test control register to determine whether an error has been detected in the sample; incrementing, by the hardware state machine, an error count in a hardware error counter if the test control register indicates an error has been detected in the sample; clearing, by the hardware state machine, the detected error indicator if the test control register indicates an error has been detected in the sample; and incrementing, by the hardware state machine, a sample count in a sample count register.