System and method for verifying a monitoring and protection system's (MPS) configuration and installation are disclosed. The MPS includes a plurality of input/output (I/O) channels configured to couple to at least one sensor sensing machinery operations, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) communicatively coupled to the plurality of I/O channels, where the ADC is configured to receive at least one signal from the plurality of I/O channels communicated by the sensor and is configured to convert the signal to a digital data. The MPS also includes a processor communicatively coupled to the ADC, where the processor is configured to derive a state based on the digital data, and an excitation system communicatively coupled to the ADC, where the excitation system is configured to excite an excitation signal for a selected system state as a replacement for the signal.