Lab1: Setup

Please ensure that you have Lab Setup completed before the lab

Vivado Installation

To run the labs it is recommended to install Vivado and Vitis (you will also need them in the Processor Design Project in Q4), but if you absolutely cannot install them, contact the TAs so they can arrange access to a remote server. The entire installation requires between 50 to 60 GB of disk space.

Installers are available for Linux and Windows: https://www.xilinx.com/support/download. The coming lab was tested in version 2023.2 (and likely works in 2024.1). After you click on download, you need to create an account or log in if you already have one. On Linux do not forget to allow running chmod a+x FPGAs_AdaptiveSoCs_Unified_2023.2_1013_2256_Lin64.bin and ./FPGAs_AdaptiveSoCs_Unified_2023.2_1013_2256_Lin64.bin

For Mac users we are trying to find the best solution. The site will be updated, once we have tested an installation approach.

Once you run the installer:

  1. Select Vitis
  2. Select the minimal installation components as shown in the image below. Windows: leave the last option (Cable drivers) checked.

  1. Linux: install cable drivers by running:
cd ${vivado_install_dir}/data/xicom/cable_drivers/lin64/install_script/
install_drivers/
sudo ./install_drivers

Read more about Cable Drivers: https://docs.amd.com/r/en-US/ug973-vivado-release-notes-install-license/Install-Cable-Drivers.

After the installation is complete, ensure that you have Vivado 2023.2 and Vitis Classic 2023.2 installed.

If you face any issues with the installations please reach out to the TAs. You will not be able to start working on Lab 1 without the software completely installed. So you must install it before the lab so you don't lose time during the lab.

Installing a Serial Terminal

Only required for Lab 2, but recommended you install before the labs

A serial terminal is required to display the data sent back from the FPGA. There are many options for a serial terminal, any one of them is acceptable. A few recommended programs are listed below:

  1. Putty (Suggested for new instals)
  2. MobaXTerm
  3. Ardunio IDE
  4. Termite