The purpose of this page is to provide simple step-by-step instructions to follow when opening the box or using the Intel® SoC FPGA Development Kit for the first time. It helps you to start interacting with the development kit and available resources quickly.
After opening and unpacking the box, follow the instructions in the section entitled "Verify Basic Operation".
The development kit contains the following items:
Download SoC EDS Software Development Tools
Download and Install the Platform Designer (formerly Qsys) and Intel Quartus® Prime Software
Not all the software mentioned in the preceding section needs to be installed. The exact tools to install will depend on what you are planning to use the Intel Arria 10 SoC Development Kit for. For example, a hardware intellectual property (IP) developer will install very different tools than an application software developer working with the development kit. The following table details what should be installed based on what you plan to do.
Goal | Intel Quartus Prime Software | SoC EDS | Kit Project Files |
---|---|---|---|
Develop and debug an FPGA design | x | x | |
Test FPGA IP under software control | x | ||
Develop and debug embedded software (driver / application) | x | ||
Develop PCB | x |
Action | Hardware | Firmware | Software | Description | Document |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Functional verification of IP in FPGA (isolated) |
x | x | x | System Console | RocketBoards.org |
Functional verification of IP in system (CPU control) |
x | x | x | Bare-metal software | SoC EDS User Guide |
Hardware or software hand-off | x | x | x | SoC EDS | RocketBoards.org |
Generate preloader | x | x | SoC EDS | RocketBoards.org | |
Debug software connected to target board | x | x | User space application | SoC EDS User Guide | |
Debug software connected to target board | x | x | Kernel driver | SoC EDS User Guide | |
Program flash memory (Hardware image and software image) |
x | x | x | HPS flash programmer | SoC EDS User Guide |
Hardware or software cross triggering (advanced topic) |
x | x | x | Triggering between Signal Tap and debugger | SoC EDS User Guide |
DHCP is generally a simple way to configure the IP address of the target board however there are some cases where a DHCP server might not be available on your network.
Beginning in version 17.0 of the GSRD, if a DHCP server is not found, then a link-local static address is assigned and displayed on the LCD display. This IP address will be in the range of 169.254.x.x. If this is the case, then connect to this IP address either through the local network or by directly connecting an Ethernet cable between the target board and the host computer and then continue with Step 6 shown above.
If the GSRD version is earlier than 17.0, and the main network does not provide a DHCP server, then try using an external router that is configured with a DHCP server. Reboot the target board and see if the DHCP-provided IP address is shown on the LCD display. If so, connect the host computer and then continue from Step 6 shown above.
If no DHCP server is available, then configure a local static IP address on the target board and host computer wired Ethernet port.
To configure the target board IP address, power up the board if it is not already. The board will boot up the Linux-based GSRD.
After the board is booted, if the message "No IP obtained" is displayed, connect to the serial UART console using the mini USB cable connected from the host computer to the target computer mini USB UART port. For this USB UART device to work, you need to have previously installed the FTDI USB UART device drivers that are provided and installed by the SoC EDS tools. If they have not been installed, then follow the instructions to "Download SoC EDS Software Development Tools" to install the USB UART drivers that are included and then continue from here.
After you have installed the drivers, connect to the serial console using a terminal emulator program such as PuTTY using serial mode and 115200 baud. If the host is Windows operating system (OS) then determine the COM port using the Windows Device Manager under Ports.
Once connected, hit Enter to get a Linux login prompt. Log in as root, and enter the following commands:
# ifconfig eth0 down
# ifconfig eth0 192.68.1.10 (or use another similar local IP address)
# ifconfig eth0 up
Configure your host computer Ethernet device to use an IP address on the same subnet (for example 192.168.1.11). For Windows OS, use "Network and Sharing Center", "Change Adapter Setting", and select "Properties" to enter the IP address for the wired Ethernet device TCP/IPv4.
Connect a RJ45 cable between the host computer and the target computer according to the instructions above.
Using a web browser, connect to the target IP address (in this case http://192.168.1.10).
If the target-based web server presents the web page then continue with Step 7 of the Quick Start Guide. Otherwise, proceed to Step 8.
Software
Hardware
Hardware Kit-Specific Resources
General Design Resources
Other Documentation