Xilinx tools on Linux

Phil Tomson <ptkwt@aracnet.com> wrote:
> >
> >> But running ISE in Wine is about 10x slower than running the Linux
> >> versionwith Wind/U.  It's actually slower than running the 
> >> Windows version under VMware, which surprised me.
> >
> >You probably run a kernel before 2.6.10. A fix for the communication
> >between the GUI and the worker programms was introduced with 2.6.10.

> This is good to know and it seems like a reasonable explanation...  Turns 
> out I'm running 2.6.3.  I'll try rebooting with my old 2.4.something 
> kernel when I get a chance.

Then apply the patch found with google and "FIONREAD Bonnes" to patch that
bug. 2.4 had the same problem like 2.6 before 2.6.10

-- 
Uwe Bonnes                bon@elektron.ikp.physik.tu-darmstadt.de

Institut fuer Kernphysik  Schlossgartenstrasse 9  64289 Darmstadt
--------- Tel. 06151 162516 -------- Fax. 06151 164321 ----------

Eric Smith wrote:
> Note that Qt still would have per-seat license fees, so I don't think
> it's even in the running.

Huh?  Qt is licensed per developer seat, not per user seat.
See: http://www.trolltech.com/products/qt/migrate/motif.html

"No per-copy fees" - can't get more explicit than that.
What's the problem?

Martin

Duane Clark wrote:

> Rudolf Usselmann wrote:
>> 
>> yes, it is possible to replace the GUI with a script. At least
>> for ISE. I have not been able to figure out hot to do the same
>> for EDK (yet).
>> 
> 
> Assuming you are on Linux... (though presumably this should also work on
> Windows)
> 
> The EDK project is run by a makefile, named system.make. So you can can
> build the project by typing commands like:
> make -f system.make netlist
> which builds the bitfile from HDL code, and
> make -f system.make program
> which compiles C code and inserts it into the bitfile. Those are about
> the only two EDK commands I use. I never use the EDK GUI. A list of
> commands is available with:
> make -f system.make
> Actually, I create a symbolic link
> ln -s system.make makefile
> which means I don't need to type out the "-f system.make" stuff.
> 
> Of course, that doesn't get you the project in the first place. In
> general, I take an existing project that is similar to what I want, copy
> it over, and start modifying.


Exactly ! Thats is what I do. And as you point out the tricky
part is to get the project created. For that I still start up
xps, and ask it to "Save Makefile". After that I just run gmake ...

rudi
=============================================================
Rudolf Usselmann,  ASICS World Services,  http://www.asics.ws
Your Partner for IP Cores, Design, Verification and Synthesis

Rudolf Usselmann wrote:
> Duane Clark wrote:

>>Of course, that doesn't get you the project in the first place. In
>>general, I take an existing project that is similar to what I want, copy
>>it over, and start modifying.
> 
> 
> Exactly ! Thats is what I do. And as you point out the tricky
> part is to get the project created. For that I still start up
> xps, and ask it to "Save Makefile". After that I just run gmake ...

A trick to save waiting for the GUI:

$ xps -nw system.xmp

% save make
% exit

John

I wrote:
> Note that Qt still would have per-seat license fees, so I don't think
> it's even in the running.

Martin Ellis:
> Huh?  Qt is licensed per developer seat, not per user seat.
> See: http://www.trolltech.com/products/qt/migrate/motif.html

Thanks for the correction.  I knew that there was commercial licensing
involved, but had no idea that there weren't per-copy fees.

Phil Tomson wrote:
> In article <4262f6e4$1@clear.net.nz>,
> Jim Granville  <no.spam@designtools.co.nz> wrote:
> >Phil Tomson wrote:
> >> In article <1113761592.889108.25670@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
> >> Marc Randolph <mrand@my-deja.com> wrote:
> >>>Howdy Phil,
> >>>
> >>>  It used to be.  The GUI group appears to have gone to binary
project
> >>>file, at least on Windows version of ISE 7.1i - that move alone
has
> >>>almost driven me away from using the VHDL flow, back to using the
edif
> >>>flow.
> >>
> >> Bizarre.  While the rest of the world is going to text formats
like XML
> >> (even Microsoft's Visual Studio.NET now store project files as
editable
> >> XML.) Xilinx decides to move to a binary format?  Can anyone from
Xilinx
> >> comment on the rationale for doing this?
> >
> >  There are solid version control, and user support, reasons for
using
> >an ASCII project file, that can be shared between GUI and command
line
> >flows.
> >  It also has operational benefits : You use the GUI for what it is
good
> >at ( one off set-up ), and the command line when speed and
> >removal-of-operator-error are important.
> >
> >  It can also save money - in this example, a user could set up in a

> >borrowed Windows GUI, then run Linux command line, knowing the
> >results will be (hopefully) the same.
> >
> >  Where I have seen moves to binary project (and design!) files in
the
> >past, that has been driven by paranoia, and an effort to reduce
> >portability to the "others".
> >
> >  History shows that the minus side of this move, outweighed any
plus
> >side. Fundamental rule: Do not penalise the legitimate users!
> >
> >  Seems to be two possible causes :
> >a) A novice was put in charge of the project file decision
> >and/or
> >b) The paranoia quotient really is going up at Xilinx
> >    [see other posts ?]
>
> But what would they be paranoid about?  Are they afraid that Altera
will
> create a Xilinx to Altera project converter or something?  Even if
they
> did so, would it really be that big of a deal?  The benefits of
having a
> user-editable ASCII project file (which you outline) seem to greatly
> outweigh this risk.

I'm guessing it wasn't paranoia, because they provide a way to import
and export information to/from the new binary .ise file:

http://support.xilinx.com/xlnx/xil_ans_display.jsp?getPagePath=21067

My WAG is that they mistakenly thought they needed to go binary to
improve the speed of the GUI (which can be sluggish with large
projects, even on a decently fast machine).  So that would line up with
cause (a) above.

   Marc

Marc Randolph wrote:
> I'm guessing it wasn't paranoia, because they provide a way to import
> and export information to/from the new binary .ise file:
> 
> http://support.xilinx.com/xlnx/xil_ans_display.jsp?getPagePath=21067
> 
> My WAG is that they mistakenly thought they needed to go binary to
> improve the speed of the GUI (which can be sluggish with large
> projects, even on a decently fast machine).  So that would line up with
> cause (a) above.
> 
>    Marc

"WAG" !!! Wow ! Last time I heard WAG was about 10+ years ago
when I was working at Tandem. We also used EWAG (E=educated).
Amazing, I almost forgot it ... ;*)

Cheers,
rudi
=============================================================
Rudolf Usselmann,  ASICS World Services,  http://www.asics.ws
Your Partner for IP Cores, Design, Verification and Synthesis

Marc Randolph wrote:
> My WAG is that they mistakenly thought they needed to go binary to

Rudolf Usselmann wrote:
> "WAG" !!! Wow ! Last time I heard WAG was about 10+ years ago
> when I was working at Tandem. We also used EWAG (E=educated).

Around here it's a SWAG (Scientific...).

Hello All
    I have a succes story about ISE 7.1i and Mandrake 10.1, with th
usual hassle of library linking and installing openmotif
     What I haven't been able to do is to use iMpact. The GUI load
fine, but it seems unable to load the Xilinx cable drivers. I trie
to recompile the drivers, but that didn't work either. Has anyon
been able to use iMpact on a 2.6 Linux box? Or at a Linux box a
all
Thanks

In article <geedneaXzs35YOLfRVn_vg@giganews.com>,
leonardopsantos <leonardopsantos@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid> wrote:
>Hello All:
>    I have a succes story about ISE 7.1i and Mandrake 10.1, with the
>usual hassle of library linking and installing openmotif.

Can you give us any hints about what you had to do to get ISE 7.1i 
running under Mandrake?  I can run it but it's very slow - did you have 
to patch the kernel?

PHil