program spartan3 under linux

Hi,
I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the Digilent 
USB/JTAG cable.
I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Linux.
My question is : is it possible to program the FPGA under Linux ?
Xilprg is too old. Export from digilent is discontinued and not available 
for Linux.
Are there any alternatives ?

Best Regards
Thorsten

On Aug 28, 12:51=A0am, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the Digil=
ent
> USB/JTAG cable.
> I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Linux.
> My question is : is it possible to program the FPGA under Linux ?
> Xilprg is too old. Export from digilent is discontinued and not available
> for Linux.
> Are there any alternatives ?
>
> Best Regards
> Thorsten

alternative:
do not use Digilent [ ]
Antti

I have some products with digilent on board usb and that doesnt work
on windows either
so i made a firm promise to me not to use the digilent cable whenever
possible
this doesnt include the XUP cable what is cloned xilinx platform
cable, that one work
as it is not designed by digilent

Antti.Lukats@googlemail.com wrote:

> On Aug 28, 12:51 am, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the
>> Digilent USB/JTAG cable.
>> I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Linux.
>> My question is : is it possible to program the FPGA under Linux ?
>> Xilprg is too old. Export from digilent is discontinued and not available
>> for Linux.
>> Are there any alternatives ?
>>
>> Best Regards
>> Thorsten
> 
> alternative:
> do not use Digilent [ ]
> Antti
> 
> I have some products with digilent on board usb and that doesnt work
> on windows either
> so i made a firm promise to me not to use the digilent cable whenever
> possible
> this doesnt include the XUP cable what is cloned xilinx platform
> cable, that one work
> as it is not designed by digilent

Hi,
thanks for the hint !
What FPGA vendor and development board would you suggest for
development on Linux ?

Best wishes
Thorsten

On Aug 30, 4:47=A0pm, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com wrote:
> > On Aug 28, 12:51 am, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >> I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the
> >> Digilent USB/JTAG cable.
> >> I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Linux=
.
> >> My question is : is it possible to program the FPGA under Linux ?
> >> Xilprg is too old. Export from digilent is discontinued and not availa=
ble
> >> for Linux.
> >> Are there any alternatives ?
>
> >> Best Regards
> >> Thorsten
>
> > alternative:
> > do not use Digilent [ ]
> > Antti
>
> > I have some products with digilent on board usb and that doesnt work
> > on windows either
> > so i made a firm promise to me not to use the digilent cable whenever
> > possible
> > this doesnt include the XUP cable what is cloned xilinx platform
> > cable, that one work
> > as it is not designed by digilent
>
> Hi,
> thanks for the hint !
> What FPGA vendor and development board would you suggest for
> development on Linux ?
>
> Best wishes
> Thorsten- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Using FPGA/tools with Linux (short version)
By Antti Lukats, August 2009

Option 1:
Get a PC with preinstalled WinXP/Vista and forget the attempts to use
FPGA tools under linux
This option saves lots of frustration and is worth the money spent

Option 2:
Get a PC with preinstalled WinXP/Vista, connect of FPGA hardware,
programming cables etc
and programming/debug software, download utility, on chip logic
analyzer, boundary scan tools, etc
to the win box
Use linux machine via shell scripts to run "vendor flow" synthesis,
P&R, etc

Option 3:
Be real DIE HARD Hero and do it all on single linux box

Yes, I know.. things can be made to work on linux, there
are plenty of success stories of how the heros have won
the battle and fixed xilinx cable driver issues under linux.
I know.

But if you want the ALL BUNDLE, meaning development
tools and utilities for 5 different FPGA vendors, + special
tools for 3rd parties, then you just have to have one win
box no matter how hard you may hate that solution.

for me its quite simple: some tools i use, just DO NOT exist for linux
or there is licensing problem under linux, or then there is known
hardware/driver problem under linux.
as I want and need tools for ALL vendors, i have no choice as
to have win box, be it slow, whatever, it works.

- end of story -

Thorsten, you CAN use any board under windows
just be prepared of trouble.. some of it you already tasted.

Xilinx USB cable, it sometimes works under linux, so
if you get it working then you can pretty much choose
any board you want.

but as long as you can get some jtag cable working
then no board wo do, well

http://www.demandperipherals.com/products.html

this is designed for linux
so if you can get FTDI drivers installed then that board
should work instantly

I am not recommending that board as it too expensive
for the features it has, but if some one really needs it
all to be done under linux, then that board would configure
over virtual uart

Antti

On Aug 30, 4:47=A0pm, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com wrote:
> > On Aug 28, 12:51 am, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >> I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the
> >> Digilent USB/JTAG cable.
> >> I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Linux=
.
> >> My question is : is it possible to program the FPGA under Linux ?
> >> Xilprg is too old. Export from digilent is discontinued and not availa=
ble
> >> for Linux.
> >> Are there any alternatives ?
>
> >> Best Regards
> >> Thorsten
>
> > alternative:
> > do not use Digilent [ ]
> > Antti
>
> > I have some products with digilent on board usb and that doesnt work
> > on windows either
> > so i made a firm promise to me not to use the digilent cable whenever
> > possible
> > this doesnt include the XUP cable what is cloned xilinx platform
> > cable, that one work
> > as it is not designed by digilent
>
> Hi,
> thanks for the hint !
> What FPGA vendor and development board would you suggest for
> development on Linux ?
>
> Best wishes
> Thorsten- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

some additions previous reply

1) in me previous post: "Xilinx USB Cable" means Xilinx USB Platform
Cable or any direct clones of it (made in china or by digilent)

2) soon to be announced U2TOOL uses FT245 and FPGA, and it has altera
usb blaster compatibility mode, this tool would work under linux (also
as Xilinx downloader), but my plans to support linux are also not so
immediate, it just costs too much money (time=3Dmoney!) to develop for
linux, much more then providing tools that work in win boxes

usb blaster is like jtag eingine over usb-uart so the support for
linux should be simple (as long as FTDI drivers can be installed of
course)

Antti

Antti.Lukats@googlemail.com wrote:

> Option 1:
> Get a PC with preinstalled WinXP/Vista and forget the attempts to use
> FPGA tools under linux
> This option saves lots of frustration and is worth the money spent

I use Windows, too, but maybe a VMWare, or with another virtualization
software, you don't need at least an extra PC (I'm using this on my desktop
PC to run Debian Linux in VMWare, which works fine). Or install Linux and
Windows on one PC with a bootmanager like Grub (this is my Laptop setup),
but Murphy's Law says, that you just need some program for Linux fast (e.g.
phone call from a customer and you have to check something) when Windows is
booted and vice versa :-)

-- 
Frank Buss, fb@frank-buss.de
http://www.frank-buss.de, http://www.it4-systems.de

Frank Buss wrote:

> Antti.Lukats@googlemail.com wrote:
> 
>> Option 1:
>> Get a PC with preinstalled WinXP/Vista and forget the attempts to use
>> FPGA tools under linux
>> This option saves lots of frustration and is worth the money spent
> 
> I use Windows, too, but maybe a VMWare, or with another virtualization
> software, you don't need at least an extra PC (I'm using this on my
> desktop PC to run Debian Linux in VMWare, which works fine). Or install
> Linux and Windows on one PC with a bootmanager like Grub (this is my
> Laptop setup), but Murphy's Law says, that you just need some program for
> Linux fast (e.g. phone call from a customer and you have to check
> something) when Windows is booted and vice versa :-)
> 

Xilinx ISE is very slow on Windows and much faster on Linux.
So once I used a Linux box to code and a win box for uploading
the mcs file. According to your advise I will try running
the Digilent ExPort tool on Win in VirtualBox.

"Antti.Lukats@googlemail.com" <antti.lukats@googlemail.com> wrote:

>On Aug 30, 4:47=A0pm, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
>> Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com wrote:
>> > On Aug 28, 12:51 am, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
>> >> Hi,
>> >> I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the
>> >> Digilent USB/JTAG cable.
>> >> I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Linux=
>.
>I know.
>
>But if you want the ALL BUNDLE, meaning development
>tools and utilities for 5 different FPGA vendors, + special
>tools for 3rd parties, then you just have to have one win
>box no matter how hard you may hate that solution.

Any experience using OpenOCD combined with a generic JTAG dongle (can
be as simple as a parallel port wiggler) to program xsv (or whatever
these pre-cooked jtag files are called) into the FPGA?

-- 
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
                     "If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer!"
--------------------------------------------------------------

On Aug 30, 11:16=A0pm, n...@puntnl.niks (Nico Coesel) wrote:
> "Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com" <antti.luk...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> >On Aug 30, 4:47=3DA0pm, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> >> Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com wrote:
> >> > On Aug 28, 12:51 am, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> >> >> Hi,
> >> >> I'm using the Xilinx Webpack 11.1, the Spartan3 StarterKit, and the
> >> >> Digilent USB/JTAG cable.
> >> >> I find ISE 11.1 too slow under Windows, so I want to use it with Li=
nux=3D
> >.
> >I know.
>
> >But if you want the ALL BUNDLE, meaning development
> >tools and utilities for 5 different FPGA vendors, + special
> >tools for 3rd parties, then you just have to have one win
> >box no matter how hard you may hate that solution.
>
> Any experience using OpenOCD combined with a generic JTAG dongle (can
> be as simple as a parallel port wiggler) to program xsv (or whatever
> these pre-cooked jtag files are called) into the FPGA?
>
> --
> Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
> indicates you are not using the right tools...
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0"If it doesn't fit, use a bigg=
er hammer!"
> --------------------------------------------------------------

you dont rean the brain, i think i have written that using svf files
with jtag player is not a problem at all, i used amontec jtagkey
but any supported hw would do.hm i guess i used openocd
as player, think i did
--

Thorsten: i said win box (real PC), not VM virtual windows
under linux - different things, it is safe to run linux in win VM,
but not the otherway around as long as it goes the usb drivers
(well maybe linux usb want work in win VM either, but there
is no need for it also).

its worth a try of course as last hope, but it is not guaranteed
for success, sorry the linux way is die hard way, if you want
it it all yours..

I go the hard way too, when the task calls for it, but messing
around with linux/jtag/usb isnt for me, it doesnt pay

well it may one day develop some linux stuff that works,
but for my everyday work i use things that are known to work

Antti

On Aug 30, 8:27=A0pm, Thorsten Kiefer <tok...@gmx.net> wrote:
> Frank Buss wrote:
> > Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com wrote:
>
> >> Option 1:
> >> Get a PC with preinstalled WinXP/Vista and forget the attempts to use
> >> FPGA tools under linux
> >> This option saves lots of frustration and is worth the money spent
>
> > I use Windows, too, but maybe a VMWare, or with another virtualization
> > software, you don't need at least an extra PC (I'm using this on my
> > desktop PC to run Debian Linux in VMWare, which works fine). Or install
> > Linux and Windows on one PC with a bootmanager like Grub (this is my
> > Laptop setup), but Murphy's Law says, that you just need some program f=
or
> > Linux fast (e.g. phone call from a customer and you have to check
> > something) when Windows is booted and vice versa :-)
>
> Xilinx ISE is very slow on Windows and much faster on Linux.
> So once I used a Linux box to code and a win box for uploading
> the mcs file. According to your advise I will try running
> the Digilent ExPort tool on Win in VirtualBox.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I did NOT advise using win in virtual box, I meant REAL PC
think i did even say need buy PC with pre installed winXP
this mean real machine not win in VM

there is no gurantee digilent export will work in virual win box

Antti