Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: Platform Designer

ID 683609
Date 10/04/2021
Public

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2. Creating a Board Support Package with BSP Editor

Platform Designer includes the BSP Editor board support package editing tool. A board support package (BSP) provides a software runtime environment for embedded systems, such as Nios® II processor and Nios® V processor systems.

The BSP simplifies your interface with connected hardware by providing the Intel FPGA hardware abstraction layer (HAL), an optional RTOS, and device drivers. BSP Editor is also available from the Nios® II Embedded Design Suite (EDS).

The BSP Editor is a GUI tool that you can launch from Platform Designer to configure BSP contents. The BSP Editor allows you to specify the Harvard architecture CPU for your BSP, based on your Platform Designer system's .qsys file, or based on a .sopcinfo file that stores the target hardware definition. The .sopcinfo file generates during Platform Designer system HDL generation.

Figure 70. BSP Editor

The BSP isolates your application from system-specific details such as the memory map, available devices, and processor configuration. You decide the placement of the application's program code and data, depending on the memory devices that you connect to the CPU's instruction bus.

For each peripheral IP that you connect to the selected CPU's data bus, the BSP Editor automatically includes the matching driver for each peripheral IP as part of the BSP. The BSP Editor packages each driver using the sw.tcl API. The sw.tcl API defines the collection of driver source files for the matching IP component type accessible by the CPU's data bus. Each driver may define software settings for configuring driver implementation or behavior.

You can use BSP Editor in the following modes. The BSP System file that you specify determines the mode.

Table 28.  BSP Editor Modes in Platform Designer
  BSP Editor Integrated Mode BSP Editor Stand-Alone Mode
Description Generate a BSP directly for a Platform Designer system (.qsys). Any changes that you make in the System View automatically update in the BSP. Nios® V processor designs require Integrated Mode. BSP Editor is not fully integrated with Platform Designer, requiring manual update of the BSP for any changes that you make to the system using the .sopcinfo file. Nios® II processor designs require Stand-Alone Mode.
Processor Support Nios® V Processor2 Nios® II Processor
To Launch (BSP System File) Specifying a .qsys file as System file launches BSP Editor in integrated mode. Specifying a .sopcinfo as System file launches BSP Editor in stand-alone mode.
Note: For complete information about how to develop a BSP for a Nios® II processor system or Nios® V processor system, refer to the Nios® II Software Developer Handbook or the Nios® V Processor Quick Start Guide, respectively.
2 The Nios® V processor does not support stand-alone mode. The Nios® II processor does not support integrated mode.