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

ID 683609
Date 4/03/2023
Public

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3.1. Creating a BSP from Platform Designer

You can launch the BSP Editor from Platform Designer to define a new BSP for a Platform Designer system or other hardware design. You can launch the BSP Editor in either integrated or stand-alone mode, depending on the System file that you specify for the BSP in Platform Designer.

When you create a BSP from Platform Designer, the BSP Editor stores your BSP definition in a BSP Settings File (.bsp) for later retrieval. You can reopen an existing BSP by opening the .bsp file in Platform Designer. The BSP generally includes a .a file, header files (for example, system.h), and a linker script (linker.x). You use these BSP files when creating an application.

Launching BSP Editor in Integrated Mode

In integrated mode, BSP Editor automatically updates for any changes that you make to your system in Platform Designer. You launch BSP Editor in integrated mode by specifying your Platform Designer system's .qsys file as the main input to the BSP generation. Nios® V processor designs require integrated mode. Nios® II processor designs require stand-alone mode.

To launch BSP Editor in integrated mode:

  1. Open a Platform Designer system, as Creating or Opening a Platform Designer System describes.
  2. In Platform Designer, click File > New BSP.
  3. Specify the name and location for the new BSP settings file, and click the Create button. The Create New BSP dialog box opens.
  4. For System file, specify the .qsys file that defines the target hardware platform for the current Platform Designer system. The CPU name and BSP target directory reflect the values in the .qsys file.
    Figure 101. Create New BSP Dialog Box (Integrated Mode)
  5. Specify options for the Operating System and BSP target directory, as Create New BSP Dialog Box describes.
  6. To create the BSP, click the Create button. The BSP Editor opens and displays the BSP Editor's Main tab in Platform Designer.
    Figure 102. BSP Editor Main Tab
  7. To configure the BSP, specify settings and options on the BSP Editor tabs. Refer to BSP Editor GUI for details on these settings.
  8. To generate the files for the BSP according to your specifications, click the Generate BSP button in BSP Editor. BSP Editor files do not automatically generate when you generate Platform Designer system files.

Launching BSP Editor in Stand-Alone Mode

Platform Designer generates a <system_name>/ .sopcinfo file during HDL generation of the system. You can specify a .sopcinfo file and other BSP file saving options when defining a new BSP in stand-alone mode. Stand-alone mode is required for Nios® II processor designs, and is not supported for Nios® V processor designs.

Note: If you make any changes to your Platform Designer system after creating a BSP in stand-alone mode, you must regenerate the system's HDL and .sopcinfo files and create a new BSP to reflect any changes. The BSP does not update automatically with changes that you make to a Platform Designer system in stand-alone mode.
  1. Open a Platform Designer system, as Creating or Opening a Platform Designer System describes.
  2. If generating a BSP for a Platform Designer system, click Generate HDL to generate the HDL and .sopcinfo files defining the target hardware for the system.
  3. In Platform Designer, click File > New BSP.
  4. Specify the name and location for the new BSP settings file, and click the Create button. The New Platform Designer BSP dialog box opens.
  5. For the SOPC Information File name option, specify the .sopcinfo file that step 2 generates. The CPU name and BSP target directory reflect the values in the .sopcinfo file.
    Figure 103. Create New BSP Dialog Box (Stand-Alone Mode)
  6. You can specify options for the Operating System and BSP file output, as Create New BSP Dialog Box describes.
  7. To create the BSP, click the Create button. The BSP Editor opens and displays the BSP Editor's Main tab in Platform Designer.
  8. To configure the BSP, specify settings and options on the BSP Editor tabs. Refer to BSP Editor GUI.
  9. To generate the files for the BSP according to your specifications, click the Generate button in BSP Editor.