Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition: Getting Started Guide

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ID 683678
Date 9/24/2018
Public
Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition Getting Started Guide 2. Getting Started with the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition for Windows 3. Getting Started with the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition for Linux A. Document Revision History for Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition Getting Started Guide
1. Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition Getting Started Guide x
1.1. Prerequisites for the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition 1.2. Contents of the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition 1.3. Overview of the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition Setup Process
2. Getting Started with the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition for Windows x
2.1. Downloading the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition 2.2. Installing the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ 2.3. Setting the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition User Environment Variables 2.4. Verifying Software Installation 2.5. Installing an FPGA Board 2.6. Verifying Host Runtime Functionality via Emulation 2.7. Creating the FPGA Hardware Configuration File of an OpenCL Kernel 2.8. Updating the Hardware Image on the FPGA 2.9. Executing an OpenCL Kernel on an FPGA 2.10. Uninstalling the Software 2.11. Uninstalling the FPGA Board
2.6. Verifying Host Runtime Functionality via Emulation x
2.6.1. Downloading an OpenCL Design Example 2.6.2. Compiling a Kernel for Emulation 2.6.3. Building the Host Application 2.6.4. Emulating Your OpenCL Kernel
2.8. Updating the Hardware Image on the FPGA x
2.8.1. Querying the Device Name of Your FPGA Board 2.8.2. Programming the Flash Memory of an FPGA
2.9. Executing an OpenCL Kernel on an FPGA x
2.9.1. Running the Host Application 2.9.2. Output from Successful Kernel Execution
3. Getting Started with the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition for Linux x
3.1. Downloading the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition 3.2. Installing the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ 3.3. Setting the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition User Environment Variables 3.4. Verifying Software Installation 3.5. Installing an FPGA Board 3.6. Verifying Host Runtime Functionality via Emulation 3.7. Creating the FPGA Hardware Configuration File of an OpenCL Kernel 3.8. Updating the Hardware Image on the FPGA 3.9. Executing an OpenCL Kernel on an FPGA 3.10. Uninstalling the Software 3.11. Uninstalling the FPGA Board
3.6. Verifying Host Runtime Functionality via Emulation x
3.6.1. Downloading an OpenCL Design Example 3.6.2. Compiling a Kernel for Emulation 3.6.3. Building the Host Application 3.6.4. Emulating Your OpenCL Kernel
3.8. Updating the Hardware Image on the FPGA x
3.8.1. Querying the Device Name of Your FPGA Board 3.8.2. Programming the Flash Memory of an FPGA
3.9. Executing an OpenCL Kernel on an FPGA x
3.9.1. Running the Host Application 3.9.2. Output from Successful Kernel Execution
1. Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition Getting Started Guide
2. Getting Started with the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition for Windows
3. Getting Started with the Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition for Linux
A. Document Revision History for Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ Standard Edition Getting Started Guide

2.8.2. Programming the Flash Memory of an FPGA

Configure the FPGA by loading the hardware image of an Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ design example into the flash memory of the device. When there is no power, the FPGA retains the hardware configuration file in the flash memory. When you power up the system, it configures the FPGA circuitry based on this hardware image in the flash memory. Therefore, it is imperative that an OpenCL-compatible hardware configuration file is loaded into the flash memory of your FPGA.

Preloading an OpenCL image into the flash memory is necessary for the proper functioning of many Custom Platforms. For example, most PCIe®-based boards require a valid OpenCL image in flash memory so that hardware on the board can use the image to configure the FPGA device when the host system powers up for the first time. If the FPGA is not configured with a valid OpenCL image, the system will fail to enumerate the PCIe endpoint, or the driver will not function.

Before running any designs, ensure that the flash memory of your board has a valid OpenCL image that is compatible with the current OpenCL software version. Consult your board vendor's documentation for board-specific requirements.

CAUTION:
When you load the hardware configuration file into the flash memory of the FPGA, maintain system power for the entire loading process, which might take a few minutes. Also, do not launch any host code that calls OpenCL kernels or might otherwise communicate with the FPGA board.

To load your hardware configuration file into the flash memory of your FPGA board, perform the following tasks:

  1. Install any drivers or utilities that your Custom Platform requires.
    For example, some Custom Platforms require you to install the Intel® FPGA Download Cable driver to load your hardware configuration file into the flash memory. For installation instructions, refer to the Intel® FPGA Download Cable User Guide.
  2. Download a design example for your Custom Platform.
    Remember: Download design examples from the OpenCL Design Examples page, and extract the example to a location that you have write access for. Ensure that the location name does not contain spaces.
  3. To load the hardware configuration file into the flash memory, invoke the aocl flash <device_name> <design_example_filename>.aocx command, where <device_name> refers to the acl number (e.g. acl0 to acl31) that corresponds to your FPGA device, and <design_example_filename>.aocx is the hardware configuration file you create from the <design_example_filename>.cl file in the design example package.
  4. Power down your device or computer and then power it up again.
    Power cycling ensures that the FPGA configuration device retrieves the hardware configuration file from the flash memory and configures it into the FPGA.
    Warning: Some Custom Platforms require you to power cycle the entire host system after programming the flash memory. For example, PCIe-based Custom Platforms might require a host system restart to reenumerate the PCIe endpoint. Intel® recommends that you power cycle the complete host system after programming the flash memory.
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