Nios® V Embedded Processor Design Handbook

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ID 726952
Date 4/04/2022
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. About this Document 2. Introduction 3. Nios® V Processor Hardware System Design with Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition and Platform Designer 4. Nios® V Processor Software System Design 5. Nios® V Processor Configuration and Booting Solutions 6. Nios® V Processor - Using the MicroC/TCP-IP Stack 7. Nios® V Processor Debugging, Verifying, and Simulating 8. Document Revision History for the Nios® V Embedded Processor Design Handbook
2. Introduction x
2.1. Overview on Intel® FPGA IP and Soft-Core Processors 2.2. Embedded System Design 2.3. Nios® V Processor Quick Start Guide
2.3. Nios® V Processor Quick Start Guide x
2.3.1. System Requirements 2.3.2. Nios® V/m Processor Example Design 2.3.3. Software Design Flow 2.3.4. Programming Nios® V/m into the FPGA Device
2.3.1. System Requirements x
2.3.1.1. Hardware and Software Requirements 2.3.1.2. Setting Up Open-Source Tools
2.3.2. Nios® V/m Processor Example Design x
2.3.2.1. Generating the Example Design Through Graphical User Interface 2.3.2.2. Generating the Nios® V/m Processor Example Design Using the Command-Line Interface
2.3.2.1. Generating the Example Design Through Graphical User Interface x
2.3.2.1.1. Generating the Nios® V/m Processor Example Design in Platform Designer 2.3.2.1.2. Generating the Nios® V/m Processor Example Design System in Platform Designer
2.3.3. Software Design Flow x
2.3.3.1. Generating the Board Support Package 2.3.3.2. Generating the Application Project File 2.3.3.3. Building the Application Project
2.3.3.1. Generating the Board Support Package x
2.3.3.1.1. Generating the Board Support Package using the BSP Editor GUI 2.3.3.1.2. Generating the Board Support Package using the Command-Line Interface
2.3.3.3. Building the Application Project x
2.3.3.3.1. Building the Application Project using Eclipse Embedded CDT 2.3.3.3.2. Building the Application Project using the Command-Line Interface
3. Nios® V Processor Hardware System Design with Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition and Platform Designer x
3.1. Creating Nios® V Processor System Design with Platform Designer 3.2. Integrating Platform Designer System into the Intel® Quartus® Prime Project 3.3. Designing a Nios® V Processor Memory System 3.4. Clocks and Resets
3.1. Creating Nios® V Processor System Design with Platform Designer x
3.1.1. Instantiating Nios® V/m Processor IP Core 3.1.2. Defining System Component Design 3.1.3. Specifying Base Addresses and Interrupt Request Priorities
3.1.1. Instantiating Nios® V/m Processor IP Core x
3.1.1.1. Configure Nios® V Processor Parameters 3.1.1.2. Generate Nios® V processor example design from Platform Designer
3.1.1.1. Configure Nios® V Processor Parameters x
3.1.1.1.1. Debug Tab 3.1.1.1.2. Vectors Tab
3.2. Integrating Platform Designer System into the Intel® Quartus® Prime Project x
3.2.1. Instantiating the Nios® V Processor System Module in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Project 3.2.2. Connecting Signals and Assigning Physical Pin Locations 3.2.3. Constraining the Intel FPGA Design
3.3. Designing a Nios® V Processor Memory System x
3.3.1. Volatile Memory 3.3.2. Non-Volatile Memory 3.3.3. On-Chip Memory Configuration – RAM/ROM
5. Nios® V Processor Configuration and Booting Solutions x
5.1. Introduction 5.2. Linking Applications 5.3. Nios® V Processor Booting Methods 5.4. Introduction to Nios® V Processor Booting Methods 5.5. Nios® V Processor Booting from Configuration QSPI Flash 5.6. Nios V Processor Booting from On-Chip Memory (OCRAM) 5.7. Summary of Nios V Processor Vector Configuration and BSP Settings
5.2. Linking Applications x
5.2.1. Linking Behaviour
5.2.1. Linking Behaviour x
5.2.1.1. Default BSP Linking 5.2.1.2. Configurable BSP Linking
5.4. Introduction to Nios® V Processor Booting Methods x
5.4.1. Nios® V Processor Application Execute-In-Place from Boot Flash 5.4.2. Nios® V Processor Application Copied from Boot Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier 5.4.3. Nios® V Processor Application Execute-In-Place from OCRAM
5.4.1. Nios® V Processor Application Execute-In-Place from Boot Flash x
5.4.1.1. alt_load()
5.4.2. Nios® V Processor Application Copied from Boot Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier x
5.4.2.1. GSFI Bootloader 5.4.2.2. SDM Bootloader
5.5. Nios® V Processor Booting from Configuration QSPI Flash x
5.5.1. Nios V Processor Design, Configuration and Boot Flow (Control Block-based Device) 5.5.2. Nios V Processor Design, Configuration and Boot Flow (SDM-based Devices)
5.5.1. Nios V Processor Design, Configuration and Boot Flow (Control Block-based Device) x
5.5.1.1. Nios® V Processor Application Executes-In-Place from Configuration QSPI Flash 5.5.1.2. Nios® V Processor Application Copied from Configuration QSPI Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier (GSFI Bootloader) 5.5.1.3. GSFI Bootloader Example Design
5.5.1.1. Nios® V Processor Application Executes-In-Place from Configuration QSPI Flash x
5.5.1.1.1. Hardware Design Flow 5.5.1.1.2. Software Design Flow 5.5.1.1.3. Programming Files Generation 5.5.1.1.4. QSPI Flash Programming
5.5.1.2. Nios® V Processor Application Copied from Configuration QSPI Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier (GSFI Bootloader) x
5.5.1.2.1. Hardware Design Flow 5.5.1.2.2. Software Design Flow 5.5.1.2.3. Programming Files Generation 5.5.1.2.4. QSPI Flash Programming
5.5.2. Nios V Processor Design, Configuration and Boot Flow (SDM-based Devices) x
5.5.2.1. Nios V Processor Application Copied from Configuration QSPI Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier (SDM Bootloader) 5.5.2.2. SDM Bootloader Example Design
5.5.2.1. Nios V Processor Application Copied from Configuration QSPI Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier (SDM Bootloader) x
5.5.2.1.1. Hardware Design Flow 5.5.2.1.2. Software Design Flow 5.5.2.1.3. Software Design Flow (SDM Bootloader Project) 5.5.2.1.4. Software Design Flow (User Application Project) 5.5.2.1.5. Programming Files Generation 5.5.2.1.6. QSPI Flash Programming SDM
5.6. Nios V Processor Booting from On-Chip Memory (OCRAM) x
5.6.1. Nios V Processor Application Executes in-place from OCRAM
5.6.1. Nios V Processor Application Executes in-place from OCRAM x
5.6.1.1. Hardware Design Flow 5.6.1.2. Software Design Flow 5.6.1.3. Programming
6. Nios® V Processor - Using the MicroC/TCP-IP Stack x
6.1. Introduction 6.2. Software Architecture 6.3. Support and Licensing 6.4. MicroC/TCP-IP Example Designs 6.5. Development Flow 6.6. Operating the Example Designs 6.7. Optional Configuration 6.8. MicroC/TCP-IP Simple Socket Server Concepts
6.4. MicroC/TCP-IP Example Designs x
6.4.1. Hardware and Software Requirements 6.4.2. Overview 6.4.3. Acquiring the Example Design Files 6.4.4. Hardware Design Files 6.4.5. Software Design Files
6.4.5. Software Design Files x
6.4.5.1. MicroC/TCP-IP IPerf Example Design 6.4.5.2. MicroC/TCP-IP Simple Socket Server Example Design
6.5. Development Flow x
6.5.1. Hardware Development Flow 6.5.2. Software Development Flow 6.5.3. Device Programming
6.5.2. Software Development Flow x
6.5.2.1. Creating a BSP project 6.5.2.2. Configuring the BSP 6.5.2.3. Creating an Application Project 6.5.2.4. Building the Application Project 6.5.2.5. HEX File Generation
6.6. Operating the Example Designs x
6.6.1. Operating the MicroC/TCP-IP IPerf 6.6.2. Operating the MicroC/TCP-IP Simple Socket Server
6.7. Optional Configuration x
6.7.1. Configuring Hardware Name 6.7.2. Configuring MAC and IP Addresses 6.7.3. Configuring MicroC/TCP-IP Initialization 6.7.4. Configuring iPerf Server Auto-Initialization
6.7.3. Configuring MicroC/TCP-IP Initialization x
6.7.3.1. Network Task Configuration 6.7.3.2. Network Interface Configuration
6.8. MicroC/TCP-IP Simple Socket Server Concepts x
6.8.1. MicroC/OS-II Resources 6.8.2. Error Handling 6.8.3. MicroC/TCP-IP Stack Default Configuration
7. Nios® V Processor Debugging, Verifying, and Simulating x
7.1. Debugging Nios® V Processor Software Designs 7.2. Debugging Tools 7.3. Additional Embedded Design Considerations 7.4. Simulating Nios® V Processor Designs
7.1. Debugging Nios® V Processor Software Designs x
7.1.1. OpenOCD and Eclipse Embedded CDT 7.1.2. Objdump File 7.1.3. Show Make Commands
7.3. Additional Embedded Design Considerations x
7.3.1. JTAG Signal Integrity 7.3.2. Additional Memory Space for System Prototyping
7.4. Simulating Nios® V Processor Designs x
7.4.1. Prerequisites 7.4.2. Setting Up and Generating Your Simulation Environment in Platform Designer 7.4.3. Creating Nios V Processor Software 7.4.4. Generating Memory Initialization File 7.4.5. Generating System Simulation Files 7.4.6. Running Simulation in the QuestaSim Simulator Using Command Line
7.4.2. Setting Up and Generating Your Simulation Environment in Platform Designer x
7.4.2.1. Using IP and Platform Designer Simulation Setup Scripts
7.4.3. Creating Nios V Processor Software x
7.4.3.1. Creating a Software Project using Platform Designer & Eclipse Embedded CDT 7.4.3.2. Creating a Software Project Using Command Line
1. About this Document
2. Introduction
3. Nios® V Processor Hardware System Design with Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition and Platform Designer
4. Nios® V Processor Software System Design
5. Nios® V Processor Configuration and Booting Solutions
6. Nios® V Processor - Using the MicroC/TCP-IP Stack
7. Nios® V Processor Debugging, Verifying, and Simulating
8. Document Revision History for the Nios® V Embedded Processor Design Handbook

2.1. Overview on Intel® FPGA IP and Soft-Core Processors

Intel FPGA devices can implement logic that functions as a complete microprocessor while providing many options.

An important difference between discrete microprocessors and Intel FPGA is that Intel FPGA fabric contains no logic when it powers up. Before you run software on a Nios® V based system, you must configure the Intel FPGA device with a hardware design that contains a Nios® V processor. The Nios® V processor is a soft intellectual property (IP) processor based on the RISC-V specification. You can place the Nios® V processor anywhere on the Intel FPGA, depending on the requirements of the design.

To enable your Intel® FPGA IP-based embedded system to behave as a discrete microprocessor-based system, your system should include the following:
  • A JTAG interface to support Intel FPGA configuration, hardware and software debugging
  • A power-up Intel FPGA configuration mechanism

If your system has these capabilities, you can begin refining your design from a pretested hardware design loaded in the Intel FPGA. Using an Intel FPGA also allows you to modify your design quickly to address problems or to add new functionality. You can test these new hardware designs easily by reconfiguring the Intel FPGA using your system's JTAG interface.

The JTAG interface supports hardware and software development. You can perform the following tasks using the JTAG interface:
  • Configure the Intel FPGA
  • Download and debug software
  • Communicate with the Intel FPGA through a UART-like interface (JTAG UART terminal)
  • Debug hardware (with the Signal Tap embedded logic analyzer)
  • Program flash memory

After you configure the Intel FPGA with a Nios® V processor-based design, the software development flow is similar to the flow for discrete microcontroller designs.

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