How to customize the custom platform package for the arrow sockit board

Altera_Forum · ‎07-10-2014

I am trying to install opencl for the arrow sockit board but I'm having trouble installing the FPGA board. In the "Altera SDK for opencl, getting started" manual, on page 1-10 it is said that one should download the custom platform for the FPGA board from the board vendor's website. I downloaded the custom platform toolkit for windows from this webpage : [url]http://www.altera.co.uk/products/software/partners/opencl/opencl-board-partner-index.html (http://http://www.altera.co.uk/products/software/partners/opencl/opencl-board-partner-index.html) [/URL].

After that I followed the directives of the "altera sdk for opencl, custom platform toolkit user guide": I set the AOCL_BOARD_TOOLKIT_ROOT to point to the custom platform subdirectory in which I have the board_env.xml file and I changed the attribute "name" in the board_env tag of the board_env.xml file to point to the installation directory containing the custom platform.


<?xml version="1.0"?>
<board_env version="13.0" name="board_package">
  <hardware dir="hardware" default="template"></hardware>
  <platform name="linux64">
    <linkflags>-L%a/linux64/lib</linkflags>
    <linklibs>-lalterahalmmd</linklibs>
    <utilbindir>%b/linux64/bin</utilbindir>
  </platform>
  <platform name="windows64">
    <linkflags>/libpath:%a/host/windows64/lib</linkflags>
    <linklibs>alterahalmmd.lib </linklibs>
    <utilbindir>%b/windows64/bin</utilbindir>
  </platform>
</board_env>

When I type the command aocl board-xml-test I get this :

board-path = C:\altera\13.1\hld\board\c5soc\board_package

board-default = template

board-hw-path = C:\altera\13.1\hld\board\c5soc\board_package/hardware/template

board-link-flags = /libpath:C:/altera/13.1/hld/host/windows64/lib

board-libs = alterahalmmd.lib

board-util-bin = C:\altera\13.1\hld\board\c5soc\board_package/windows64/bin

When I type aocl install I get this message :

--------------------------------------------------------------------

No board installation routine supplied.

Please consult your board manufacturer's documentation or support

team for information on how to properly install your board.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

and when I type the command : aoc --list-boards, I get this :

Board list:

none found

What could be the problem?

I am aware of the fact that the I should customize the custom platform according to my board, but there are no clear and well detailled explanation as of how to do it in any of the documentations that are available in the altera website.

I am convinced that the changes they are talking about in the custom platform manual ( "altera sdk for opencl custom platform toolkit user guide (http://www.altera.co.uk/literature/hb/opencl-sdk/ug_aocl_custom_platform_toolkit.pdf)") are not enough for the board to be recognized and installed correctly.

The board list comes empty with the custom platform, so I guess that the arrow sockit won't be recognized even if I do the changes the manual ( "altera sdk for opencl custom platform toolkit user guide (http://www.altera.co.uk/literature/hb/opencl-sdk/ug_aocl_custom_platform_toolkit.pdf)") talks about, right? For the board to be installed properly, there should be some board reference platforms in the board list, and then the system will choose the one that correponds to the board I am trying to install, otherwise, there should be an available arrow sockit support package downloadable in the board's website, but there is none of that.

In the webpage where we are supposed to download the altera preferred board partner program there's no cyclone v reference platform, but if you install opencl for altera 14.0 you'll find that there's a cyclone v platform already installed in the altera/14.0/hld/board/c5soc directory (altera/14.0/hld/board is the directory where the boards' platforms are installed).

I tried to make it work for the arrow sockit but the linux image (found in altera/14.0/hld/board/c5soc/linux_sd_card_image.tgz) that we are supposed to mount on an sd card to make the connection between the board and the aoc compiler (and which contains a vital script opencl_init.sh) is corrupted. Without this linux image the installation of opencl for the cyclone v soc development kit can't be carried out.

I would like to know whether this c5soc package is a reference package for all the boards that have a cyclone V FPGA, or is it a custom platform for the cyclone v soc development kit only. If it's a reference platform, is there some way to make things work for the arrow sockit board based on it?

I am working under windows 7 64 bits and have installed the version 13.1 of quartus, cyclone v and stratix v support device and altera sdk for opencl.

Altera_Forum · ‎07-10-2014

You are running into problems because you don't want to be using the custom platform toolkit, you want a board support package from Arrow instead. What you downloaded was a bare platform which is used to create board support packages that target a board (you don't want that because that's what Arrow does for their board and provides you with the board support package).

My recommendation is to contact them to see if their board support package for OpenCL is ready for the particular board you have.

Altera_Forum · ‎08-08-2014

Hi,

I contacted Terasic, as the Sockit board is listed on their website and they have responded by sending me an OpenCL BSP for the SocKit. I have not had time to try it yet, so I do not know if it works.

Regards