Error creating a bsp with niosv-bsp

[Broddo]

I'm trying to migrate from nios ii to niosv.

I've generated a license for a niosv/g, imorted it into Quartus and I've successfully swapped the nios ii for the niosv in Platform Designer. The assembler ran successfully and generated an sof file. 

But now when I run niosv-bsp like so:

niosv-bsp-c --s=qsys/qsys.qsys --type=hal bsp/settings.bsp

I get the following error:

user@quartus-prime-vm:~/Developer/niov-proj$ niosv-bsp -c --s=qsys/qsys.qsys --type=hal bsp/settings.bsp
2024.04.16.17:11:46 Info: Searching for BSP components with category: os_software_element
2024.04.16.17:11:46 Error: Can't create SopcSystem from invalid EnsembleReport.
2024.04.16.17:11:46 Warning: Parameter value for: 'deviceFamily' is 'null'
java.lang.NullPointerException: Can't convert null string value for 'generateLegacySim' into class of class type 'java.lang.String'
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.utils.EnsembleReportUtils.convertStringToClass(EnsembleReportUtils.java:974)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.utils.EnsembleReportUtils.parameterReportToClass(EnsembleReportUtils.java:956)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.utils.EnsembleReportUtils.getParameterOrNull(EnsembleReportUtils.java:909)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.SopcSystem.init(SopcSystem.java:213)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.SopcSystem.create(SopcSystem.java:129)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.SopcSystem.createFromSopcinfo(SopcSystem.java:191)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.swinfo.SopcSystem.createFromSopcinfo(SopcSystem.java:195)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.commandline.bsp.NiosVBspExec.getSopcSystem(NiosVBspExec.java:1039)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.commandline.bsp.NiosVBspExec.validate(NiosVBspExec.java:674)
at com.altera.utilities.AltCmdLineToolBase.runTheTool(AltCmdLineToolBase.java:716)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.commandline.bsp.NiosVBspExec.main(NiosVBspExec.java:1338)
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.altera.embeddedsw.commandline.bsp.NiosVBspExec.validate(NiosVBspExec.java:675)
at com.altera.utilities.AltCmdLineToolBase.runTheTool(AltCmdLineToolBase.java:716)
at com.altera.embeddedsw.commandline.bsp.NiosVBspExec.main(NiosVBspExec.java:1338) 

I also noticed that some options provided in the help section of niosv-bsp and in the forum post "Nios® V Processor Installation and Hello World Execution" do not exist:

niosv-bsp -c --quartus-project=hw/top.qpf --qsys=hw/sys.qsys --type=hal sw/bsp_hal/settings.bsp
2024.04.16.17:19:18 Error: Unrecognized switch <b>quartus-project</b>
2024.04.16.17:19:18 Error: Unrecognized switch <b>qsys</b>
2024.04.16.17:19:18 Error: Failed to validate switches.

I am using Quartus Prime version 23.1std.0 build 991 11/28/2023 SC Lite Edition running on Ubuntu 22.04 targetting a MAX10 FPGA

Can you provide any help?

[Broddo]

This could all be due to a difference between the version of niosv-bsp that is referenced in the documentation and the version that is shipped with Standard and Lite 23.1.

If I supply the sopcinfo file instead of the qsys file, everything works as expected. 

[JingyangTeh]

Hi

Sorry for the late response.

I see that you have downloaded the NiosV/g processor and using the Quartus 23.1.

There are a few release after the 23.1.

In 23.1 it only supports the NiosV/m that could be the reason why you are facing the errors that you are looking at.

It is weird that the upgrade tool did not flag an error on this.

However would you mind installing the latest Quartus 24.1 and try it out again?

Regards

Jingyang, Teh

[Broddo]

Thanks for the reply. I can only see version 24.1 in the Pro version of Quartus. Standard and Lite are both still on 23.1. My target FPGA is a Max10 so Pro is of no use to me unfortunately. Is an update to standard and lite due?

[JingyangTeh]

Hi

Unfortunately there is no recent release for the lite version at this moment.

You could try the Standard version 23.1.

The cores are enabled in this version.

Regards

Jingyang, Teh