Programming the ArriaV -> where the data is kept?

[Altera_Forum]

Hi All, 

 I just programmed the Fabric portion of ArriaV using Altera Blaster. Everything works perfect, but when I power down the board, all the programmed contents are violated. Why?   Where is the programmed data kept when I program the FPGA? In Flash? Why is it violated?   Should I do something special in order to keep the programming data in Flash so that it will not been violated?   Thank you!

[Altera_Forum]

The configuration data in Arria V is kept in SRAM cells, so when you power down the device your configuration data is gone. There are Flash based FPGAs like MAX 10, but Arria V needs some external configuration device to store your application.

[Altera_Forum]

I assume you're configuring the FPGA directly using a '.sof' file... 

 FPGAs are volatile devices - they have no FLASH. They store their configuration image in SRAM while operating. SRAM doesn't store anything when you power them off.    --- Quote Start ---  Should I do something special in order to keep the programming data   --- Quote End ---    Read through Chapter 8 - 'configuration, design security, and remote system upgrades in arria v devices' - of the arria v device handbook (https://www.altera.com/en_us/pdfs/literature/hb/arria-v/av_5v2.pdf).  Cheers, Alex

[Altera_Forum]

Most dev boards have at least one non-volatile configuration flash. The way this is programmed varies depending on which of several configuration method(s) are used. Check the user manual of your board for details. The Quartus programmer manual has information on preparing the file needed when programming the configuration flash.

[Altera_Forum]

The FPGA's memory are volatile where your program will be erased after power off. You would need external memory devices to reprogram the FPGA every time you power up the FPGA.

[Altera_Forum]

"The Quartus programmer manual has information on preparing the file needed when programming the configuration flash" - could someone help me with a link to this manual? cannot find it in the Altera web site...

[Altera_Forum]

See chapter 18 - "quartus ii programmer" of the quartus ii handbook volume 3: verification (https://www.altera.com/en_us/pdfs/literature/hb/qts/qts_qii5v3.pdf). 

 Can I also suggest you tell us a little about the hardware you're using? We can probably give you a bit of a headstart...  Cheers, Alex

[Altera_Forum]

How you want FPGA to configure from the memory will determine configuration scheme that you want to use. I recommend you to also read the device handbook (Configuration chapter), so that you know what type of programming file you need to have and how to generate them.

[Altera_Forum]

Actually I have 128MB QSPI Flash connected to ArriaV Fabric/FPGA portion... Could you please someone let me know the Programmer configuration in order to program the Flash, not the FPGA.  

 Here is a flow I used: - open the Programmer  - clicked on the "AutoDetect" button -> the FPGA device was detected - right click on the detected device and chosen "Attach Flash Device" -> Flash device was added  - selected *.sof file and clicked on the "Start" to start programming  Is the flow correct? What I missed?  Thank you

[Altera_Forum]

The sof file isn't enough to work with flash. Use the Quartus File->Convert Programming Files... command to create the proper type of file (probably .pof). You can then use the Quartus programmer to program the pof file into your flash.