SDx IDE Glossary

SDx™IDE

TheSDxIDE descriptions in this appendix refer to platform projects (as opposed to application projects) and consists of multiple views that can be configured into different perspectives, or view configurations. The default perspective has the following features:

• Explorerview: On the left side of the display, this view lets you navigate through the project hierarchy, source files, and resources.
• Editorview: In the center of the display, the Editor displays the project and lets you modify features of the project and edit code, scripts, and configuration files. Files can be opened by double-clicking on them in the Explorer view.
• Consoleview: At the bottom, this view displays the output for the different processes and utilities that make up theSDxtool.

The views are configurable from theWindow>Show Viewcommand. Views can also be shown or hidden, and arranged as needed, and saved into perspectives that can be loaded into the tool. For more information on working with theSDxIDE, refer to theSDSoC Environment User Guide.

In the Editor view, the elements of the processor are contained in three levels of the platform: Platform, System Configurations, and Processor Domains. The bottom of the Editor view also displays a small workflow that defines the process for creating a platform. The following sections describe how you can define the elements of your platform, using the established workflow.

Platform

In the previous example, the platform project has been populated by the information you provided when you created the project:

• Name: Displays the name.
• DSA: Indicates the DSA file associated with the platform.
  IMPORTANT:The name and DSA file are specified when the platform is created and cannot be changed.
• Description: This field is initially copied from the platform name. However, you can click theEditcommand () to modify the description to provide more details of the platform.
• Samples: This optional field specifies the path to a folder containing sample applications for use with the platform. SeeSample Applicationsfor more information.
  TIP:The Samples folder can be specified through the Browsecommand, or you can add samples in the resourcesfolder of the platform project and use the Search command ( ) to load it. The resourcesfolder, as shown in the Explorer view is local to the project in the workspace, and can simplify the process of sharing the platform project with others.

Defining the System Configuration

The System Configuration defines the software environment that is booted and runs on the hardware platform. It will specify Operating Systems and the run-time settings for the processors in the hardware platform, and will also have software-configurable hardware parameters.

With the platform project opened in the SDxIDE, you can add System Configurations to the platform by clicking the Define System Configurationcommand in the workflow at the bottom of the Editor. This will open the New System Configuration dialog box as shown below.

TIP:You can also use the Addcommand ( ) in the Editor and select System Configuration.

The fields of the System Configuration dialog box include:

• Name: Specifies an identifier for the System Configuration. The name should be alphanumeric, between 3 and 40 characters long, and include no special characters except underscore, '_', and dash, '-'. Because the System Configuration name is an identifier it cannot be modified after it is created.
  TIP:When using the Makefile flow, or command-line, you can specify this identifier using -sds-sys-config option of sds++to specify the software platform used, which includes the target operating system and other settings.
• Display Name: The name that will be displayed by theSDxIDE and in reports. This name can include spaces and special characters, and can be modified.
• Description: A brief description for the configuration.
• IMPORTANT:It is assumed that any files referenced in the BIF file will be in the directory specified by the Boot Directory field.

ClickOKto close the New System Configuration dialog box and add the configuration to the platform. You will see the configuration listed in the Editor view.

If you select the System Configuration in the tree view of the platform, on the left side of the Editor, you will see the information for the System Configuration as you have defined it. In addition, theReadmefield is displayed to let you define areadmefile associated with the configuration. Thereadmefile should be available along with the SD Card. This file informs users of the platform how to boot an application for this configuration, and how the board should be physically set, for example Jumper Settings. It is a plain text file that contains instructions to the user.

Defining the Processor Domain

The Processor Domain will define the OS operating on one or more processors on the device, and the run-time. The domain defines different settings for the OS, whether Linux, FreeRTOS, or Standalone.

As shown in the figure below,SDSoC™allows for applications targeting the standalone or FreeRTOS operating system to be built to target a specificProcessorcore (Cortex™-A9,Cortex-A53, orCortex-R5), and for Linux applications to be built to run on all cores that are visible to the OS. When defining a domain for the Linux operating system, you do not need to target a specific core, but instead can assume that the Linux scheduler will schedule across processors as appropriate, and isn’t restricted to any particular processor core.

You can add domains to a System Configuration by clicking the Add Processor Group/Domaincommand in the workflow at the bottom of the Editor. This opens the New Domain dialog box as shown below.

TIP:You can also click the Addbutton ( ) in the Editor and select Domain.

The fields of the System Configuration dialog box include:

• Name: Specifies the name of the domain.
  TIP:The name should be alphanumeric, between 3 and 40 characters long, and include no special characters except underscore, '_', and dash, '-'.
• Display Name: The name that will be displayed by theSDxIDE and in reports. This name can include spaces and special characters.
• OS: Specify the OS you are configuring as either Linux, FreeRTOS, or Standalone from the drop-down menu. For each OS there are various files that must be included in order to compile, link, or generate the boot files for a given application. The fields of the New Domain dialog box vary depending on the OS selected.
• Processor: Defines the available types of processors for the platform. The types of processors available is determined by the IP in the hardware platform as defined by the DSA. Any processor IP present in the hardware design will show up in this list.
• Supported Runtime: Specify the kernel runtime for the platform from the drop-down menu. This determines the compiler used to process the kernel logic at runtime.C/C++is supported for all OSes.
• Prebuilt Linux Image: In case of Linux OS, you need to build the Linux image for the Hardware design, using PetaLinux for example, and provide the image directory. More details about how to build the correct image, refer toCreating the Platform Software Component.
• Linker Script: This is required for FreeRTOS and Standalone Only. This is the linker script which will be used while linking the baremetal or FreeRTOS ELF in theSDxapplication build. This file allows the programmer to control how the sections are merged in the ELF, and at what locations they are placed in memory. It also allows the user to specify how much of DDR memory is allocated for the stack and heap.
  TIP:When you add the linker script to your SDxplatform, you must increase the stack and heap sizes because the SDKdefault values are too small for a typical SDxapplication.
• Description: A brief description for the domain.

ClickOKto close the New Domain dialog box and add the Processor Domain to the platform. You will see the domain listed in the Editor view. After the domain has been defined, theSDxIDE shows additional details for the domain that can be edited when it is selected in the platform project, as shown below.

The new fields of the domain include the following:

• Repositories: Available only for Standalone or FreeRTOS. Used to keep the embedded software drivers and libraries that are required to create the BSP for the user hardware design. This is a directory and it will be copied into the/sw///bspRepolocation. And an entry will be added in thespfmfile with the tagsdx:bspRepo.
• Prebuilt data: This specifies a directory containing a prebuilt bistream and pre-generated software artifacts, meant to be representative of a software-only project with no functions accelerated in hardware. SeePrebuilt Hardwarefor more information on generating prebuilt data for custom platforms.

In addition, when the domain is selected in the Editor, you will see sub-headings of the domain as follows:

• Prebuilt Image: For Linux domains only, this indicates thePrebuilt Linux Imagecontent that was specified when the domain was created.
• Application Settings: For Standalone or FreeRTOS domains, this indicates theLinker Scriptthat was specified when the domain was created.
• Board Support Package: For Standalone or FreeRTOS domains, this specifies a Microprocessor Software Specification (MSS) file that defines the board support package (BSP) libraries and drivers for the base platform without any accelerators, and is the baseline for creating an MSS for the final design that includes the platform, data motion network and hardware accelerator functions. With the MSS, you will be able to define the libraries and the library options. This option will be added to thespfmfile with the tagsdx:bspConfig. The MSS file provided will be copied in the/sw//location.
  IMPORTANT:You should provide an MSS file only if you do NOT want to use default settings for the BSP. If you specify a MSS file, you must also specify Include Pathspointing to a directory containing include files generated when using the MSS file.
• Libraries: Displays two fields:
  • Libraries: Lets the platform user select the individual libraries to make available for an application.
  • Include Paths: Lets the platform user point to directories containing include files to make them available for an application.
    TIP:Libraries will be copied into /sw///lib, and Include Pathswill be copied into /sw///inc.

Generate Platform and Add to Repository

When theSDxplatform is generated, it is written to the platform project folder in theworkspace//exportfolder.

Finally, with the platform generated, click theAdd to Custom Repositoriescommand in the workflow at the bottom of the Editor. This adds the exported platform to theSDxcustom repository for use inSDxApplication and System projects. The custom repository is a list of directories, where theSDxtool scans for additional platforms. When you clickAdd to Custom Repositories, the platform output directory (./export) is added to the repository.

To share this platform with other users you can copy the exported platform folder to a common location, and ask other users to add that location to their custom repository using theXilinx>Add Custom Repositorymenu command. The platform will be added to the list of available platforms as shown below.