Can anybody explain to me does Altera Flash Programmer places boot loader automatically before main programm at flash for copying main program to sdram or not? Or I must write my own boot loader and then tell Flash Programmer to program it before my main program?

The flash programmer does indeed place a bootloader in flash to copy your code out to RAM

--- Quote Start --- originally posted by rugbybloke@Dec 2 2004, 10:12 AM the flash programmer does indeed place a bootloader in flash to copy your code out to ram --- Quote End --- Hi, Currently we use the Flash programming Tool to program our custom board (under development). In the operational phase we will not have the JTAG to program the flash. So we will have to download the FPGA codes and our application onto the RAM and then reprogram the entire EPCS flash (thus probably including the bootloader). Do you know if there is documentation about how we can can do this? Maybe you have other tips. Thanks in advance. Regards, Kwok Kwok

kwokwong <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div> --- Quote Start --- So we will have to download the FPGA codes and our application onto the RAM and then reprogram the entire EPCS flash (thus probably including the bootloader).[/b] --- Quote End --- May be you can use remote system update feature? You need to add to your design any kind of communication with external world (uart or ethernet for example). And than add feature to your programm to write flash at specified address with data recieved via communication interface. In this way, as I understand, you will need to write your own bootloader if you wish to programm flash with code footprint beginning at address 0x00000000. So firstly you programm your bootloader and then you programm your code. In other hand may be you will be able to find how much space occupies Altera Flash Programmer bootloader and write your code footprint right after it. If you discover end address of Altera Flash Programmer bootloader Please post it here - it will be wery usefull to know this. Info about remote update can be found on Altera web server. This feature is applicable to EPC devices too.

--- Quote Start --- originally posted by macshiz@Dec 3 2004, 04:13 AM kwokwong[/b] <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE --- Quote End --- --- Quote Start --- So we will have to download the FPGA codes and our application onto the RAM and then reprogram the entire EPCS flash (thus probably including the bootloader).[/b] --- Quote End --- May be you can use remote system update feature? You need to add to your design any kind of communication with external world (uart or ethernet for example). And than add feature to your programm to write flash at specified address with data recieved via communication interface. In this way, as I understand, you will need to write your own bootloader if you wish to programm flash with code footprint beginning at address 0x00000000. So firstly you programm your bootloader and then you programm your code. In other hand may be you will be able to find how much space occupies Altera Flash Programmer bootloader and write your code footprint right after it. If you discover end address of Altera Flash Programmer bootloader Please post it here - it will be wery usefull to know this. Info about remote update can be found on Altera web server. This feature is applicable to EPC devices too. [/b] --- Quote End --- So far I figure out: 1. You can use elf2flash utility to add the bootloader (boot_loader_epcs.srec) to your own application (output: epcs_controller_boot_rom.flash). 2. You can use sof2flash utility to convert the FPGA to a .flash file (epcs.flash) 3. You can use the HAL EPCS flash api to program the flash . What I DON&#39;T know: 1. To where (flash address) should I write the flash content? Or can I just follow the addresses in the SREC&#39;s?

Flash Programmer Question | Altera Community

18 Replies

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
Hm, may be you know what raw binary file (.rbf) contains? You can produce .rbf file from QuartusII File Menu->Convert Programming FIles.
Is it that file I can write directly to user hardware image location (0x0060000) at flash for remote update of my system?
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
i have a little workaround to get a valid EPCS file for updating boards out in the field.

I use my board at the lab, which is equipped with a jtag connector and a RS232 port, program it, using the NIOS 2 IDE flash-programmer. Then i wrote a little c-program, which dumps the EPCS content to the RS232 port. I simply use the run feature of the IDE to transfer it to the target, overwriting the main application in ram. A terminal program is used to save the output, which is formated as iHex file, in a file.

Thats it - it is not perfect, but it works for me...
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
--- Quote Start ---
originally posted by macshiz@Dec 7 2004, 03:05 AM
hm, may be you know what raw binary file (.rbf) contains? you can produce .rbf file from quartusii file menu->convert programming files.
is it that file i can write directly to user hardware image location (0x0060000) at flash for remote update of my system?
--- Quote End ---

I'm not sure if I understand you right.
The .rbf file is one of several alternatives to store the data generated by quartus to make a FPGA working. I use this type of file when I initialize a blank FPGA via microcontroller. These databytes are transfered 1:1 to FPGA when it is in configuration mode. If you want to use a parallel flash you need an additional configuration controller to select and serialize this data (cyclone series) on power up.
Besides configuration data, you need firmware to run a NIOS. This firmware must be loaded to RAM after FPGA configuration is done. A bootloader manages this step. Configuration data, bootloader and firmware can be merged together and stored for example, in a serial Flash (EPCS). This is build by quartus flash programmer together with a custom design and described in 'ug_nios2_flash_programmer.pdf'.

Mike
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
mir

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>
--- Quote Start ---
The .rbf file is one of several alternatives to store the data generated by quartus to make a FPGA working. I use this type of file when I initialize a blank FPGA via microcontroller. These databytes are transfered 1:1 to FPGA when it is in configuration mode[/b]
--- Quote End ---

Thanks. This is that I want to know.
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
MiR,

The .flash file should be a standard .SREC file, and looks like one to me. See the boot-loader sources in components/altera_nios2/sdk/src/boot_loader_sources, particularly the comments in the .S file.

When I build a flash for use with a parallel (CFI) flash chip then my .flash file contains a bootloader followed by the data blocks for the bootloader to write into memory. Each of these consists of length, address, data as you suggest.

For EPCS the bootloader is stored in an on-chip ROM so the .flash file here should contain a set of data blocks, each containing length, address, data. This sounds like what you've got. This data stream needs to be added on to the end of the data stream for the .sof file, becaue the bootloader (within the .S file) starts reading the data blocks from here. It sounds as though elf2flash is starting from offset 0 because it doesn't know the real start address where the data blocks should be stored.

If you can work out how big the device configuration data is then you should be able to add the offset manually and merge the files using objcopy. I know this isn't ideal but it may be easier than writing your own boot loader.
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
--- Quote Start ---
originally posted by macshiz@Dec 8 2004, 03:27 AM
MiR[/b]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE
--- Quote End ---

--- Quote Start ---
The .rbf file is one of several alternatives to store the data generated by quartus to make a FPGA working. I use this type of file when I initialize a blank FPGA via microcontroller. These databytes are transfered 1:1 to FPGA when it is in configuration mode[/b]
--- Quote End ---

Thanks. This is that I want to know.[/b]
--- Quote End ---

You can use menu:

'Assignments->Device->Device & Pin Options->Programming Files'

to select several file types you want to be generated.

Mike
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
--- Quote Start ---
originally posted by wombat@Dec 8 2004, 06:00 AM
mir,
.......
for epcs the bootloader is stored in an on-chip rom so the .flash file here should contain a set of data blocks, each containing length, address, data. this sounds like what you've got.
.......
--- Quote End ---

There is obviously a difference in .flash files generated by NIOS IDE after linking to .elf (" ... Post-processing to create epcs_controller_boot_rom.flash ") and .flash files generated by the Flash Programmer.

Mike
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
21 years ago
--- Quote Start ---
originally posted by wombat@Dec 8 2004, 06:00 AM
mir,

the .flash file should be a standard .srec file, and looks like one to me. see the boot-loader sources in components/altera_nios2/sdk/src/boot_loader_sources, particularly the comments in the .s file.
--- Quote End ---

Hi wombat,

thanks for your interest in my issue. Meanwhile I agree with you that .flash files are SREC files. My problem arose from comparing the .flash file produced by GUI flash programmer and the patterns I've got when reading the EPCS content in the running application.
Reading EPCS results in several 0xFFs followed by 0x56. A dump of the EPCS .flash file showed 0x6A as the first non FF byte. The miracle is: reading EPCS data shows content in reverse bit order:
0x56 = %01010110
0x6A = %01101010
((reading is done by 'alt_read_flash()')

regards
Mike

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Flash Programmer Question

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