Arria 10GX dev kit: board test system won't connect to sys console

(added Aug. 20)

Do I need a JTAG connection to the board in order to start and run the BTS? The dev kit user manual (ug_a10-fpga-prod-devkit-683526-670687.pdf) doesn't mention it in the board setup, except in a paragraph starting with "The BTS communicates over the JTAG bus to a test design running in the FPGA. The Board Test System and Power Monitor share the JTAG bus with other applications ..." Does this mean that the BTS won't run unless the JTAG connection is in place? What USB-to-JTAG