Is it possible to use Xillybus on Zedboard without Linux?

[Guest]

Hello Eli,

Is there any FPGA demo bundle to download on Zedboard without Linux?
I want to access the PL Data from my windows PC using Xillybus. And I dont want to install Linux OS on Zedboard.
Please let me know if its possible. I am using Vivado 2014.4 software.

[support]

Hi,

Xillybus works only with Linux (or Windows on PCs). So I'm afraid what you're asking for isn't possible. Unless you're ready to port the driver to your own bare-metal environment (not really recommended).

Regards,
Eli

[Guest]

I have Windows on PC.
I want to use xillybus to write data to Zedboard without Xilinux. Is it possible?

[support]

Hi,

It's not exactly clear to me what you want to do. How do you want the PC (running Windows) and the Zedboard to be connected? I suppose via an Ethernet cable. So where does Xillybus come in here?

Or have I misunderstood the concept?

Regards,
Eli

[Guest]

Dear Eli,

I am aiming to design this :

Windows PC (with xillybus driver) -------> Application FIFO ---------> Xillybus IP core -------> AXI BUS --------> PS or PL

This using Zedboard. Without Xilinux.
This design is wrt figure in section 1.2 of http://xillybus.com/downloads/doc/xilly ... d_zynq.pdf document.

Is it possible?

[support]

Hi,

Could you please explain each arrow in that schema? What is the underlying transport for each?

And by the way, Xillybus on a PC transports data from and to an FPGA on a PCIe card that is connected directly the the PC. So according to your drawing there are two logic devices: One with an PCIe interface, plus a Zedboard.

Regards,
Eli

[Guest]

I am sorry I wasnt clear. I will use USB-UART cable. I want to transfer data from PC to Zedboard FPGA using Xillybus. I am clear about implementing the logic on Windows host. But I am not clear how to implement the logic on Zedboard.
I read about Spartan6, Virtex and Kintex series. In there the FIFOs(xillybus) on FPGA are detected as PCIe.
But I couldnt find any document on how to do the same on Zedboard. In the document http://xillybus.com/downloads/doc/xilly ... d_zynq.pdf it says Xillybus core can interact to PS using AXI bus. I want to do that. But I dont want to use Xillinux on Zedboard.
Is it possible?

[Guest]

OH. Thanks for letting me know.
I was thinking the data packets are transfered from the usb-uart cable.
I am trying it out for the first time.

Can you please let me know if there is any way I can use Xillybus to stream data from my Windows PC to Zedboard(Assuming I have Xillinux and also if I dont want to use Xillinux)? PC and Zedboard are connected using cypress USB-UART bridge.

Thanks.

[Guest]

Could you please explain me this?

"On its other side, the Xillybus IP core implements the data flow utilizing the AXI bus,
generating DMA requests on the processor core’s bus."

Diagram from section 1.2

[support]

Hi,

This thread is diverging somewhat, so I'll try to focus on the basic question: What is it that you want to accomplish?

If all you want is communication between the Windows host and the Zedboard's ARM processor, you don't need anything loaded on the FPGA (PL) side, and Xillybus has nothing to do with this. Just load the ARM processor with whatever application software you want, and let the data through the USB/UART cable. No Linux, no Xillybus.

If you want the ARM processor to communicate data with the FPGA (PL) side of the Zynq chip, you may use Xillybus for that, but only if some kind of Linux runs on the Zynq's ARM processor. It could be some minimal Linux set, possibly small enough to fit the QSPI flash -- but it has to be Linux, and Xillybus' drivers must be part of it, either compiled into the kernel or as kernel modules.

Regards,
Eli