FAQs (Bora/BoraX/BoraLite)

Info Box Applies to Bora

Introduction

This page collects all the Frequently Asked Question regarding Bora

General

Q: Where can I found Bora SOM information?

A: please refer to the following table:

Resource	Description
Bora category page	This page lists all the wiki pages regarding the Bora CPU module
Bora SOM	This page reports Bora SOM specification and basic information
Bora Hardware Manual	This page points to the Bora Hardware Manual
Bora product page	This is Bora web page on Dave's website

System design

Q: Can you suggest some guidelines for the carrier board design?

A: As a starting point, you can refer to the Wiki page dedicated to the Carrier_board_design_guidelines_(SOM), that will highlight some best practices that applies to all SOMs. For specific information on Bora, please refer to the Bora Integration Guide Integration_guide_(Bora)

Using BELK

Q: I've received the BELK package. How am I supposed to start working with it?

A: You can follow the steps listed below:

1. Check the kit contents with the packing list included in the box
2. Insert the SD into the card slot on the carrier board
3. Connect the power supply adapter and the serial cable
4. Start your terminal emulator program
5. Switch on the power supply
6. Monitor the boot process on the serial console
7. Install and configure the development environment as described in the BELK Quick Start Guide.

Q: How can I update the BELK version?

A: All BELK source trees (FPGA project, U-Boot and Linux kernel) are provided as git repositories. This means that these components can be kept in sync and up to date with DAVE's repositories. Once the a git account is enabled, the developer can clone the repository and synchronize a source tree using git commands. For further details, please refer to section 3.3.3.5 of the BELK Quick Start Guide.

Q: Where can I found the BELK Quick Start Guide document?

A: this document is included in the BELK distribution, so purchasing a development kit is required for getting access to the BELK Quick Start Guide.

Q: Which software components am I supposed to install to start working with Bora?

A: The following software packages must be installed on the Zynq development server:

• Vivado® Design Suite version 2013.3
• Xilinx Software Development kit
• Python 2.7.x (C:\Python27 must be the installation directory on Windows)
• A Git tool (e.g. for Windows: MsysGit (http://msysgit.github.io/))

These tools can be installed either on Windows or Linux operating systems. Please note that, if you need to build U-Boot or Linux, or use features like booting from NFS, the development server should be a Linux host. Please note that the required disk space for a full installation (BELK, Xilinx development tools, source trees, ...) is approximatively 25 GB.

Q: Am I supposed to download any tools from the Xilinx web site?

A: Since we are not allowed to redistribute it, the Zynq 7000 development tools must be downloaded from the Xilinx website (http://www.xilinx.com/support/download/index.htm), in the WebPACK™ Edition, which is a free version that provides instant access to the fundamental Vivado features and functionality at no cost. Please note that both Vivado 2013.3 and the Xilinx SDK must be downloaded and installed. Please also note that sometimes the download of the Vivado 2013.3 full-package fails because of some download system malfunctioning, but unfortunately the problem is barely noticeable, except by performing the MD5 check of the downloaded file. In case of problems, we suggest using the Multi-File Download (available on the same web page), that splits the full package in a collection of smaller files.

Q: How can I configure the Bora system to boot from network?

A: Booting from network is very helpful during the software development (both for kernel and applications). The kernel image is downloaded via TFTP while the root file system is remotely mounted via NFS from the host. It is assumed that the development host:

• is connected with the target host board through an Ethernet LAN
• exports the directory containing the root file system for the target through the NFS server
• runs a TFTP server.
• has a proper subnet IP address

For detailed information, please refer to Configuration net_nfs