Vivado Design Suite

User Guide
Programming and Debugging

UG908 (v2013.2) September 13, 2013

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Revision History
The following table shows the revision history for this document.
Date

Version

Revision

07/25/12

2012.2

Initial Xilinx release.

10/16/12

2012.3

Update to Bitstream settings.

12/18/12

2012.4

Added section for Waveform Configuration. Removed Waveform Viewer

Limitations.

03/20/13

2013.1

General updates for 2013.1.

New section on In-System Serial I/O Debugging. New section on Description of
hw_tcl Commands.
New table for New Debugging Cores in Vivado IP for use in HDL Instantiation
Flow

06/19/2013

2013.2

Updated support for hw_server including TCF Agent.

Made various corrections and updates to reflect changes to the Vivado user
interface.

9/13/2013

2013.2

Removed watermark

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Table of Contents
Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 1: Introduction
Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2: Programming the Device

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Generating the Bitstream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Changing the Bitstream File Format Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Changing Device Configuration Bitstream Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Programming the FPGA Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Launching iMPACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Chapter 3: Debugging the Design

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RTL-level Design Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Post-Implemented Design Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In-System Logic Design Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In-System Serial I/O Design Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21
21
22
22
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Chapter 4: In-System Logic Design Debugging Flows

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Probing the Design for In-System Debugging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Implementing the Design Containing the Debug Cores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23
23
24
33
35
39

Chapter 5: Debugging Logic Designs in Hardware

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Launching ChipScope Pro Analyzer to Debug the Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using Vivado Logic Analyzer to Debug the Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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Connecting to the Hardware Target and Programming the FPGA Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Setting up the ILA Core to Take a Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting the ILA Core Trigger Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting the ILA Core Trigger Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Writing ILA Probes Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reading ILA Probes Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing ILA Probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up the ILA Probe Trigger Compare Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ILA Probe Compare Value Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Running or Arming the ILA Core Trigger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stopping the ILA Core Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing the ILA Core Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing Captured Data from the ILA Core in the Waveform Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving and Restoring Captured Data from the ILA Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up the VIO Core to Take a Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing the VIO Core Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interacting with VIO Core Input Probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interacting with VIO Core Output Probes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Vivado Logic Analyzer in a Lab Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Vivado Logic Analyzer and ChipScope Pro Analyzer Simultaneously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Description of Hardware Session Tcl Objects and Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Hardware Session Tcl Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41
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43
43
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45
46
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48
48
49
49
50
51
51
54
57
58
61
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Chapter 6: Viewing ILA Probe Data Using Waveform Viewer

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About Wave Configurations and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Waveform Viewer Configuration Signals and Buses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ILA Probes in Waveform Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Customizing the Waveform Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Renaming Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About Radixes and Analog Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Zoom Gestures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66
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70
75
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Chapter 7: In-System Serial I/O Debugging Flows

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Generating an IBERT Core using the Vivado IP Catalog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Generating and Implementing the IBERT Example Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Chapter 8: Debugging the Serial I/O Design in Hardware

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

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Using Vivado Serial I/O Analyzer to Debug the Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Appendix A: Device Configuration Bitstream Settings

Appendix B: Additional Resources
Xilinx Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Solution Centers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

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Chapter 1

Introduction
Getting Started
After successfully implementing your design, the next step is to run it in hardware by
programming the FPGA device and debugging the design in-system. All of the necessary
commands to perform programming of FPGA devices and in-system debugging of the
design are in the Program and Debug section of the Flow Navigator window in the
VivadoTM Integrated Design Environment (IDE) (see Figure 1-1)
X-Ref Target - Figure 1-1

Figure 1-1:

Program and Debug section of the Flow Navigator panel

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Chapter 2

Programming the Device

Introduction
The hardware programming phase is broken into two steps:
1. Generating the bitstream data programming file from the implemented design.
2. Connecting to hardware and downloading the programming file to the target FPGA
device.

Generating the Bitstream

Before generating the bitstream data file, it is important to review the bitstream settings to
make sure they are correct for your design.
There are two types of bitstream settings in Vivado IDE:
1. Bitstream file format settings.
2. Device configuration settings.
The Bitstream Settings button in the Flow Navigator and the Flow > Bitstream Settings
menu selection opens the Bitstream section in the Project Settings popup window (see
Figure 2-1). Once the bitstream settings are correct, the bitstream data file can be
generated using the write_bistream Tcl command or by using the Generate Bitstream
button in the Flow Navigator.

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Changing the Bitstream File Format Settings

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-1

Figure 2-1:

Bitstream settings panel

Changing the Bitstream File Format Settings

By default, the write_bitstream Tcl command generates a binary bitstream (.bit) file only.
You can optionally change the file format(s) written out by the write_bitstream Tcl command
by using the following command switches:

-raw_bitfile: (Optional) Causes write_bitstream to write a raw bit file (.rbt) which
contains the same information as the binary bitstream file, but is in ASCII format. The
output file is named filename.rbt

-mask_file: (Optional) Write a mask file (.msk), which has mask data where the
configuration data is in the bitstream file. This file determines which bits in the
bitstream should be compared to readback data for verification purposes. If a mask bit
is 0, that bit should be verified against the bitstream data. If a mask bit is 1, that bit
should not be verified. The output file is named file.msk.

-no_binary_bitfile: (Optional) Do not write the binary bitstream file (.bit). Use this
command when you want to generate the ASCII bitstream or mask file, or to generate a
bitstream report, without generating the binary bitstream file.

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Changing Device Configuration Bitstream Settings

-logic_location_file: (Optional) Creates an ASCII logic location file (.ll) that shows the
bitstream position of latches, flip-flops, LUTs, Block RAMs, and I/O block inputs and
outputs. Bits are referenced by frame and bit number in the location file to help you
observe the contents of FPGA registers.

-bin_file: (Optional) Creates a binary file (.bin) containing only device programming
data, without the header information found in the standard bitstream file (.bit).

-reference_bitfile <arg>: (Optional) Read a reference bitstream file, and output an

incremental bitstream file containing only the differences from the specified reference
file. This partial bitstream file can be used for incrementally programming an existing
device with an updated design.

Changing Device Configuration Bitstream Settings

The most common configuration settings that you can change fall into the device
configuration settings category. These settings are properties on the device model and you
change them by using the Properties window for the selected synthesized design netlist.
The following steps describe how to set various bitstream properties using this method:
1. In the synthesized design, select the top-level design in the Netlist window.
2. In the Properties window, click the green plus sign to open the Add Properties
dialog.
3. In the Add Properties dialog, type BITSTREAM into the Search text field. Find and select
the desired BITSTREAM properties, then click OK. (see Figure 2-2)

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Changing Device Configuration Bitstream Settings

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-2

Figure 2-2:

Add Bitstream Properties

4. In the Properties window, locate the BITSTREAM properties and set them to the
desired values (see Figure 2-3).

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Programming the FPGA Device

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-3

Figure 2-3:

Netlist Bitstream Properties

You can also set the bitstream properties using the set_property command in an XDC
file. For instance, here is an example on how to change the start-up DONE cycle property:
set_property BITSTREAM.STARTUP.DONE_CYCLE 4 [current_design]

Additional examples and templates are provided in the Vivado Templates. Appendix A,
Device Configuration Bitstream Settings describes all of the device configuration settings.

Programming the FPGA Device

The next step after generating the bitstream data programming file is to download it into
the target FPGA device. The Vivado tool offers two different ways to do this:

Open a hardware session to use the native in-system device programming capabilities
that are built into the Vivado IDE.

Launch the iMPACT device programmer tool using the Launch iMPACT button in the
Flow Navigator or Flow > Launch iMPACT menu option.

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an

FPGA Device
The Vivado IDE tool includes functionality that allows you to connect to hardware
containing one or more FPGA devices to program and interact with those FPGA devices.
Connecting to hardware can be done from either the Vivado IDE graphical user interface or
by using Tcl commands. In either case, the steps to connect to hardware and program the
target FPGA device are the same:
1. Open a hardware session.
2. Open a hardware target that is managed by a hardware server running on a host
computer.
3. Associate the bitstream data programming file with the appropriate FPGA device.
4. Program or download the programming file into the hardware device.

Opening a Hardware Session

Opening a hardware session is the first step in programming and/or debugging your design
in hardware. To open a hardware session, do one of the following:

If you have a project open, click the Open Hardware Session button in the Program
and Debug section of the Flow Navigator.

Select the File > Open Hardware Session menu option.

In the Tcl Console window, run the open_hw command

Opening Hardware Target Connections

The next step in opening a hardware target (for instance, a hardware board containing a
JTAG chain of one or more FPGA devices) is connecting to the hardware server (also called
the Vivado CSE server or vcse_server application) that is managing the connection to the
hardware target. You can do this one of three ways:

Use the Open New Hardware Target selection in the Hardware view to use a
wizard-based flow to open a new connection to a hardware target.

Use the Open Recent Hardware Target selection in the Hardware view to re-open a
connection to a previously connected hardware target.

Use Tcl commands to open a connection to a hardware target.

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

Connecting to Hardware Target Using hw_server TCF Agent

Vivado supports two methods of connecting to hardware targets:

Using Target Communication Framework (TCF) Agent plug-ins [Default]

Using legacy CSE plug-ins

The Xilinx TCF Agent is called Hardware Server (hw_server). The list of compatible JTAG
download cables and devices that are supported by hw_server are:

Xilinx Platform Cable USB II (DLC10)

Xilinx Platform Cable USB (DLC9G, DLC9LP, DLC9)

Digilent JTAG-HS2

Digilent JTAG-SMT2

Digilent JTAG-HS1

Digilent JTAG-SMT1

The hw_server TCF agent is automatically started by vcse_server. However, you can
also start the hw_server manually. For instance, on Windows platforms, at a cmd prompt
run the following command:
C:\Xilinx\Vivado\vivado_release.version\bin\hw_server.bat
IMPORTANT: Vivado and vcse_server automatically try to connect to compatible JTAG targets

using the hw_server TCF agent.

If you want to connect to JTAG targets using the legacy CSE plug-ins, follow these instructions:

In Vivado: Before using the Open New Hardware Target wizard in the hardware session,
run the following command:
set_param labtools.use_hw_server false

If launching vcse_server manually, use the following command line to disable the
launching of the hw_server TCF agent:
vcse_server -disable_tcf

Follow the steps in the next section to open a connection to a new hardware target using
this agent.

Opening a New Hardware Target

The Open New Hardware Target wizard provides an interactive way for you to connect to
a hardware server and target. The wizard is a three-step process:

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

1. Specify or select the host name and port of the Vivado CSE server (also called
vcse_server) that is managing the hardware targets on the machine to which the target
board is connected (see Figure 2-4).
Note: If you use localhost or the hostname/IP address of the machine on which you are
running the Vivado tool as the host name, a vcse_server process automatically be starts on
that machine. This vcse_server is used in the subsequent panels of the wizard.
X-Ref Target - Figure 2-4

Figure 2-4:

Specifying the Vivado CSE Server Name

2. Select the appropriate hardware target from the list of targets that are managed by the
hardware server. Note that when you select a target, you will see the various hardware
devices that are available on that hardware target (see Figure 2-5).

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-5

Figure 2-5:

Selecting the Hardware Target

Note: If one or more of the devices is unknown to Vivado, you can provide the instruction register
(IR) length directly in the Hardware Devices table of the Open New Hardware Target wizard
(Figure 2-6).

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-6

Figure 2-6:

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

IMPORTANT: Vivado and vcse_server automatically try to connect to compatible JTAG targets

using the hw_server TCF agent.

If you want to connect to JTAG targets using the legacy CSE plug-ins, follow these
instructions:

In Vivado: Before using the Open New Hardware Target wizard in the hardware session,
run the following command:
set_param labtools.use_hw_server false

If launching vcse_server manually, use the following command line to disable the
launching of the hw_server TCF agent:
vcse_server -disable_tcf

3. Set the properties of the hardware target, such as the frequency of the TCK clock pin,
etc. Note that each type of hardware target may have different properties. Refer to the
documentation of each hardware target for more information about these properties.

Opening a Recent Hardware Target

The Open New Hardware Target wizard is also what populates the list of previously
connected hardware targets to be used by the Open Recent Hardware Target selection.
Instead of connecting to a hardware target by going through the wizard, you can also
re-open a connection to a previously connected hardware target by selecting the Open
Recent Hardware Target link in the Hardware window and selecting one of the recently
connected hardware server/target combinations in the list.

Opening a Hardware Target Using Tcl Commands

You can also use Tcl commands to connect to a hardware server/target combination. For
instance, to connect to the digilent_plugin target (serial number 210203339395) that is
managed by the vcse_server running on localhost:60001, use the following Tcl
commands:
connect_hw_server -host localhost -port 60001
current_hw_target [get_hw_targets */xilinx_tcf/Digilent/210203327463A]
open_hw_target

Once you finish opening a connection to a hardware target, the Hardware window is
populated with the hardware server, hardware target, and various hardware devices for the
open target (see Figure 2-7).

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-7

Figure 2-7:

Hardware View after Opening a Connection to the Hardware Target

Associating a Programming File with the Hardware Device

After connecting to the hardware target and before you program the FPGA device, you
need to associate the bitstream data programming file with the device. Select the hardware
device in the Hardware window and make sure the Programming file property in the
Properties window is set to the appropriate bitstream data (.bit) file.
Note: As a convenience, Vivado IDE automatically uses the .bit file for the current implemented
design as the value for the Programming File property of the first matching device in the open
hardware target.
You can also use the set_property Tcl command to set the PROGRAM.FILE property of the
hardware device:
set_property PROGRAM.FILE {C:/design.bit} [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]

Programming the Hardware Device

Once the programming file has been associated with the hardware device, you can program
the hardware device using by right-clicking on the device in the Hardware window and
selecting the Program Device menu option. You can also use the program_hw_device Tcl
command. For instance, to program the first device in the JTAG chain, use the following Tcl
command:
program_hw_devices [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]

Once the progress dialog has indicated that the programming is 100% complete, you can
check that the hardware device has been programmed successfully by examining the DONE
status in the Hardware Device Properties view (see Figure 2-8).

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Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device

X-Ref Target - Figure 2-8

Figure 2-8:

Checking the DONE status of an FPGA device

You can also use the get_property Tcl command to check the DONE status. For instance, to
check the DONE status of a Kintex-7 device that is the first device in the JTAG chain, use
the following Tcl command:
get_property REGISTER.IR.BIT5_DONE [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]

If you use another means to program the hardware device (for instance, a Flash device or
external device programmer such as the iMPACT tool), you can also refresh the status of a
hardware device by right-clicking the Refresh Device menu option or by running the
refresh_hw_device Tcl command. This refreshes the various properties for the device,
including but not limited to the DONE status.

Closing the Hardware Target

You can close a hardware target by right-clicking on the hardware target in the Hardware
window and selecting Close Target from the popup menu. You can also close the hardware
target using a Tcl command. For instance, to close the xilinx_platformusb/USB21 target on
the localhost server, use the following Tcl command:
close_hw_target {localhost/xilinx_tcf/Digilent/210203327463A}

Closing a Connection to the Hardware Server

You can close a hardware server by right-clicking on the hardware server in the Hardware
window and selecting Close Server from the popup menu. You can also close the hardware
server using a Tcl command. For instance, to close the connection to the localhost server,
use the following Tcl command:
disconnect_hw_server localhost

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Launching iMPACT

Launching iMPACT
The iMPACT tool lets you perform device configuration and file generation.

Device Configuration lets you directly configure Xilinx FPGAs and PROMs with the
JTAG download cables (Xilinx Parallel Cable IV, Xilinx Platform Cable USB, Xilinx
Platform Cable USB II, or Digilent JTAG cables).

Operating in Boundary-Scan mode, iMPACT can configure or program Xilinx FPGAs,

CPLDs, and PROMs.

File generation enables you to create the following programming file types: System
ACE CF, PROM, SVF, STAPL, and XSVF files.

iMPACT also lets you:

Readback and verify design configuration data.

Debug configuration problems.

Execute SVF and XSVF files.

You can launch the iMPACT software tool directly from the Vivado IDE on any implemented
design on which the Generate Bitstream command has been run. To invoke iMPACT, in the
Flow Navigator, select Launch iMPACT.
The BIT bitstream file is passed automatically to iMPACT when launched from the Vivado
tool. For more information on using iMPACT, see the iMPACT Help.

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Chapter 3

Debugging the Design

Introduction
Debugging an FPGA design is a multistep, iterative process. Like most complex problems, it
is best to break the FPGA design debugging process down into smaller parts by focusing on
getting smaller sections of the design working one at a time rather than trying to get the
whole design to work at once. Iterating through the design flow by adding one module at
a time and getting it to function properly in the context of the whole design is one example
of a proven design and debug methodology. You can use this design and debug
methodology in any combination of the following design flow stages:

RTL-level design simulation

Post-implemented design simulation

In-system debugging

RTL-level Design Simulation

The design can be functionally debugged during the simulation verification process. Xilinx
provides a full design simulation feature in the Vivado IDE. The Vivado design simulator
can be used to perform RTL simulation of your design. The benefits of debugging your
design in an RTL-level simulation environment include full visibility of the entire design and
ability to quickly iterate through the design/debug cycle. The limitations of debugging your
design using RTL-level simulation includes the difficulty of simulating larger designs in a
reasonable amount of time in addition to the difficulty of accurately simulating the actual
system environment. For more information about using the Vivado simulator, refer to the
Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Logic Simulation (UG937) [Ref 1].

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Post-Implemented Design Simulation

Post-Implemented Design Simulation

The Vivado simulator can also be used to simulate the post-implemented design. One of
the benefits of debugging the post-implemented design using the Vivado simulator
includes having access to a timing-accurate model for the design. The limitations of
performing post-implemented design simulation include those mentioned in the previous
section: long run-times and system model accuracy.

In-System Logic Design Debugging

The Vivado IDE also includes a logic analysis feature that enables you to perform in-system
debugging of the post-implemented design an FPGA device. The benefits for debugging
your design in-system include debugging your timing-accurate, post-implemented design
in the actual system environment at system speeds. The limitations of in-system debugging
includes somewhat lower visibility of debug signals compared to using simulation models
and potentially longer design/implementation/debug iterations, depending on the size and
complexity of the design.
In general, the Vivado tool provides several different ways to debug your design. You can
use one or more of these methods to debug your design, depending on your needs.
Chapter 4, In-System Logic Design Debugging Flows focuses on the in-system logic
debugging capabilities of the Vivado IDE.

In-System Serial I/O Design Debugging

To enable in-system serial I/O validation and debug, the Vivado IDE includes a serial I/O
analysis feature. This allows you to measure and optimize your high-speed serial I/O links in
your FPGA-based system. The Vivado serial I/O analyzer features are designed to help you
address a range of in-system debug and validation problems from simple clocking and
connectivity issues to complex margin analysis and channel optimization issues. The main
benefit of using the Vivado serial I/O analyzer over some other external instrumentation
techniques is that you are measuring the quality of the signal after the receiver equalization
has been applied to the received signal. This ensures that you are measuring at the optimal
point in the TX-to-RX channel thereby ensuring real and accurate data.
The Vivado tool provides the means to generate the design used to exercise the gigabit
transceiver endpoints as well as the run-time software to take measurements and help you
optimize your high-speed serial I/O channels. Chapter 7, In-System Serial I/O Debugging
Flows guides you through the process of generating the IBERT design. Chapter 8,
Debugging the Serial I/O Design in Hardware guides you through the use of the run-time
Vivado serial I/O analyzer feature.

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Chapter 4

In-System Logic Design Debugging Flows

Introduction
The Vivado tool provides many features to debug a design in-system in an actual hardware
device. The in-system debugging flow has three distinct phases:
1. Probing phase: Identifying what signals in your design you want to probe and how you
want to probe them.
2. Implementation phase: Implementing the design that includes the additional debug IP
that is attached to the probed nets.
3. Analysis phase: Interacting with the debug IP contained in the design to debug and
verify functional issues.
This in-system debug flow is designed to work using the iterative design/debug flow
described in the previous section. If you choose to use the in-system debugging flow, it is
advisable to get a part of your design working in hardware as early in the design cycle as
possible. The rest of this chapter describes the three phases of the in-system debugging
flow and how to use the Vivado logic debug feature to get your design working in
hardware as quickly as possible.

Probing the Design for In-System Debugging

The probing phase of the in-system debugging flow is split into two steps:
1. Identifying signals or nets that you want to probe
2. Deciding how you want to add debug core(s) to your design
In many cases, the decision you make on what signals to probe or how to probe them can
affect one another. It helps to start by deciding if you want to manually add the debug IP
component instances to your design source code (called the HDL instantiation probing
flow) or if you want the Vivado tool to automatically insert the debug cores into your
post-synthesis netlist (called the netlist insertion probing flow). Table 4-1 describes some of
the advantages and trade-offs of the different debugging approaches.

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

Table 4-1:

Debugging Strategies
Debugging Goal

Recommended Debug Programming Flow

Identify debug signals in the HDL

source code while retaining
flexibility to enable/disable
debugging later in the flow.

Use mark_debug property to tag signals for debugging in HDL.

Use the Set up Debug wizard to guide you through the Netlist
Insertion probing flow.

Identify debug nets in synthesized

design netlist without having to
modify the HDL source code.

Use the Mark Debug right-click menu option to select nets for
debugging in the synthesized design netlist.
Use the Set up Debug wizard to guide you through the Netlist
Insertion probing flow.

Automated debug probing flow

using Tcl commands.

Use set_property Tcl command to set the mark_debug property on

debug nets.
Use Netlist Insertion probing flow Tcl commands to create debug
core(s) and connect to them to debug nets.

Explicitly attach signals in the HDL

source to an ILA debug core
instance.

Identify HDL signals for debugging.

Use the HDL Instantiation probing flow to generate and instantiate an
Integrated Logic Analyzer (ILA) core and connect it to the debug
signals in the design.

Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

Insertion of debug cores in the Vivado tool is presented in a layered approach to address
different needs of the diverse group of Vivado users:

The highest level is a simple wizard that creates and configures Integrated Logic
Analyzer (ILA) v2.1 cores automatically based on the selected set of nets to debug.

The next level is the main Debug window allowing control over individual debug cores,
ports and their properties. The Debug window can be displayed by selecting the
Debug layout from the Layout Selector or the Layout menu, or can be opened
directly using Window > Debug.

The lowest level is the set of Tcl debug commands that you can enter manually or
replay as a script.

You can also use a combination of the modes to insert and customize debug cores.

Marking HDL Signals for Debug

You can identify signals for debugging at the HDL source level prior to synthesis by using
the mark_debug constraint. Nets corresponding to signals marked for debug in HDL are
automatically listed in the Debug window under the Unassigned Debug Nets folder in
both the Debug Nets and Debug Cores.

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

Note: In the Debug window, the Debug Nets view is a more net-centric view of nets that you have
selected for debug. The Debug Cores view is a more core-centric view where you can view and set
core properties.

The procedure for marking nets for debug depends on whether you are working with an RTL
source-based project or a synthesized netlist-based project. For an RTL netlist-based
project:

Using the Vivado synthesis feature you can optionally mark HDL signals for debug
using the mark_debug constraint in VHDL and Verilog source files. The valid values for
the mark_debug constraint are TRUE or FALSE. The Vivado synthesis feature does
not support the SOFT value.

Using Xilinx Synthesis Technology (XST) you can optionally mark nets for debug using
the mark_debug constraint in VHDL and Verilog sources. In addition to the boolean
string values of, TRUE or FALSE, a value of SOFT allows the software to optimize
the specified net, if possible.

For a synthesized netlist-based project:

Using the Synopsys Synplify synthesis tool, you can optionally mark nets for debug
using the mark_debug and syn_keep constraints in VHDL or Verilog, or using the
mark_debug constraint alone in the Synopsys Design Constraints (SDC) file. Synplify
does not support the SOFT value, as this behavior is controlled by the syn_keep
attribute.

Using the Mentor Graphics Precision synthesis tool, you can optionally mark nets
for debug using the mark_debug constraint in VHDL or Verilog.

The following subsections provide syntactical examples for Vivado synthesis, XST, Synplify,
and Precision source files.

Vivado Synthesis mark_debug Syntax Examples

The following are examples of VHDL and Verilog syntax when using Vivado synthesis.

VHDL Syntax Example

attribute mark_debug : string;
attribute mark_debug of char_fifo_dout: signal is "true";

Verilog Syntax Example

(* mark_debug = "true" *) wire [7:0] char_fifo_dout;

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

XST mark_debug Syntax Examples

The following are examples of VHDL and Verilog syntax when using XST.

VHDL Syntax Example

attribute mark_debug : string;
attribute mark_debug of char_fifo_dout: signal is "true";

Verilog Syntax Example

(* mark_debug = "true" *) wire [7:0] char_fifo_dout;

Synplify mark_debug Syntax Examples

The following are examples of Synplify syntax for VHDL, Verilog, and SDC.

VHDL Syntax Example

attribute
attribute
attribute
attribute

syn_keep : boolean;
mark_debug : string;
syn_keep of char_fifo_dout: signal is true;
mark_debug of char_fifo_dout: signal is "true";

Verilog Syntax Example

(* syn_keep = "true", mark_debug = "true" *) wire [7:0] char_fifo_dout;

SDC Syntax Example

define_attribute {n:char_fifo_din[*]} {mark_debug} {"true"}

IMPORTANT: Net names in an SDC source must be prefixed with the n: qualifier.

Note: Synopsys Design Constraints (SDC) is an accepted industry standard for communicating
design intent to tools, particularly for timing analysis. A reference copy of the SDC specification is
available from Synopsys by registering for the TAP-in program at:
http://www.synopsys.com/Community/Interoperability/Pages/TapinSDC.aspx

Precision mark_debug Syntax Examples

The following are examples of VHDL and Verilog syntax when using Precision.

VHDL Syntax Example

attribute mark_debug : string;
attribute mark_debug of char_fifo_dout: signal is "true";

Verilog Syntax Example

(* mark_debug = "true" *) wire [7:0] char_fifo_dout;

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

Synthesizing the Design

The next step is to synthesize the design containing the debug core(s) by clicking Run
Synthesis in the Vivado IDE or by running the following Tcl commands:
launch_runs synth_1
wait_on_run synth_1

You can also use the synth_design Tcl command to synthesize the design. Refer to the
Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Synthesis (UG901) [Ref 2] for more details on the various
ways you can synthesize your design.

Marking Nets for Debug in the Synthesized Design

Open the synthesized design by clicking Open Synthesized Design in the Flow Navigator
and select the Debug window layout to see the Debug window. Any nets that correspond
to HDL signals that were marked for debugging are shown in the Unassigned Debug Nets
folder in the Debug window (see Figure 4-1).
X-Ref Target - Figure 4-1

Figure 4-1:

Unassigned Debug Nets

Selecting a net in any of the design views (such as the Netlist or Schematic windows),
then right-click select the Mark Debug option.

Selecting a net in any of the design views, then dragging and dropping the nets into
the Unassigned Debug Nets folder.

Using the net selector in the Set up Debug wizard (see Using the Set Up Debug Wizard
to Insert Debug Cores for details).

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

Using the Set Up Debug Wizard to Insert Debug Cores

The next step after marking nets for debugging is to assign them to debug cores. The
Vivado IDE provides an easy to use Set up Debug wizard to help guide you through the
process of automatically creating the debug cores and assigning the debug nets to the
inputs of the cores.
To use the Set up Debug wizard to insert the debug cores:
1. Optionally, select a set of nets for debugging either using the unassigned nets list or
direct net selection.
2. Select Tools > Set up Debug from the Vivado IDE main menu.
3. Click Next to get to the Specify Nets to Debug panel (see Figure 4-2).
4. Optionally, click Add/Remove Nets to add more nets or remove existing nets from the
table.
5. Right-click a debug net and select Select Clock Domain to change the clock domain
that will be used to sample value on the net.
Note: The Set up Debug wizard attempts to automatically select the appropriate clock domain for

the debug net by searching the path for synchronous elements. Use the Select ClockDomain dialog
window to modify this selection as needed, but be aware that each clock domain present in the table
results in a separate ILA v2.1 core instance.

6. Once you are satisfied with the debug net selection, click Next.
Note: The Setup Debug wizard inserts one ILA core per clock domain. The nets that were selected

for debug are assigned automatically to the probe ports of the inserted ILA v2.1 cores. The last
wizard screen shows the core creation summary displaying the number of clocks found and ILA cores
to be created and/or removed.

7. If you are satisfied with the results, click Finish to insert and connect the ILA v2.1 cores
in your synthesized design netlist.

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

X-Ref Target - Figure 4-2

Figure 4-2:

Set Up Debug Wizard

8. The debug nets are now assigned to the ILA v2.1 debug core, as shown in Figure 4-3.

X-Ref Target - Figure 4-3

Figure 4-3:

Assigned Debug Nets

Using the Debug Window to Add and Customize Debug Cores

The Debug Cores tab in the Debug window provides more fine-grained control over ILA
v2.1 core and debug core hub insertion than what is available in the Set up Debug wizard.
The controls available in this window allow core creation, core deletion, debug net
connection, and core parameter changes.
The Debug Cores tab of the Debug window:

Shows the list of debug cores that are connected to the debug_core_hub core.

Maintains the list of unassigned debug nets at the bottom of the window.

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

You can manipulate debug cores and ports from the popup menu or the toolbar buttons on
the top of the window.

Creating and Removing Debug Cores

To create debug cores in the Debug window, click Create Debug Core. Using this interface
(see Figure 4-4), you can change the parent instance, debug core name, and set parameters
for the core. To remove an existing debug core, right-click on the core in the Debug window
and select Delete.
X-Ref Target - Figure 4-4

Figure 4-4:

Creating a New Debug Core

Adding, Removing, and Customizing Debug Core Ports

In addition to adding and removing debug cores, you can also add, remove, and customize
ports of each debug core to suit your debugging needs. To add a new debug port:
1. Select the debug core in the Debug window.
2. Click Create Debug Port to open the dialog shown in Figure 4-5.
3. Select or type in the port width
4. Click OK.
5. To remove a debug port, first select the port on the core in the Debug window, then
select Delete.

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

X-Ref Target - Figure 4-5

Figure 4-5:

Creating a New Debug Port

Connecting and Disconnecting Nets to Debug Cores

You can select, drag, and drop nets and buses (also called bus nets) from the Schematic or
Netlist windows onto the debug core ports. This expands the debug port as needed to
accommodate the net selection. You can also right-click on any net or bus, and select
Assign to Debug Port.
To disconnect nets from the debug core port, select the nets that are connected to the
debug core port, and click Disconnect Net.

Modifying Properties on the Debug Cores

Each debug core has properties you can change to customize the behavior of the core. To
learn how to change properties on the debug_core_hub debug core, refer to Changing
the BSCAN User Scan Chain of the Debug Core Hub, page 38.
You can also change properties on the ILA v2.1 debug core. For instance, to change the
number of samples captured by the ILA v2.1 debug core (see Figure 4-6), do the following:
1. In the Debug window, select the desired ILA core (such as u_ila_0).
2. In the Instance Properties window, select the Debug Core Options view.
3. Using the C_DATA_DEPTH pull-down list, select the desired number of samples to be
captured.

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Using the Netlist Insertion Debug Probing Flow

X-Ref Target - Figure 4-6

Figure 4-6:

Changing the Data Depth of the ILA v2.1 Core

Using Tcl Commands Insert Debug Cores

In addition to using the Set up Debug wizard, you can also use Tcl commands to create,
connect, and insert debug cores into your synthesized design netlist:
1. Create the ILA v2.1 core black box.
create_debug_core u_ila_0 labtools_ila_v2

2. Set the data depth property of the ILA v2.1 core.

set_property C_DATA_DEPTH 1024 [get_debug_cores u_ila_0]

3. Set the width of the CLK port of the ILA v2.1 core to 1 and connect it to the desired clock
net.
set_property port_width 1 [get_debug_ports u_ila_0/CLK]
connect_debug_port u_ila_0/CLK [get_nets [list clk ]]

Note: You do not have to create the CLK port of the ILA v2.1 core because it is automatically
created by the create_debug_core command.

4. Set the width of the PROBE0 port to the number of nets you plan to connect to the port.
set_property port_width 1 [get_debug_ports u_ila_0/PROBE0]

Note: You do not have to create the first probe port (PROBE0) of the ILA v2.1 core because it is
automatically created by the create_debug_core command.

5. Connect the PROBE0 port to the nets you want to attach to that port.
connect_debug_port u_ila_0/PROBE0 [get_nets [list A_or_B]]

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HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow Overview

6. Optionally, create more probe ports, set their width, and connect them to the nets you
want to debug.
create_debug_port u_ila_0 PROBE
set_property port_width 2 [get_debug_ports u_ila_0/PROBE1]

connect_debug_port u_ila_0/PROBE1 [get_nets [list {A[0]} {A[1]}]]

7. Optionally, generate and synthesize the debug core(s) so you can floorplan them with
the rest of your synthesized design.
implement_debug_core [get_debug_cores]

For more information on these and other related Tcl commands, type help category
ChipScope in the Tcl Console of the Vivado IDE.

Implementing the Design

After inserting, connecting and customizing your debug cores, you are now ready for
implementing your design (refer to the section called Implementing the Design Containing
the Debug Cores).

HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow Overview

The HDL instantiation probing flow involves the manual customization, instantiation, and
connection of various debug core components directly in the HDL design source. The new
debug cores that are supported in this flow in the Vivado tool are shown in table Table 4-2.
The legacy debug cores that are supported in this flow in the Vivado tool are shown in
Table 4-3.
Table 4-2:
Flow

Debug Cores in Vivado IP Catalog available for use in the HDL Instantiation Probing

Debug Core

Version

Description

Run-time Analyzer Tool

ILA (Integrated
Logic Analyzer)

v2.1

Debug core that is used to

trigger on hardware events
and capture data at system
speeds.

Vivado logic analyzer

VIO (Virtual
Input/Output)

v2.0

Debug core that is used to

monitor or control signals in
a design at JTAG chain scan
rates.

Vivado logic analyzer

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HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow Overview

Table 4-3: Legacy ChipScope Pro Debug Cores available for use in the HDL Instantiation
Probing Flow
Debug Core

Version

Description

Run-time Analyzer Tool

ICON (Integrated
Controller)

v1.06a

Debug core hub used to

connect the ILA 1.05a and
VIO 1.05a cores to the JTAG
chain.

ChipScope Pro Analyzer

VIO (Virtual
Input/Output)

v1.05a

Debug core that is used to

monitor or control signals in
a design at JTAG chain scan
rates. Requires connection to
an ICON core.

ChipScope Pro Analyzer

ILA (Integrated
Logic Analyzer)

v1.05a

Debug core that is used to

trigger on hardware events
and capture data at system
speeds. Requires connection
to an ICON core.

ChipScope Pro Analyzer

ILA (Integrated
Logic Analyzer)

v2.0

Debug core that is used to

trigger on hardware events
and capture data at system
speeds.

Vivado logic analyzer

The ICON, VIO, and ILA v1.x cores are supported in the Vivado tool flow to provide
compatibility with legacy designs that contain these cores.
However, these cores are not available in the Vivado IP Catalog. You must supply the legacy
debug cores netlist (.ngc) file, synthesis (.v or .vhd) template file, and constraints (.xdc)
file that were previously generated using the Xilinx ISE CORE Generator as source files in
your Vivado project. You must also set properties on these files to make sure they work
properly in the Vivado tool flow. Here is an example of how to add legacy ICON, ILA, and
VIO files to your Vivado project:

Add the .ngc and .v files.

add_files
add_files
add_files
add_files
add_files
add_files

-norecurse
-norecurse
-norecurse
-norecurse
-norecurse
-norecurse

Import the .xdc files and specify that they are not used during synthesis.
import_files
import_files
import_files
set_property
set_property
set_property

{./icon_v1_06a.ngc}
{./ila_v1_05a.ngc}
{./vio_v1_05a.ngc}
{./icon_v1_06a.v}
{./ila_v1_05a.v}
{./vio_v1_05a.v}

-fileset constrs_1 -force -norecurse {./icon_v1_06a.xdc}

-fileset constrs_1 -force -norecurse {./ila_v1_05a.xdc}
-fileset constrs_1 -force -norecurse {./vio_v1_05a.xdc}
used_in_synthesis false [get_files icon_v1_06a.xdc]
used_in_synthesis false [get_files vio_v1_05a.xdc]
used_in_synthesis false [get_files ila_v1_05a.xdc]

Scope the legacy ILA core's .xdc file to the cell reference for the ILA core module.
set_property SCOPED_TO_REF {ila_v1_05a} [get_files ila_v1_05a.xdc]

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Using the HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow

The new ILA v2.1 core has two distinct advantages over the legacy ILA v1.x core:

Works with the integrated Vivado logic analyzer feature (refer to Debugging Logic
Designs in Hardware, page 40).

No ICON core instance or connection is required.

Using the HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow

The steps required to perform the HDL instantiation flow are:
1. Customize and generate the ILA v2.1 debug core(s) that have the right number of probe
ports for the signals you want to probe.
2. Synthesize the design containing the debug core(s).
3. (Optional) Modify debug core properties.
4. Implement the design containing the debug core(s).

Customizing and Generating the Debug Cores

Use the IP Catalog button in the Project Manager to locate, select, and customize the
desired debug core. The debug cores are located in the Debug & Verification > Debug
category of the IP Catalog (see Figure 4-7). You can customize the debug core by
double-clicking on the IP core or by right-click selecting the Customize IP menu selection.

For more information on customizing the ILA v2.1 core, please refer to LogiCORE IP
Integrated Logic Analyzer (ILA) (v2.0) Datasheet (DS875) [Ref 7].

For more information on customizing the VIO v2.0 core, please refer to LogiCORE IP
Virtual Input/Output (VIO) v2.0 Product Guide (PG159) [Ref 8].

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Using the HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow

After customizing the core, click the Generate button in the IP customization wizard. This
generates the customized debug core and add it to the Sources view of your project.
X-Ref Target - Figure 4-7

Figure 4-7:

Debug Cores in the IP Catalog

Instantiating the Debug Cores

After generating the debug core, instantiate it in your HDL source code and connect it to
the signals that you wish to probe for debugging purposes. Below is an example of the ILA
v2.1 instance in a Verilog HDL source file:
ila_v2_1_0 i_ila
(
.CLK(clk),
.PROBE0(counterA),
.PROBE1(counterB),
.PROBE2(counterC),
.PROBE3(counterD),
.PROBE4(A_or_B),
.PROBE5(B_or_C),
.PROBE6(C_or_D),
.PROBE7(D_or_A)
);

Note: Unlike the l egacy VIO and ILA v1.x cores, the ILA v2.1 core instance does not require a connection to
an ICON core instance. Instead, a debug_core_hub debug core is automatically inserted into the synthesized
design netlist to provide connectivity between the ILA v2.1 core and the JTAG scan chain.

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Using the HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow

Synthesizing the Design Containing the Debug Cores

In the next step, synthesize the design containing the debug core(s) by clicking Run
Synthesis in the Vivado IDE or by running the following Tcl commands:
launch_runs synth_1
wait_on_run synth_1

You can also use the synth_design Tcl command to synthesize the design. Refer to Vivado
Design Suite User Guide: Synthesis (UG901) [Ref 2] for more details on the various ways you
can synthesize your design.

Viewing the Debug Cores in the Synthesized Design

After synthesizing your design, you can open the synthesized design to view the debug
cores and modify their properties. Open the synthesized design by clicking Open
Synthesized Design in the Flow Navigator and select the Debug window layout to see the
Debug window that shows your ILA v2.1 debug core(s) connected to the debug_core_hub
(see Figure 4-8).

X-Ref Target - Figure 4-8

Figure 4-8:

Debug Window Showing ILA v2.1 Core and Debug Core Hub

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Using the HDL Instantiation Debug Probing Flow

Changing the BSCAN User Scan Chain of the Debug Core Hub
You can view and change the BSCAN user scan chain index of the debug_core_hub by
selecting the debug_core_hub in the Debug window, selecting the Debug Core Options
view in the Properties window, then changing the value of the C_USER_SCAN_CHAIN
property (see Figure 4-9).
IMPORTANT: If you plan to mix legacy ICON, ILA, and/or VIO v1.x cores with ILA v2.1 cores, you will

need to set the C_USER_SCAN_CHAIN property of the debug_core_hub to a user scan chain that does
not conflict with the ICON v1.x cores Boundary Scan Chain setting. Failure to do so results in errors
later in the implementation flow.

X-Ref Target - Figure 4-9

Figure 4-9:

Changing the user scan chain property of the debug_core_hub

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Implementing the Design Containing the Debug Cores

Implementing the Design Containing the Debug

Cores
The Vivado software creates the debug_core_hub debug cores initially as black boxes. These
cores must be implemented prior to running the placer and router.

Implementing the Debug Cores

Debug core implementation is done automatically when implementing the design; however,
you can also force debug core implementation manually for floorplanning or timing
analysis. To manually implement the cores: do one of the following:

Click the Implement Debug Cores icon on the toolbar menu of the Debug window.

Right-click on any debug core in the Debug window and select the Implement Debug
Cores option from the popup menu.

The Vivado IDE generates and synthesizes each black box debug core. This operation can
take some time. A progress indicator shows that the operation is running. When the debug
core implementation is complete, the debug core black boxes are resolved and you can
access the generated instances.

Implementing the Design

Implement the design containing the debug core(s) by clicking Run Implementation in the
Vivado IDE or by running the following Tcl commands:
launch_runs impl_1
wait_on_run impl_1

You can also implement the design using the implementation commands opt_design,
place_design, and route_design. Refer to the Vivado Design Suite User Guide:
Implementation (UG904) [Ref 3] for more details on the various ways you can implement
your design.

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Chapter 5

Debugging Logic Designs in Hardware

Introduction
Once you have the debug core(s) in your design, you can use the run-time logic analyzer
features to debug the design in hardware. Two different tools can be used depending on
the type of debug cores in your design:

ChipScope Pro Analyzer: used with ICON v1.x, ILA v1.x, VIO v1.x, and IBERT v2.x debug
cores.

Vivado logic analyzer feature: used with ILA v2.1, VIO v2.0, and IBERT v3.x debug
cores.

If you have a mixture of ICON/ILA/VIO v1.x and ILA/VIO v2.x debug cores in your design,
you can simultaneously use both the ChipScope Pro Analyzer tool and Vivado logic analyzer
feature to debug the same design running on the same hardware target board (see section
called Using Vivado Logic Analyzer to Debug the Design, page 41 for more details).

Launching ChipScope Pro Analyzer to Debug the

Design
The ChipScope Pro Analyzer tool is used to interact with ICON v1.x, ILA v1.x, and VIO v1.x
debug cores that are in your design. When the ChipScope Pro Analyzer software is installed,
you can launch it directly from the Vivado IDE on any implemented design on which
Generate Bitstream has been run.
IMPORTANT: The ChipScope Pro and iMPACT tools are not included in the Vivado Design Suite

installation. However, these tools are available in an installation package called the ISE Design Suite:
Standalone Lab Tools that is freely downloadable from the Xilinx Download site at
http://www.xilinx.com/downloads.

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Using Vivado Logic Analyzer to Debug the Design

To launch ChipScope Pro Analyzer, do one of the following:

Use the Flow > Launch ChipScope Analyzer command from the main menu

Run the launch_chipscope_analyzer Tcl command in the Tcl Console

The Vivado IDE passes the BIT bitstream and CDC net connection name files automatically
to the ChipScope Pro Analyzer tool. For more information about ChipScope Pro Analyzer
see the Xilinx website,http:
http://www.xilinx.com/support/index.html/content/xilinx/en/supportNav/design_tools/chi
pscope_pro.html

Using Vivado Logic Analyzer to Debug the Design

The Vivado logic analyzer feature is used to interact with ILA v2.1 debug cores that are in
your design. To access the Vivado logic analyzer feature, click the Open Hardware Session
button in the Program and Debug section of the Flow Navigator.
The steps to debug your design in hardware are:
1. Connect to the hardware target and program the FPGA device with the .bit file
2. Set up the ILA debug core trigger and probe compare conditions.
3. Arm the ILA debug core trigger.
4. View the captured data from the ILA debug core in the Waveform window.

Connecting to the Hardware Target and

Programming the FPGA Device
Programming an FPGA device prior to debugging are exactly the same steps described in
Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device in Chapter 2 . After
programming the device with the .bit file that contains the ILA v2.1 and VIO v2.0 cores,
the Hardware window now shows the ILA and VIO cores that were detected when scanning

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Setting up the ILA Core to Take a Measurement

the device (see Figure 5-1).
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-1

Figure 5-1:

Hardware Window Showing the ILA and VIO Debug Cores

For more information on using the ILA core, refer to Setting up the ILA Core to Take a
Measurement, page 42. For more information on using the VIO core, refer to the section
called "Setting up the VIO Core to Take a Measurement."

Setting up the ILA Core to Take a Measurement

The ILA core(s) that you add to your design appear in the Hardware window under the
target device. If you do not see the ILA core(s) appear, right-click on the device and select
Refresh Hardware. This re-scans the FPGA device and refreshes the Hardware window.
Note: If you still do not see the ILA core after programming and/or refreshing the FPGA device,

check to make sure the device was programmed with the appropriate .bit file and check to make
sure the implemented design contains an ILA v2.1 core.

Click the ILA core (called hw_ila_1 in Figure 5-1) to see its properties in the ILA Core
Properties window. You can also change several ILA core settings in the ILA Cores tab in
the Debug Probes window:

Trigger condition

Trigger position

Data depth

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Setting the ILA Core Trigger Condition

Setting the ILA Core Trigger Condition

Use the Trigger Cond control in the ILA Cores tab in the Debug Probes window (or the
Trigger Condition property in the ILA Core Properties window) to select between AND
and OR settings. The AND setting causes a trigger event when all of the ILA probe
comparisons are satisfied. The OR setting causes a trigger event when any of the ILA
probe comparisons are satisfied. You can also use the set_property Tcl command to change
the ILA core trigger condition:
set_property CONTROL.TRIGGER_CONDITION AND [get_hw_ilas hw_ila_1]

Setting the ILA Core Trigger Position

Use the Trigger Pos control in the ILA Cores tab in the Debug Probes window (or the
Trigger Position property in the ILA Core Properties window) to set the position of the
trigger mark in the captured data buffer. You can set the trigger position to any sample
number in the captured data buffer. For instance, in the case of a captured data buffer that
is 1024 samples deep:

Sample number 0 corresponds to the first (left-most) sample in the captured data
buffer.

Sample number 1023 corresponds to the last (right-most) sample in the captured data
buffer.

Samples numbers 511 and 512 correspond to the two center samples in the captured
data buffer.

You can also use the set_property Tcl command to change the ILA core trigger position:
set_property CONTROL.TRIGGER_POSITION 512 [get_hw_ilas hw_ila_1]

Setting the ILA Core Data Depth

Use the Data Depth control in the ILA Cores tab in the Debug Probes window (or the
Capture data depth property in the ILA Core Properties window) to set the data depth of
the ILA core captured data buffer. You can set the data depth to any power of two from 1
to the maximum data depth.
Note: Refer to the section called Modifying Properties on the Debug Cores, page 31 for more
details on how to set the maximum capture buffer data depth on ILA cores that are added to the
design using the Netlist Insertion probing flow.
You can also use the set_property Tcl command to change the ILA core data depth:
set_property CONTROL.DATA_DEPTH 512 [get_hw_ilas hw_ila_1]

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Writing ILA Probes Information

Writing ILA Probes Information

The ILA Cores tab view in the Debug Probes window contains information about the nets
that you probed in your design using the ILA v2.1 core. This ILA probe information is
extracted from your design and is stored in a data file that typically has an .ltx file
extension.
Normally, the ILA probe file is automatically created during the implementation process.
However, you can also use the write_debug_probes Tcl command to write out the debug
probes information to a file:
1. Open the Synthesized or Netlist Design.
2. Run the write_debug_probes filename.ltx Tcl command.

Reading ILA Probes Information

The ILA probe file is automatically associated with the FPGA hardware device if the probes
file is called debug_nets.ltx and is found in the same directory as the bitstream
programming (.bit) file that is associated with the device.
You can also specify the location of the probes file:
1. Select the FPGA device in the Hardware window.
2. Set the Probes file location in the Hardware Device Properties window.
3. Click Apply to apply the change.
You can also set the location using the set_property Tcl command:
set_property PROBES.FILE {C:/myprobes.ltx} [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]

Viewing ILA Probes

The ILA Cores tab in the Debug Probes window is used to view the probes associated with
each ILA core. Once the probes file is associated with the FPGA hardware device, select the
hardware device and use the right-click Refresh Device command to refresh the ILA Cores

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Setting Up the ILA Probe Trigger Compare Values

tabbed view in the Debug Probes window (see Figure 5-2).
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-2

Figure 5-2:

ILA Cores View in the Debug Probes Window

Setting Up the ILA Probe Trigger Compare Values

The ILA probe trigger comparators are used to detect specific equality or inequality
conditions on the probe inputs to the ILA v2.1 core. The trigger condition is the result of a
Boolean AND or OR calculation of each of the ILA probe trigger comparator results (see
section called Setting the ILA Core Trigger Condition, page 43 for more details). To specify
the compare values for a given ILA probe, select the Compare Value cell in the ILA Cores
tab in the Debug Probes window to open the Compare Value dialog box (see Figure 5-3 ).
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-3

Figure 5-3:

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ILA Probe Compare Value Settings

ILA Probe Compare Value Settings

The Compare Value dialog box contains three fields that you can configure:
1. Operator: This is the comparison operator that you can set to the following values:

== (equal)

!= (not equal)

< (less than)

<= (less than or equal)

> (greater than)

>= (greater than or equal)

2. Radix: This is the radix or base of the Value that you can set to the following values:

[B] Binary

[H] Hexadecimal

[O] Octal

[A] ASCII

[U] Unsigned Decimal

[S] Signed Decimal

3. Value: This is the comparison value that will be compared (using the Operator) with the
real-time value on the net(s) in the design that are connected to the probe input of the
ILA v2.1 debug core. Depending on the Radix settings, the Value string is as follows:

Binary
-

0: logical zero

1: logical one

X: dont care

R: rising or low-to-high transition

F: falling or high-to-low transition

B: either low-to-high or high-to-low transitions

N: no transition (current sample value is the same as the previous value)

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Running or Arming the ILA Core Trigger

Hexadecimal
-

X: All bits corresponding to the value string character are dont care values

0-9: Values 0 through 9

A-F: Values 10 through 15

Octal
-

X: All bits corresponding to the value string character are dont care values

0-7: Values 0 through 7

ASCII
-

Unsigned Decimal
-

Any string made up of ASCII characters

Any non-negative integer value

Signed Decimal
-

Any integer value

Running or Arming the ILA Core Trigger

You can run or arm the ILA core trigger in two different modes:

Run Trigger: Selecting the ILA core to be armed followed by clicking the Run Trigger
button on the Hardware or Debug Probes window toolbar arms the ILA core to detect
the trigger event that is defined by the ILA core trigger condition and probe compare
values.

Run Trigger Immediate: Selecting the ILA core to be armed followed by clicking the
Run Trigger Immediate button on the Hardware or Debug Probes window toolbar
arms the ILA core to trigger immediately regardless of the settings of the ILA core
trigger condition and probe compare values. This command is useful for capturing any
values that present at the probe inputs of the ILA core.

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Stopping the ILA Core Trigger

You can also arm the trigger by selecting and right-clicking on the ILA core and selecting
Run Trigger or Run Trigger Immediate from the popup menu (see Figure 5-4).
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-4

Figure 5-4:

ILA Core Trigger Commands

Stopping the ILA Core Trigger

You can stop the ILA core trigger by selecting the appropriate ILA core followed by clicking
on the Stop Trigger button on the Hardware or Debug Probes window toolbar. You can
also stop the trigger by selecting and right-clicking on the appropriate ILA core and
selecting Stop Trigger from the popup menu (see Figure 5-4).

Viewing the ILA Core Status

The Status column in the Hardware window indicates the current state or status of each
ILA core (see Table 5-1).
Table 5-1:

ILA Core Status Description

ILA Core Status

Description

IDLE

The ILA core is idle and waiting for its trigger to be armed.

ARMED

The ILA core trigger is armed and is waiting for the trigger
condition to be satisfied. This is the state when the trigger
has been armed with the trigger position set to 0.

CAPTURING

The ILA core is capturing data into its data capture buffer.
If the trigger position is set to a value greater than 0, this
state also means that the trigger is armed.

FULL

The ILA core capture buffer is full and is being uploaded to

the host for display.

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Viewing Captured Data from the ILA Core in the Waveform Viewer

Viewing Captured Data from the ILA Core in the

Waveform Viewer
Once the ILA core captured data has been uploaded to the Vivado IDE, it is displayed in the
Waveform Viewer. See Chapter 6, Viewing ILA Probe Data Using Waveform Viewer for
details on using the Waveform Viewer to view captured data from the ILA core.

Saving and Restoring Captured Data from the ILA

Core
In addition to displaying the captured data that is directly uploaded from the ILA core, you
can also write the captured data to a file then read the data from a file and display it in the
waveform viewer.

Saving Captured ILA Data to a File

Currently, the only way to upload captured data from an ILA core and save it to a file is to
use the following Tcl command:
write_hw_ila_data my_hw_ila_data_file.zip [upload_hw_ila_data hw_ila_1]

This Tcl command sequence uploads the captured data from the ILA core and writes it to an
archive file called my_hw_ila_data_file.zip. The archive file contains the waveform
database file, the waveform configuration file, a waveform comma separated value file, and
a debug probes file.

Restoring Captured ILA Data from a File

Currently, the only way to restore captured data from a file and display it in the waveform
viewer is to use the following Tcl command:
display_hw_ila_data [read_hw_ila_data my_hw_ila_data_file.zip]

This Tcl command sequence reads the previously saved captured data from the ILA core and
displays it in the waveform window.
Note: The waveform configuration settings (dividers, markers, colors, probe radices, etc.) for the ILA
data waveform window will also be saved in the ILA captured data archive file. Restoring and
displaying any previously saved ILA data will use these stored waveform configuration settings.

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Setting Up the VIO Core to Take a Measurement

Setting Up the VIO Core to Take a Measurement

The VIO core(s) that you add to your design appear in the Hardware window under the
target device. If you do not see the VIO core(s) appear, right-click the device and select
Refresh Hardware. This re-scans the FPGA device and refreshes the Hardware window.
Note: If you still do not see the VIO core after programming and/or refreshing the FPGA device,

check to make sure the device was programmed with the appropriate .bit file and check to make
sure the implemented design contains an VIO v2.0 core.

Click the VIO core (called hw_vio_1 in Figure 5-5) to see its properties in the VIO Core
Properties window.
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-5

Figure 5-5:

VIO Core in the Hardware Window

The VIO core can become out-of-sync with the Vivado IDE. Refer to Viewing the ILA Core
Status, page 48 for more information on how to interpret the VIO status indicators.
The VIO core operates on an object property-based set/commit and refresh/get model:

To read VIO input probe values, first refresh the hw_vio object with the VIO core values.
Observe the input probe values by getting the property values of the corresponding
hw_probe object. Refer to the section called Interacting with VIO Core Input Probes,
page 51 for more information.

To write VIO output probe values, first set the desired value as a property on the
hw_probe object. These property values are then committed to the VIO core in
hardware in order to write these values to the output probe ports of the core. Refer to
the section called Interacting with VIO Core Output Probes, page 54 for more
information.

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Viewing the VIO Core Status

Viewing the VIO Core Status

The VIO core can have zero or more input probes and zero or more output probes (note
that the VIO core must have at least one input or output probe). The VIO core status shown
in the Hardware window is used to indicate the current state of the VIO core output probes.
The possible status values and any action that you need to take are described in Table 5-2.
Table 5-2:

VIO Core Status and Required User Action

VIO Status

Description

Required User Action

OK Outputs Reset

The VIO core outputs are in sync

with the Vivado IDE and the
outputs are in their initial or
"reset state.

None

OK

The VIO core outputs are in sync

with the Vivado IDE, however, the
outputs are not in their initial or
reset state.

None

Outputs out-of-sync

The VIO core outputs are not in

sync with the Vivado IDE.

You must choose one of two user actions:

Write the values from the Vivado IDE to the VIO
core by right-clicking the VIO core in the
Hardware window and selecting the Commit
VIO Core Outputs option.
Update the Vivado IDE with the current values of
the VIO core output probe ports by right-clicking
the VIO core in the Hardware window and
selecting the Refresh Input and Output Values
from VIO Core option.

Interacting with VIO Core Input Probes

The VIO core input probes are used to read values from a design that is running in an FPGA
in actual hardware. The VIO input probes are typically used as status indicators for a
design-under-test. An example of what VIO input probes look like is shown in Figure 5-6.

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Interacting with VIO Core Input Probes

X-Ref Target - Figure 5-6

Figure 5-6:

VIO Inputs in the Debug Probes Window

Reading VIO Inputs Using the VIO Cores View

The VIO input probes can be viewed using the VIO Cores tab in the Debug Probes window.
Each input probe is viewed as a separate row in the table. The value of the VIO input probes
are shown in the Value column of the table (see Figure 5-6). The VIO core input values are
periodically updated based on the value of the refresh rate of the VIO core. You can set the
refresh rate by changing the Refresh Rate (ms) in the VIO Properties window or by running
the following Tcl command:
set_property CORE_REFRESH_RATE_MS 1000 [get_hw_vios hw_vio_1]

Note: Setting the refresh rate to 0 will cause all automatic refreshes from the VIO core to stop. Also
note that very small refresh values may cause your Vivado IDE to become sluggish. Xilinx
recommends a refresh rate of 500 ms or longer.

If you want to manually read a VIO input probe value, you can use Tcl commands to do so.
For instance, if you wanted to refresh and get the value of the input probe called
BUTTON_IBUF of the VIO core hw_vio_1, run the following Tcl commands:
refresh_hw_vio [get_hw_vios {hw_vio_1}]
get_property INPUT_VALUE [get_hw_probes BUTTON_IBUF]

Setting the VIO Input Display Type and Radix

The display type of VIO input probes can be set by right-clicking a VIO input probe in the
VIO Cores tab of the Debug Probes window and selecting:

Text to display the input as a text field. This is the only display type for VIO input probe
vectors (more than one bit wide).

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Interacting with VIO Core Input Probes

LED to display the input as a graphical representation of a light-emitting diode (LED).

This display type is only applicable to VIO input probe scalars and individual elements
of VIO input probe vectors. You can set the high and low values to one of four colors:

Gray (off)

Red

Green

Blue

When the display type of the VIO input probe is set to Text, you can change the radix by
right-clicking a VIO input probe in the VIO Cores tabbed view of the Debug Probes window
and selecting:

Radix > Binary to change the radix to binary.

Radix > Octal to change the radix to octal.

Radix > Hex to change the radix to hexadecimal.

Radix > Unsigned to change the radix to unsigned decimal.

Radix > Signed to change the radix to signed decimal.

You can also set the radix of the VIO input probe using a Tcl command. For instance, to
change the radix of a VIO input probe called BUTTON_IBUF, run the following Tcl
command:
set_property INPUT_VALUE_RADIX HEX [get_hw_probes BUTTON_IBUF]

Observing and Controlling VIO Input Activity

In addition to reading values from the VIO input probes, you can also monitor the activity
of the VIO input probes. The activity detectors are used to indicate when the values on the
VIO inputs have changed in between periodic updates to the Vivado IDE.
The VIO input probe activity values are shown as arrows in the activity column of the VIO
Cores tab of the Debug Probes window:

An up arrow indicates that the input probe value has transitioned from a 0 to a 1 during
the activity persistence interval.

A down arrow indicates that the input probe value has transitioned from a 1 to a 0
during the activity persistence interval.

A double-sided arrow indicates that the input probe value has transitioned from a 1 to
a 0 and from a 0 to a 1 at least once during the activity persistence interval.

The persistence of how long the input activity status is displayed can be controlled by
right-clicking a VIO input probe in the VIO Cores tab of the Debug Probes window and
selecting:

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Interacting with VIO Core Output Probes

Activity Persistence > Infinite to accumulate and retain the activity value until the
user resets it.

Activity Persistence > Long (80 samples) to accumulate and retain the activity for a
longer period of time.

Activity Persistence > Short (8 samples) to accumulate and retain the activity for a
shorter period of time.

You can also set the activity persistence using a Tcl command. For instance, to change the
activity persistence on the VIO input probe called BUTTON_IBUF to a long interval, run the
following Tcl command:
set_property ACTIVITY_PERSISTENCE LONG [get_hw_probes BUTTON_IBUF]

The activity for all input probes for a given core can be reset by right-clicking the VIO core
in the Hardware window and selecting Reset All Input Activity. You can also do this by
running the following Tcl command:
reset_hw_vio_activity [get_hw_vios {hw_vio_1}]
TIP: You can change the type, radix, and/or activity persistence of multiple scalar members of a VIO

input probe vector by right-clicking the whole probe or multiple members of the probe, then making a
menu choice. The menu choice will apply to all selected probe scalars.

Interacting with VIO Core Output Probes

The VIO core output probes are used to write values to a design that is running in an FPGA
in actual hardware. The VIO output probes are typically used as low-bandwidth control
signals for a design-under-test. An example of what VIO output probes look like is shown

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Interacting with VIO Core Output Probes

in Figure 5-7.
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-7

Figure 5-7:

VIO Outputs in the Debug Probes Window

Writing VIO Outputs Using the VIO Cores View

The VIO output probes can be set using the VIO Cores tab in the Debug Probes window.
Each output probe is viewed as a separate row in the table. The value of the VIO output
probes are shown in the Value column of the table (see Figure 5-7). The VIO core output
values are updated whenever a new value is entered into the Value column. Clicking on the
Value column causes a pull-down dialog to appear. Type the desired value into the Value
text field and click OK.
You can also write out a new value to the VIO core using Tcl commands. For instance, if you
wanted to write a binary value of 11111 to the VIO output probe called
vio_slice5_fb_2 whose radix is already set to BINARY, run the following Tcl commands:
set_property OUTPUT_VALUE 11111 [get_hw_probes vio_slice5_fb_2]
commit_hw_vio [get_hw_probes {vio_slice5_fb_2}]

Setting the VIO Output Display Type and Radix

The display type of VIO output probes can be set by right-clicking a VIO output probe in the
VIO Cores tab of the Debug Probes window and selecting:

Text to display the output as a text field. This is the only display type for VIO input
probe vectors (more than one bit wide).

Toggle Button to display the output as a graphical representation of a toggle button.

This display type is only applicable to VIO output probe scalars and individual elements
of VIO input probe vectors.

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Interacting with VIO Core Output Probes

When the display type of the VIO output probe is set to Text, you can change the radix by
right-clicking a VIO output probe in the VIO Cores tabbed view of the Debug Probes
window and selecting:

Radix > Binary to change the radix to binary.

Radix > Octal to change the radix to octal.

Radix > Hex to change the radix to hexadecimal.

Radix > Unsigned to change the radix to unsigned decimal.

Radix > Signed to change the radix to signed decimal.

You can also set the radix of the VIO output probe using a Tcl command. For instance, to
change the radix of a VIO output probe called vio_slice5_fb_2 to hexadecimal, run the
following Tcl command:
set_property OUTPUT_VALUE_RADIX HEX [get_hw_probes vio_slice5_fb_2]

Resetting the VIO Core Output Values

The VIO v2.0 core has a feature that allows you to specify an initial value for each output
probe port. You can reset the VIO core output probe ports to these initial values by
right-clicking the VIO core in the Hardware window and selecting the Reset VIO Core
Outputs option. You can also reset the VIO core outputs using a Tcl command:
reset_hw_vio_outputs [get_hw_vios {hw_vio_1}]

Note: Resetting the VIO output probes to their initial values may cause the output probe values to
become out-of-sync with the Vivado IDE. Refer to the section called Synchronizing the VIO Core
Output Values to the Vivado IDE on how to handle this situation.

Synchronizing the VIO Core Output Values to the Vivado IDE

The output probes of a VIO core can become out-of-sync with the Vivado IDE after resetting
the VIO outputs, re-programming the FPGA, or by another Vivado tool instance setting
output values before the current instance has started. In any case, if the VIO status indicates
Outputs out-of-sync, you need to take one of two actions:

Write the values from the Vivado IDE to the VIO core by right-clicking the VIO core in
the Hardware window and selecting the Commit VIO Core Outputs option. You can
also do this running a Tcl command:
commit_hw_vio [get_hw_vios {hw_vio_1}]

Update the Vivado IDE with the current values of the VIO core output probe ports by
right-clicking the VIO core in the Hardware window and selecting the Refresh Input
and Output Values from VIO Core option. You can also do this running a Tcl
command:
refresh_hw_vio -update_output_values 1 [get_hw_vios {hw_vio_1}]

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Using Vivado Logic Analyzer in a Lab Environment

Using Vivado Logic Analyzer in a Lab Environment

The Vivado logic analyzer feature is integrated into the Vivado IDE. In order to use Vivado
logic analyzer feature to debug a design that is running on a target board that is in a lab
environment, you need to do one of two things:

Install and run the full Vivado IDE on your lab machine.

Install latest version of the Vivado Design Suite on your lab machine, and use the
Vivado logic analyzer feature on your local machine to connect to a remote instance of
the Vivado CSE Server (vcse_server).

Installing and Running the Full Vivado IDE on a Lab Machine

The requirements for installing the Vivado IDE on your lab machine are found in Vivado
Design Suite: Release Notes, Installation and Licensing (UG73) [Ref 4].
IMPORTANT: The Vivado logic analyzer is only compatible with the Vivado CSE server (vcse_server.exe

on Windows platforms or vcse_server on Linux platforms) and is not compatible with the legacy CSE
server (cse_server.exe on Windows platforms or cse_server on Linux platforms) that is installed as part
of the ISE Lab Tools. The legacy CSE server application is only compatible with the legacy ChipScope Pro
Analyzer tool. The Vivado logic analyzer only needs two files from the original project: the bitstream
programming (.bit) file and the probes (.ltx) file.

Here are the steps to use the Vivado logic analyzer feature on a lab machine.
1. Install the Vivado IDE on your lab machine.
2. Copy the bitstream programming (.bit) file and the probes (.ltx) file to the lab
machine.
3. Start Vivado IDE in GUI mode.
4. Open the hardware session by selecting the File > Open Hardware Session menu
option or typing "open_hw" in the Tcl Console window.
5. Follow the steps in the Connecting to the Hardware Target and Programming the FPGA
Devices section to open a connection to the target board that is connected to your lab
machine. Use the bitstream programming (.bit) file that you copied to the lab machine
to program target FPGA device.
6. Follow the steps in the Setting up the ILA Core to Take a Measurement section and
beyond to debug your design in hardware. Use the probes (.ltx) file that you copied to
the lab machine when you get to the Reading ILA Probes Information section.

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Using Vivado Logic Analyzer and ChipScope Pro Analyzer Simultaneously

Connecting to a Remote CSE Server Running on a Lab Machine

If you have a network connection to your lab machine, you can also connect to the target
board by connecting to a CSE server that is running on that remote lab machine. Here are
the steps to using the Vivado logic analyzer feature to connect to a Vivado CSE server
(vcse_server.exe on Windows platforms or vcse_server on Linux platforms) that is
running on the lab machine:
1. Install the latest version of the Vivado Design Suite on the lab machine.
IMPORTANT: You do NOT need any software licenses to run any of the hardware session features of the

Vivado tools (such as the Vivado logic analyzer or Vivado serial I/O analyzer features).

2. Start up the vcse_server application on the remote lab machine. Assuming you installed
the Vivado Design Suite to the default location and your lab machine is a 64-bit
Windows machine, here is the command line:
C:\Xilinx\Vivado\vivado_release.version\bin\vcse_server.bat

-port 60001

3. Start Vivado IDE in GUI mode on a different machine than your lab machine.
4. Follow the steps in the Connecting to the Hardware Target and Programming the FPGA
Device section to open a connection to the target board that is connected to your lab
machine. However, instead of connecting to a Vivado CSE server running on localhost,
use the host name of your lab machine.
5. Follow the steps in the Setting up the ILA Core to Take a Measurement section and
beyond to debug your design in hardware.

Using Vivado Logic Analyzer and ChipScope Pro

Analyzer Simultaneously
You can use the Vivado logic analyzer feature and ChipScope Pro Analyzer tools to
simultaneously debug the same design running on the same target board. Some examples
of situations where this capability becomes important are:

You have a design that contains an ILA v2.1 debug core and a VIO v1.x debug core that
you need to interact with using the Vivado logic analyzer feature and ChipScope Pro
Analyzer feature, respectively.

You want to interact with an ILA v2.1 debug core in your design using the Vivado logic
analyzer feature and you want to monitor the XADC temperature or voltage sensors
using the ChipScope Pro Analyzer tools System Monitor feature.

You have a 7 series device and a 6 series device that you need to debug at the same
time using the Vivado logic analyzer feature and the ChipScope Pro Analyzer feature,
respectively.

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Using Vivado Logic Analyzer and ChipScope Pro Analyzer Simultaneously

This section covers the first case of having both an ILA v2.1 debug core and a VIO v1.x
debug core in the same design. The steps that you need to follow to take advantage of this
capability are:
1. Use two separate BSCAN user scan chains, one for each JTAG controller core.
2. Start two separate CSE servers, one for each run-time analyzer applications.
3. Use two different run-time analyzer applications, the Vivado logic analyzer feature and
ChipScope Pro Analyzer tool.

Using Separate BSCAN User Scan Chains

Make sure that the debug_core_hub core (which is used to connect the ILA v2.1 core to a
BSCANE2 primitive) and the ICON v1.x core (which is used to connect the VIO v1.x core to
a BSCANE2 primitive) are configured to use different user scan chains (see section
Changing the BSCAN User Scan Chain of the Debug Core Hub in Chapter 4 for more
details).

Setting Up Separate CSE Servers

Make sure two separate CSE server instances are running on the machine that is connected
to the target board. For instance, on a Windows 64-bit platform, do the following in two
separate cmd windows:
1. Make sure the latest version of the Vivado Design Suite and ISE Lab Tools are installed
on the lab machine. This example assumes that ISE Lab Tools and Vivado Design Suite
are both installed in their default locations.
2. Open the first cmd window and run the following to start the Vivado CSE server.
C:\Xilinx\Vivado\vivado_release.version\bin\vcse_server.bat port 60001

3. Open the second cmd window and run to start the legacy CSE server.
C:\Xilinx\ise_release.version\LabTools\LabTools\bin\nt64\cse_server port 50001

The Vivado CSE server running on port 60001 and the legacy CSE server running on port
50001 will be used by the Vivado logic analyzer feature and ChipScope Pro Analyzer tool,
respectively.

Running Vivado Logic Analyzer Feature and ChipScope Pro

Analyzer Tool
Now that you have set up the design and the CSE servers, you can use the Vivado logic
analyzer feature and ChipScope Pro Analyze tool to debug the design by following these
steps:
1. Start the Vivado IDE in GUI mode.

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Using Vivado Logic Analyzer and ChipScope Pro Analyzer Simultaneously

2. Click Open Hardware Session in the Flow Navigator or select the File > Open
Hardware Server menu option.
3. Connect to the Vivado CSE server that is running on localhost:60001, and program the
target device (see Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device in
Chapter 2 for more details)
4. Launch the ChipScope Pro Analyzer using the Flow > Launch ChipScope Analyzer
menu option.
5. In the ChipScope Pro Analyzer tool, select JTAG Chain>Server Host Setting. Change
the server to localhost:50001 (see Figure 5-8 )
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-8

Figure 5-8:

Changing the ChipScope Pro Analyzer Server Host Settings

6. In the ChipScope Pro Analyzer, connect to the target board by using the JTAG Chain >
Open Plug-in menu option set to xilinx_tcf (see Figure 5-9).
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-9

Figure 5-9:

Connecting to the Target Board

IMPORTANT: The ChipScope Pro Analyzer can only handle a single JTAG target plugged into the

machine when using the xilinx_tcf plug-in.

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Description of Hardware Session Tcl Objects and Commands

7. Use each of the run-time analyzer tools to interact with their respective debug cores
(see Figure 5-10 ).
X-Ref Target - Figure 5-10

Figure 5-10:

Using Vivado Logic Analyzer Feature and ChipScope Pro Analyzer

Tool to Debug the Design

Description of Hardware Session Tcl Objects and

Commands
You can use Tcl commands to interact with your hardware under test. The hardware is
organized in a set of hierarchical first class Tcl objects (see Table 5-3).
Table 5-3:

Hardware Session Tcl Objects

Tcl Object

Description

hw_server

Object referring to CSE server. Each hw_server can have

one or more hw_target objects associated with it.

hw_target

Object referring to JTAG cable or board. Each hw_target can

have one or more hw_device objects associated with it.

hw_device

Object referring to a device in the JTAG chain, including

Xilinx FPGA devices. Each hw_device can have one or more
hw_ila objects associated with it.

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Description of Hardware Session Tcl Objects and Commands

Table 5-3:

Hardware Session Tcl Objects (Contd)

Tcl Object

Description

hw_ila

Object referring to an ILA core in the Xilinx FPGA device.

Each hw_ila object can have only one hw_ila_data object
associated with it. Each hw_ila object can have one or more
hw_probe objects associated with it.

hw_ila_data

Object referring to data uploaded from an ILA debug core.

hw_probe

Object referring to the probe input of an ILA debug core.

hw_vio

Object referring to a VIO core in the Xilinx FPGA device.

For more information about the hardware session commands, run the help category
hardware Tcl command in the Tcl Console.

Description of hw_server Tcl Commands

Table 5-4 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with hardware servers.
Table 5-4:

Descriptions of hw_server Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

connect_hw_server

Open a connection to a hardware server.

current_hw_server

Get or set the current hardware server.

disconnect_hw_server

Close a connection to a hardware server.

get_hw_servers

Get list of hardware server names for the CSE servers.

refresh_hw_server

Refresh a connection to a hardware server.

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Description of Hardware Session Tcl Objects and Commands

Description of hw_target Tcl Commands

Table 5-5 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with hardware targets.

Table 5-5:

Descriptions of hw_target Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

close_hw_target

Close a hardware target.

current_hw_target

Get or set the current hardware target.

get_hw_targets

Get list of hardware targets for the hardware servers.

open_hw_target

Open a connection to a hardware target on the hardware

server.

refresh_hw_target

Refresh a connection to a hardware target.

Description of hw_device Tcl Commands

Table 5-6 Descriptions of hw_device Tcl Commands contains descriptions of all Tcl
commands used to interact with hardware devices.
Table 5-6:

Descriptions of hw_device Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

current_hw_device

Get or set the current hardware device.

get_hw_device

Get list of hardware devices for the target.

program_hw_device

Program Xilinx FPGA devices.

refresh_hw_device

Refresh a hardware device.

Description of hw_ila Tcl Commands

Table 5-7 Descriptions of hw_ila Tcl Commands contains descriptions of all Tcl commands
used to interact with ILA v2.1 debug cores.
Table 5-7:

Descriptions of hw_ila Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

current_hw_ila

Get or set the current hardware ILA.

get_hw_ilas

Get list of hardware ILAs for the target.

reset_hw_ila

Reset hw_ila control properties to default values.

run_hw_ila

Arm hw_ila triggers.

wait_on_hw_ila

Wait until all data has been captured.

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Description of Hardware Session Tcl Objects and Commands

Description of hw_ila_data Tcl Commands

Table 5-8 Descriptions of hw_ila_data Tcl Commands contains descriptions of all Tcl
commands used to interact with captured ILA data.
Table 5-8:

Descriptions of hw_ila_data Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

current_hw_ila_data

Get or set the current hardware ILA data

display_hw_ila_data

Display hw_ila_data in waveform viewer

get_hw_ila_data

Get list of hw_ila_data objects

read_hw_ila_data

Read hw_ila_data from a file

upload_hw_ila_data

Stop the ILA core from capturing data and upload any
captured data.

write_hw_ila_data

Write hw_ila_data to a file.

Description of hw_probe Tcl Commands

Table 5-9 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with captured ILA data.
Table 5-9:

Descriptions of hw_probe Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

get_hw_probes

Get list of hardware probes.

Description of hw_vio Tcl Commands

Table 5-10 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with VIO cores.
Table 5-10:

Descriptions of hw_vio Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

commit_hw_vio

Write hw_probe OUTPUT_VALUE properties values to VIO

core(s).

get_hw_vios

Get a list of hw_vios

refresh_hw_vios

Update hw_probe INPUT_VALUE and ACTIVITY_VALUE

properties with values read from VIO core(s).

reset_hw_vio_activity

Reset VIO ACTIVITY_VALUE properties, for hw_probes

associated with specified hw_vio objects.

reset_hw_vio_outputs

Reset VIO core outputs to initial values.

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Using Hardware Session Tcl Commands

Using Hardware Session Tcl Commands

Below is an example Tcl command script that interacts with the following example system:

One KC705 boards Digilent JTAG-SMT1 cable (serial number 12345) accessible via a
Vivado CSE server running on localhost:60001.

Single ILA core in a design running in the XC7K325T device on the KC705 board.

ILA core has a probe called counter[3:0].

Example Tcl Command Script

# Connect to the Digilent Cable on localhost:60001
connect_hw_server -host localhost -port 60001
current_hw_target [get_hw_targets */xilinx_tcf/Digilent/12345]
open_hw_target
# Program and Refresh the XC7K325T Device
current_hw_device [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
refresh_hw_device -update_hw_probes false [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
set_property PROGRAM.FILE {C:/design.bit} [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
set_property PROBES.FILE {C:/design.ltx} [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
program_hw_devices [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
refresh_hw_device [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
# Set Up ILA Core Trigger Position and Probe Compare Values
set_property CONTROL.TRIGGER_POSITION 512 [get_hw_ilas hw_ila_1]
set_property COMPARE_VALUE.0 eq4'b0000 [get_hw_probes counter]
# Arm the ILA trigger and wait for it to finish capturing data
run_hw_ila hw_ila_1
wait_on_hw_ila hw_ila_1
# Upload the captured ILA data, display it, and write it to a file
current_hw_ila_data [upload_hw_ila_data hw_ila_1]
display_hw_ila_data [current_hw_ila_data]
write_hw_ila_data my_hw_ila_data [current_hw_ila_data]

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Chapter 6

Viewing ILA Probe Data Using Waveform

Viewer
Introduction
With the Vivado Integrated Design Environment (IDE) simulator open, you can begin
working with the waveform to analyze your design and debug your code. The Vivado logic
analyzer populates design data in other areas, such as the Hardware and the ILA Debug
Probes windows.

About Wave Configurations and Windows

Although both a wave configuration and a WCFG file refer to the customization of lists of
waveforms, there is a conceptual difference between them:

The wave configuration is an object that is loaded into memory with which you can
work.

The WCFG file is the saved form of a wave configuration on disk.

A wave configuration can have a name or be "Untitled#". The name shows on the view of
the Wave Configuration window.

Opening a WCFG File

Open a WCFG file to use with the ILA waveform window by following the steps described
below.
IMPORTANT: Before opening a WCFG file, you must have a waveform window open that contains ILA

probes in it, otherwise you get an error.

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About Wave Configurations and Windows

1. Select File > Open Waveform Configuration.
The Open Waveform Configuration dialog box opens.
2. Locate and select a WCFG file.
3. Click OK
A new waveform window appears showing the captured ILA probe data using the waveform
configuration contained in the WCFG file that was just opened.
Note: You now have two waveform windows showing the same data: one waveform window that

uses the original waveform configuration, and a second waveform window that uses the newly
opened waveform configuration. The underlying waveform data is the same in both windows. You
can safely close the original waveform window if you want to continue to use the newly opened
waveform configuration.

Note: When you open a WCFG file that contains references to hw_probe objects that are not present
in an ILA core, the Vivado logic analyzer ignores those hw_probe objects and omits them from the
loaded waveform configuration.

Saving a Wave Configuration

To save a wave configuration to a WCFG file, select File > Save Waveform Configuration
As, and type a name for the waveform configuration.
IMPORTANT: When saving the waveform configuration to a WCFG file, make sure you select a
directory location other than the <project>/.Xil directory. This is a temporary directory whose
contents are deleted when Vivado exits. You will lose your WCFG file if you store it in this location

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Waveform Viewer Configuration Signals and Buses

Waveform Viewer Configuration Signals and Buses

The scalar and vector ILA probes in the Waveform window are the design objects in the
waveform.
The ILA probes display with a corresponding identifying button. You can hover the mouse
over the button for a description. Figure 6-1 is an example of ILA probes in the Waveform
Configuration window.
X-Ref Target - Figure 6-1

Figure 6-1:

Waveform ILA Probes

The ILA probes display with an ID Number, Name, and Value. The toolbar buttons on the
left give you access to navigation features that are described in the following sections.

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ILA Probes in Waveform Configuration

Using the Zoom Features

You have zoom functions as toolbar buttons to zoom in and out of a wave configuration as
needed.
You can also use the mouse wheel with the CTRL key in combination after clicking within
the waveform to zoom in and out to emulate the operation of the dials on an oscilloscope.

Waveform Options Dialog Box

When you select the Waveforms Options button
shown in Figure 6-2, opens.

the Waveform Options dialog box,

X-Ref Target - Figure 6-2

Figure 6-2:

Waveform Options Dialog Box

The options are as follows:

General: Set the default radix.

Show signal indices: Checkbox inserts a small definition line between signal numbers.

Colors: Lets you set colors for the objects within the waveform.

ILA Probes in Waveform Configuration

You can add ILA probe scalars and vectors, also called signals and buses, to the waveform
configuration file, then save that configuration to a WDB file. You can populate the Wave
window with the probes from your ILA core using menu commands, or using Tcl commands
in the Tcl Console.
To add ILA probes to the waveform configuration:

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Customizing the Waveform Configuration

1. In the ILA Cores view of the Debug Probes window, expand the desired ILA core, and
select a probe.
2. Right-click, and select Add Probes to Waveform window from the popup menu.
You can add copies of the same signal or bus in a wave configuration for comparing
waveforms. You can place copies of the same signal or bus anywhere in the wave
configuration, such as in groups or virtual buses.
To add a copy of a signal or bus, do the following:
1. Select a signal or bus in the wave configuration in the Waveform window.
2. Select Edit > Copy or type Ctrl+C.
The signal name is copied to the clipboard.
3. Select Paste or type Ctrl+V.
The signal or bus is now copied to the wave configuration. You can move the signal or bus
using drag and drop as needed.

Customizing the Waveform Configuration

You can customize the Waveform configuration using the features that are listed and briefly
described in Table 6-1; the feature name links to the subsection that fully describes the
feature.
Table 6-1:

Customization Features in the Waveform Configuration

Feature

Description

Cursors

The main cursor and secondary cursor in the Waveform

window let you display and measure time, and they form the
focal point for various navigation activities.

Markers

You can add markers to navigate through the waveform, and

to display the waveform value at a particular time.

Dividers

You can add a divider to create a visual separator of signals.

Using Groups

You can add a group, that is a collection to which signals and

buses can be added in the wave configuration as a means of
organizing a set of related signals.

Using Virtual Buses

You can add a virtual bus to your wave configuration, to which

you can add logic scalars and arrays.

Renaming Objects

You can rename objects, signals, buses, and groups.

Displaying Names

You can display the full hierarchical name (long name), the
simple signal or bus name (short name), or a custom name for
each signal.

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Customizing the Waveform Configuration

Table 6-1:

Customization Features in the Waveform Configuration (Contd)

Feature

Description

Radixes

The default radix controls the bus radix that displays in the
wave configuration, Objects panel, and the Console panel.

Bus Bit Order

You can change the Bus bit order from Most Significant Bit
(MSB) to Least Significant Bit (LSB) and vice versa.

Cursors
Cursors are used primarily for temporary indicators of sample position and are expected to
be moved frequently, as in the case when you are measuring the distance (in samples)
between two waveform edges.
TIP: For more permanent indicators, used in situations such as establishing a time-base for multiple

measurements, add markers to the Wave window instead. See Markers, page 71 for more information.

You can place the main cursor with a single click in the Waveform window.
To place a secondary cursor, Ctrl+Click and hold the waveform, and drag either left or right.
You can see a flag that labels the location at the top of the cursor.
Alternatively, you can hold the SHIFT key and click a point in the waveform. The main cursor
remains the original position, and the other cursor is at the point in the waveform that you
clicked.
Note: To preserve the location of the secondary cursor while positioning the main cursor, hold the

Shift key while clicking. When placing the secondary cursor by dragging, you must drag a minimum
distance before the secondary cursor appears.

To move a cursor, hover over the cursor until you see the grab symbol, and click and drag
the cursor to the new location.
As you drag the cursor in the Waveform window, you see a hollow or filled-in circle if the
Snap to Transition button is selected, which is the default behavior.

A hollow circle
selected signal.

indicates that you are between transitions in the waveform of the

A filled-in circle
indicates that you are hovering over the waveform transition of the
selected signal. A secondary cursor can be hidden by clicking anywhere in the
Waveform window where there is no cursor, marker, or floating ruler.

Markers
Use a marker when you want to mark a significant event within your waveform in a
permanent fashion. Markers allow you to measure distance (in samples) relevant to that
marked event.

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Customizing the Waveform Configuration

You can add, move, and delete markers as follows:

You add markers to the wave configuration at the location of the main cursor.
a. Place the main cursor at the sample number where you want to add the marker by
clicking in the Waveform window at the sample number or on the transition.
b. Select Edit > Markers > Add Marker, or click the Add Marker button.
A marker is placed at the cursor, or slightly offset if a marker already exists at the
location of the cursor. The sample number of the marker displays at the top of the line.

You can move the marker to another location in the waveform using the drag and drop
method. Click the marker label (at the top of the marker) and drag it to the location.

The drag symbol

indicates that the marker can be moved. As you drag the
marker in the Waveform window, you see a hollow or filled-in circle if the Snap to
Transition button is selected, which is the default behavior.

A filled-in circle
indicates that you are hovering over a transition of the
waveform for the selected signal or over another marker.

For markers, the filled-in circle is white.

A hollow circle
selected signal.

Release the mouse key to drop the marker to the new location.

indicates that are you between transitions in the waveform of the

You can delete one or all markers with one command. Right-click over a marker, and do
one of the following:

Select Delete Marker from the popup menu to delete a single marker.

Select Delete All Markers from the popup menu to delete all markers.
Note: You can also use the Delete key to delete a selected marker.

Use Edit > Undo to reverse a marker deletion.

Trigger Marker
The red trigger marker (whose label is a red letter 'T') is a special marker that indicates the
occurrence of the trigger event in the capture buffer. The position of the trigger marker in
the buffer directly corresponds to the Trigger Position setting (see section Setting the ILA
Core Trigger Position in Chapter 5).
Note: The trigger marker is not movable using the same technique as regular markers. Its position
is set using the ILA core's Trigger Position property setting.

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Customizing the Waveform Configuration

Dividers
Dividers create a visual separator between signals. You can add a divider to your wave
configuration to create a visual separator of signals, as follows:
1. In a Name column of the Waveform window, click a signal to add a divider below that
signal.
2. From the popup menu, select Edit > New Divider, or right-click and select New
Divider.
The change is visual and nothing is added to the HDL code. The new divider is saved with
the wave configuration file when you save the file.
You can move or delete Dividers as follows:

Move a Divider to another location in the waveform by dragging and dropping the
divider name.

To delete a Divider, highlight the divider, and click the Delete key, or right-click and
select Delete from the popup menu.

Dividers can be renamed also; see Renaming Objects, page 75.

Using Groups
A Group is a collection of expandable and collapsible categories, to which you can add
signals and buses in the wave configuration to organize related sets of signals. The group
itself displays no waveform data but can be expanded to show its contents or collapsed to
hide them. You can add, change, and remove groups.
To add a Group:
1. In a wave configuration, select one or more signals or buses to add to a group.
Note: A group can include dividers, virtual buses, and other groups.
2. Select Edit > New Group, or right-click and select New Group from the popup menu.
A Group that contains the selected signal or bus is added to the wave configuration.
A Group is represented with the Group button.
The change is visual and nothing is added to the ILA core.
You can move other signals or buses to the group by dragging and dropping the signal or
bus name.

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Customizing the Waveform Configuration

You can move or remove Groups as follows:

Move Groups to another location in the Name column by dragging and dropping the
group name.

Remove a group, by highlighting it and selecting Edit > Wave Objects > Ungroup, or
right-click and select Ungroup from the popup menu. Signals or buses formerly in the group
are placed at the top-level hierarchy in the wave configuration.

Groups can be renamed also; see Renaming Objects, page 75.

CAUTION! The Delete key removes the group and its nested signals and buses from the wave

configuration.

Using Virtual Buses

You can add a virtual bus to your wave configuration, which is a grouping to which you can
add logic scalars and arrays. The virtual bus displays a bus waveform, which shows the
signal waveforms in the vertical order that they appear under the virtual bus, flattened to a
one-dimensional array. You can then change or remove virtual buses after adding them.
To add a virtual bus:
1. In a wave configuration, select one or more signals or buses you want to add to a virtual
bus.
2. Select Edit > New Virtual Bus, or right-click and select New Virtual Bus from the
popup menu.
The virtual bus is represented with the Virtual Bus button

The change is visual and nothing is added to the HDL code.

You can move other signals or buses to the virtual bus by dragging and dropping the signal
or bus name. The new virtual bus and its nested signals or buses are saved when you save
the wave configuration file. You can also move it to another location in the waveform by
dragging and dropping the virtual bus name.
You can rename a virtual bus; see Renaming Objects.
To remove a virtual bus, and ungroup its contents, highlight the virtual bus, and select
Edit > Wave Objects > Ungroup, or right-click and select Ungroup from the popup menu.
CAUTION! The Delete key removes the virtual bus and its nested signals and buses from the wave

configuration.

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Renaming Objects

Renaming Objects
You can rename any object in the Waveform window, such as signals, dividers, groups, and
virtual buses.
1. Select the object name in the Name column.
2. Select Rename from the popup menu.
3. Replace the name with a new one.
4. Press Enter or click outside the name to make the name change take effect.
You can also double-click the object name and then type a new name. The change is
effective immediately. Object name changes in the wave configuration do not affect the
names of the nets attached to the ILA core probe inputs.

Displaying Names
You can display the full hierarchical name (long name), the simple signal or bus name (short
name), or a custom name for each signal. The signal or bus name displays in the Name
column of the wave configuration. If the name is hidden:

Expand the Name column until you see the entire signal name.

Use the scroll bar in the Name column to view the name.

To change the display name:

1. Select one or more signal or bus names. Use Shift+ click or Ctrl+ click to select many
signal names.
2. Right-click, and select Name >:

Long to display the full hierarchical name.

Short to display the name of the signal or bus only.

Custom to display the custom name given to the signal when renamed.

The name changes immediately according to your selection.

Radixes
Understanding the type of data on your bus is important. You need to recognize the
relationship between the radix setting and the data type to use the waveform options of
Digital and Analog effectively. See About Radixes and Analog Waveforms, page 77 for more
information about the radix setting and its effect on Analog waveform analysis.

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Renaming Objects
You can change the radix of an individual signal (ILA probe) in the Waveform window as
follows:
1. Right-click a bus in the Waveform window.
2. Select Radix and the format you want from the drop-down menu:

Binary
Hexadecimal
Unsigned Decimal
Signed Decimal
Octal

ASCII

Changes to the radix of an item in the Objects window do not apply to values in the
Waveform window or the Tcl Console. To change the radix of an individual signal (ILA probe) in
the Waveform window, use the Waveform window popup menu.
IMPORTANT:

Maximum bus width of 64 bits on real. Incorrect values are possible for buses wider
than 64 bits.

Floating point supports only 32- and 64-bit arrays.

Using the Floating Ruler

The floating ruler assists with time measurements using a sample number base other than the
absolute sample numbers shown on the standard ruler at the top of the Waveform window.
You can display (or hide) a floating ruler and move it to a location in the Waveform window. The
sample base (sample 0) of the floating ruler is the secondary cursor, or, if there is no secondary
cursor, the selected marker.
The floating ruler button and the floating ruler itself are visible only when the secondary cursor (or
selected marker) is present.
1. Do either of the following to display or hide a floating ruler:

Place the secondary cursor.

Select a marker.

2. Select View > Floating Ruler, or click the Floating Ruler button.
You only need to follow this procedure the first time. The floating ruler displays
each time the secondary cursor is placed or a marker is selected.
Select the command again to hide the floating ruler.

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About Radixes and Analog Waveforms

Bus Bit Order

You can reverse the bus bit order in the wave configuration to switch between MSB-first and
LSB-first signal representation.
To reverse the bit order:
1. Select a bus.
2. Right-click and select Reverse Bit Order.
The bus bit order is reversed. The Reverse Bit Order command is marked to show that this
is the current behavior.

About Radixes and Analog Waveforms

Bus values are interpreted as numeric values, which are determined by the radix setting on
the bus wave object, as follows:

Binary, octal, hexadecimal, ASCII, and unsigned decimal radixes cause the bus values to
be interpreted as unsigned integers. The format of data on the bus must match the
radix setting.

Any non-0 or -1 bits cause the entire value to be interpreted as 0.

The signed decimal radix causes the bus values to be interpreted as signed integers.

Real radixes cause bus values to be interpreted as fixed point or floating point real
numbers, as determined by the settings of the Real Settings dialog box, shown in
Figure 6-3, page 78.

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About Radixes and Analog Waveforms

X-Ref Target - Figure 6-3

Figure 6-3:

Real Settings Dialog Box

The options are as follows:

Fixed Point: Specifies that the bits of the selected bus wave object(s) is interpreted as
a fixed point, signed, or unsigned real number.

Binary Point: Specifies how many bits to interpret as being to the right of the binary
point. If Binary Point is larger than the bit width of the wave object, wave object values
cannot be interpreted as fixed point, and when the wave object is shown in Digital
waveform style, all values show as <Bad Radix>. When shown as analog, all values are
interpreted as 0.

Floating Point: Specifies that the bits of the selected bus wave object(s) should be
interpreted as an IEEE floating point real number.
Note: Only single precision and double precision (and custom precision with values set to those
of single and double precision) are supported.
Other values result in <Bad Radix> values as in Fixed Point.
Exponent Width and Fraction Width must add up to the bit width of the wave object,
or else <Bad Radix> values result.

Viewing Analog Waveforms

To convert a digital waveform to analog, do the following:
1. In the Name area of a Waveform window, right-click on the bus for the popup menu.

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About Radixes and Analog Waveforms

2. Select Waveform Style and then Analog Settings to choose an appropriate drawing
setting.
The digital drawing of the bus converts to an analog format.
You can adjust the height of either an analog waveform or a digital waveform by selecting
and then dragging the rows.
Figure 6-4 shows the Analog Settings dialog box with the settings for analog waveform
drawing.
X-Ref Target - Figure 6-4

Figure 6-4:

Analog Settings Dialog Box

The Analog Settings dialog box options are as follows:

Row Height: Specifies how tall to make the select wave object(s), in pixels. Changing
the row height does not change how much of a waveform is exposed or hidden
vertically, but rather stretches or contracts the height of the waveform.
When switching between Analog and Digital waveform styles, the row height is set to an
appropriate default for the style (20 for digital, 100 for analog).

Y Range: Specifies the range of numeric values to be shown in the waveform area.

Auto: Specifies that the range should continually expand whenever values in the
visible time range of the window are discovered to lie outside the current range.

Fixed: Specifies that the time range is to remain at a constant interval.

Min: Specifies the value displays at the bottom of the waveform area.

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About Radixes and Analog Waveforms

Max: Specifies the value displays at the top.

Both values can be specified as floating point; however, if radix of the wave object
radix is integral, the values are truncated to integers.

Interpolation Style: Specifies how the line connecting data points is to be drawn.

Linear: Specifies a straight line between two data points.

Hold: Specifies that of two data points, a horizontal line is drawn from the left point
to the X-coordinate of the right point, then another line is drawn connecting that
line to the right data point, in an L shape.
Off Scale: Specifies how to draw waveform values that lie outside the Y range of the
waveform area.
Hide: Specifies that outlying values are not shown, such that a waveform that
reaches the upper or lower bound of the waveform area disappears until values are
again within the range.
Clip: Specifies that outlying values be altered so that they are at the top or bottom
of the waveform area, such that a waveform that reaches the upper- or
lower-bound of the waveform area follows the bound as a horizontal line until
values are again within the range.
Overlap: Specifies that the waveform be drawn wherever its values are, even if they
lie outside the bounds of the waveform area and overlap other waveforms, up to
the limits of the wave window itself.

Horizontal Line: Specifies whether to draw a horizontal rule at the given value. If the
check-box is on, a horizontal grid line is drawn at the vertical position of the specified Y
value, if that value is within the Y range of the waveform.
As with Min and Max, the Y value accepts a floating point number but truncates it to an
integer if the radix of the selected wave objects is integral.

IMPORTANT: Analog settings are saved in a wave configuration; however, because control of zooming

in the Y dimension is highly interactive, unlike other wave object properties such as radix, they do not
affect the modification state of the wave configuration. Consequently, zoom settings are not saved with
the wave configuration.

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Zoom Gestures

Zoom Gestures
In addition to the zoom gestures supported for zooming in the X dimension, when over an
analog waveform, additional zoom gestures are available, as shown in Figure 6-5.
X-Ref Target - Figure 6-5

Figure 6-5:

Analog Zoom Options

To invoke a zoom gesture, hold down the left mouse button and drag in the direction
indicated in the diagram, where the starting mouse position is the center of the diagram.
The additional Zoom gestures are as follows:

Zoom Out Y: Zooms out in the Y dimension by a power of 2 determined by how far
away the mouse button is released from the starting point. The zoom is performed
such that the Y value of the starting mouse position remains stationary.

Zoom Y Range: Draws a vertical curtain which specifies the Y range to display when
the mouse is released.

Zoom In Y: Zooms in toward the Y dimension by a power of 2 determined by how far

away the mouse button is released from the starting point.
The zoom is performed such that the Y value of the starting mouse position remains
stationary.

Reset Zoom Y: Resets the Y range to that of the values currently displayed in the wave
window and sets the Y Range mode to Auto.

All zoom gestures in the Y dimension set the Y Range analog settings. Reset Zoom Y sets
the Y Range to Auto, whereas the other gestures set Y Range to Fixed.

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Chapter 7

In-System Serial I/O Debugging Flows

Introduction
The Vivado IDE provides a quick and easy way to generate a design that helps you debug
and verify your system that uses Xilinx 7 Series high-speed gigabit transceiver (GT)
technology. The in-system serial I/O debugging flow has three distinct phases:
1. IBERT Core generation phase: Customizing and generating the IBERT core that best
meets your hardware high-speed serial I/O requirements.
2. IBERT Example Design Generation and Implementation phase: Generating the example
design for the IBERT core generated in the previous step.
3. Serial I/O Analysis phase: Interacting with the IBERT IP contained in the design to debug
and verify issues in your high-speed serial I/O links.
The rest of this chapter will show how to complete the first two phases. The third phase is
covered in the chapter called Debugging the Serial I/O Design in Hardware.

Generating an IBERT Core using the Vivado IP

Catalog
The first phase of getting a suitable hardware design to help debug and validate your
system's high-speed serial I/O interfaces is to generate the IBERT core. The following steps
outline how to do this:
1. Open the Vivado IDE
2. On the first panel, choose Manage IP > New IP Location, then click Next when the
Open IP Catalog wizard appears.
3. Select the desired part, target language, target simulator, and IP location. Click Finish.
4. In the IP Catalog under Debug and Verification > Debug, you will find one or more
available IBERT cores as shown in Figure 7-1, depending on the device selected in the
previous step.

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Generating and Implementing the IBERT Example Design

5. Double-click on the IBERT architecture desire to open the Customize IP Wizard for that
core
Customize the IBERT core for your given hardware system requirements. For details on the
various IBERT cores available, see the following IP Documents: LogiCORE IP IBERT for 7 Series
GTX Transceivers (PG132) [Ref 9], LogiCORE IP IBERT for 7 Series GTP Transceivers (PG133) [Ref 10],
LogiCORE IP IBERT for 7 Series GTH Transceivers (PG152) [Ref 11].

X-Ref Target - Figure 7-1

Figure 7-1:

IP Catalog Showing the IBERT 7 Series GTX Core

Generating and Implementing the IBERT Example

Design
After generating the IBERT IP core, it appears in the Sources window as
"ibert_7series_gtx" or something similar. To generate the example design, right-click

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Generating and Implementing the IBERT Example Design

on the IBERT IP in the Sources window and select Open IP Example Design, then specify
the desired location of the example design project in the resulting dialog window. This
command opens a new Vivado project window for the example design and adds the proper
top-level wrapper and constraints file to the project, as shown in Figure 7-2.
Once the example design is generated, you can implement the IBERT example design
through bitstream creation core by clicking Generate Bitstream in the Program and
Debug section of the Vivado IDE flow navigator or by running the following Tcl commands:
launch_runs impl_1 -to_step write_bitstream
wait_on_run impl_1

6. Refer to the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Design Flows Overview (UG892) [Ref 5] for
more details on the various ways you can implement your design.
X-Ref Target - Figure 7-2

Figure 7-2:

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Chapter 8

Debugging the Serial I/O Design in

Hardware
Introduction
Once you have IBERT core implemented, you can use the run-time serial I/O analyzer
features to debug the design in hardware. Only IBERT cores version v3.x and later can be
accessed using the serial I/O analyzer feature.

Using Vivado Serial I/O Analyzer to Debug the

Design
The Vivado serial I/O analyzer feature is used to interact with IBERT v3.0 debug IP cores that
are in your design. To access the Vivado serial I/O analyzer feature, click the Open
Hardware Session button in the Program and Debug section of the Flow Navigator.
The steps to debug your design in hardware are:
1. Connect to the hardware target and programming the FPGA device with the bit file.
2. Create Links.
3. Modify link settings and examine status.
4. Run scans as needed.

Connecting to the Hardware Target and Programming the FPGA

Device
Programming an FPGA device prior to debugging involves exactly the same steps described
in Using a Vivado Hardware Session to Program an FPGA Device in Chapter 2. After
programming the device with the .bit file that contains the IBERT v3.0 core, the Hardware
window now shows the components of the IBERT core that were detected when scanning
the device (see Figure 8-1).

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Using Vivado Serial I/O Analyzer to Debug the Design

X-Ref Target - Figure 8-1

Figure 8-1:

Hardware Window Showing the IBERT Core

Creating Links and Link Groups

The IBERT core present in the design appears in the Hardware window under the target
device. If you do not see the core appear, right-click on the device and select the Refresh
Hardware command. This re-scans the FPGA device and refreshes the Hardware window.
Note: If you still do not see the IBERT core after programming and/or refreshing the FPGA device,

check to make sure the device was programmed with the appropriate .bit file. Also check to make
sure the implemented design contains an IBERT v3.0 core.

The Vivado serial I/O analyzer feature is built around the concept of links. A link is
analogous to a channel on a board, with a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and
receiver may or may not be the same GT, on the same device, or be the same architecture.
To create one or more links, go to the Links tab in Vivado, and click either the Create Links
button, or right-click and choose Create Links. This causes the Create Links dialog window
to appear, as shown in Figure 8-2.
When an IBERT core is detected, the hardware session will note that there are no links
present, and show a green banner at the top. Click *Create Links* to open the Create Links
dialog window, as shown in Figure 8-2.

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Using Vivado Serial I/O Analyzer to Debug the Design

X-Ref Target - Figure 8-2

Figure 8-2:

Create Links Dialog

Choose a TX and/or an RX from the list available. Or type in a string into the search field to
narrow down the list. Then click the Add (+) button to add the link to the list. Repeat for all
links desired.
IMPORTANT: A given TX or RX endpoint can only belong to one link.

Links can also be a part of a link group. By default, all new links will be grouped together.
You can choose not to add the links to a group by unchecking Create link group check box.
The name of the link group is specified in the Link group description field.

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Using Vivado Serial I/O Analyzer to Debug the Design

Viewing and Changing Links Settings Using the Links Window

Once links have been created, they will be added to the Link view (see Figure 8-3) which is
the primary and best way to change link settings and view status.
X-Ref Target - Figure 8-3

Figure 8-3:

Links Window

Each row in the Links window represents a link. Common and useful status and controls are
enabled by default, so the health of the links can be quickly seen. The various settings that
can be viewed in the Links windows table columns are shown in Table 8-1.

Table 8-1:

Links Window Settings

Link View Column Name

Description

Name

The name of the link

TX

The GT location of the transmitter

RX

The GT location of the receiver

Status

If linked (meaning the incoming RX data as expected). Status will display the
measured line rate. Otherwise, it will display No Link.

Bits

The measured number of bits received.

Errors

The measured number of bit errors by the receiver.

BER

Bit Error Ratio = (1 + Errors) / (Bits).

BERT Reset

Resets the received bits and error counters.

RX Pattern

Selects which pattern the receiver is expecting.

TX Pattern

Selects which pattern the transmitter is sending.

TX Pre-Curser

Selects the pre-curser emphasis on the transmitter.

TX Post-Cursor

Selects the post-cursor emphasis on the transmitter.

TX Diff Swing

Selects the differential swing values for the transmitter.

DFE Enabled

Selects whether the Decision Feedback Equalizer is enabled on the receiver (not
available for all architectures).

Inject Error

Injects a single bit error into the transmit path.

TX Reset

Resets the transmitter.

RX Reset

Resets the receiver and BERT counters (see BERT Reset).

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Table 8-1:

Links Window Settings

Link View Column Name

Description

Loopback Mode

Selects the loopback mode on the receiver GT.

Warning: Changing this value might effect the link status depending on the
system topology.

Termination Voltage

Selects the termination voltage of the receiver.

RX Common Mode

Selects the RX Commn Mode setting of the receiver.

TXUSERCLK Freq

Shows the measured TXUSERCLK frequency in MHz.

TXUSERCLK2 Freq

Shows the measured TXUSERCLK2 frequency in MHz.

RXUSERCLK Freq

Shows the measured RXUSERCLK frequency in MHz.

RXUSERCLK2 Freq

Shows the measured RXUSERCLK2 frequency in MHz.

TX Polarity Invert

Inverts the polarity of the transmitted data.

RX Polarity Invert

Inverts the polarity of the received data.

It is possible to change the values of a given property for all links in a link group by
changing the setting in the link group row. For instance, changing the TX Pattern to "PRBS
7-bit" in the "Link Group 0" row will change the TX Pattern of all the links to "PRBS 7-bit". If
not all the links in the group have the same setting, "Multiple" will appear for that column
in the link group row.

Creating and Running Link Scans

To analyze the margin of a given link, it is often helpful to run a scan of the link using the
specialized Eye Scan hardware of the Xilinx 7 Series FPGA transceivers. The Vivado serial I/O
analyzer feature enables you to define, run, save, and recall link scans.
A scan runs on a link. To create a scan, select a link in the Link window, and either right-click
and choose Create Scan, or click the Create Scan button in the Link window toolbar. This
will bring up the Create Scan dialog (see Figure 8-4). The Create Scan dialog shows the
settings for performing a scan, as shown in Table 8-2.

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X-Ref Target - Figure 8-4

Figure 8-4:

Table 8-2:

Create Scan Dialog

Scan Settings

Scan Setting

Description

Description

A user-defined name for the scan.

Scan Type

The type of scan to run.

Horizontal Increment

Allows the user to choose to scan the eye at a reduced resolution, but at
increased speed by skipping horizontal codes.

Horizontal Range

Reducing the horizontal range increases the scan speed. By default, the entire
eye is scanned (-1/2 of a unit interval to +1/2 in reference to the center of the
eye).

Vertical Increment

Allows the user to choose to scan the eye at a reduced resolution, but increased
speed by skipping vertical codes.

Vertical Range

Reducing the vertical range increases the scan speed. By default, the entire eye
is scanned.

Dwell BER

Each point in the chart is scanned for a certain amount of time. Dwell BER allows
the user to choose the scan depth by selecting the desired Bit Error Ratio.

Dwell Time

Dwell Time allows the user to choose the scan depth by inputting the desired
time in seconds.

By default, the scan is run after it is created. If you do not want to run the scan, and only
define it, uncheck the Run Scan checkbox.
If a scan is created, but not run, it can be subsequently run or run by right-clicking on a scan
in the Scans window and choosing Run Scan (see Figure 8-5). While a scan is running, it can
be prematurely stopped by right-clicking on a scan and choosing Stop Scan, or clicking the
Stop Scan button in the Scans window toolbar.

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X-Ref Target - Figure 8-5

Figure 8-5:

Scans Window

Displaying and Navigating the Scan Plots

After a scan is created, it will automatically launch the Scan Plots window for that scan. For
2D Eyescan, the plot is a heat map of the BER value.

X-Ref Target - Figure 8-6

Figure 8-6:

Scan Plot Window

As in other charts and displays within the Vivado IDE, the mouse gestures for zooming in
the eye scan plot window are as follows:

Zoom Area: left-click drag from top-left to bottom-right

Zoom Fit: left-click drag from bottom-right to top-left

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Zoom In: left-click drag from top-right to bottom-left

Zoom Out: left-click drag from bottom-left to top-right

Also, when the mouse cursor is over the Plot, the current horizontal and vertical codes,
along with the scanned BER value is displayed in the tooltip. You can also change the plot
type by clicking the *Plot Type* button in the plot window, and choosing Show Contour
(filled), Show Contour (lines), and Heat Map.
A summary view is present at the bottom of the scan plot, stating the scan settings, along
with basic information like when the scan was performed. During the 2D Eyescan, the
number of pixels in the scan with zero errors is calculated (taking into account the
horizontal and vertical increments), and this result is displayed as Open Area. The *Scan*
window contents are sorted by Open Area by default, so the scans with the largest open
area appear at the top.

Writing the Scan Results to a File

When scan data exists due to a partial or full 2D Eyescan, these results can be written to a
CSV file by clicking the Write Scan button in the Scans Window. This saves the scan results
to comma-delimited file, with the BER values in a block that replicated the scan plot.

Properties Window
Whenever a GT or a COMMON block in the hardware window, a Link in the Links window,
or a scan in the Scans window is selected, the properties of that object will show in the
Properties window. For GTs and COMMONs, these will include all the attribute, port, and
other settings of those objects. These settings can be changed in the Properties window
(see Figure 8-7), or by writing Tcl commands to change and commit the properties. Some
properties are read-only and cannot be changed.

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X-Ref Target - Figure 8-7

Figure 8-7:

Properties Window

Description of Serial I/O Analyzer Tcl Objects and Commands

You can use Tcl commands to interact with your hardware under test. The hardware is
organized in a set of hierarchical first class Tcl objects (see Table 8-3).

Table 8-3:

Serial I/O Analyzer Tcl Objects

Tcl Object

Description

hw_sio_ibert

Object referring to an IBERT core. Each IBERT object can have one or more
hw_sio_gt, or hw_sio_common objects associated with it.

hw_sio_gt

Object referring to a single Xilinx Gigabit Transceiver (GT).

hw_sio_gtgroups

Object referring to a logical grouping of gts, could be a Quad or an Octal.

hw_sio_common

Object referring to a COMMON block.

hw_sio_tx

Object referring to the transmitter side of a hw_sio_gt. Only the TX related

ports, attributes, and logic properties will flow to the hw_sio_tx.

hw_sio_rx

Object referring to the receiver side of a hw_sio_gt. Only the RX related ports,
attributes, and logic properties will flow to the hw_sio_rx.

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Table 8-3:

Serial I/O Analyzer Tcl Objects

Tcl Object

Description

hw_sio_pll

Object referring to a PLL in either an hw_sio_gt or an hw_sio_common object.

Only the related ports, attributes, and logic properties will flow to the
hw_sio_pll.

hw_sio_link

Object referring to a link, a TX-RX pair.

Note: A link can also consist of a TX only or an RX only.

hw_sio_linkgroup

Object referring to a group of links.

hw_sio_scan

Object referring to a margin analysis scan.

For more information about the hardware session commands, run the help -category
hardware Tcl command in the Tcl Console.

Description of Tcl Commands to Access Hardware

Table 8-4 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with the IBERT core.
IMPORTANT: Using the get_property or set_property command does not read or write information

to/from the IBERT core. You must use the refresh_hw_sio and commit_hw_sio commands to read and
write information from/to the hardware, respectively.

Table 8-4:

Descriptions of hw_server Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

refresh_hw_sio

Read the property values out of the provided object. Works for any hw_sio
object that refers to hardware.

commit_hw_sio

Writes property changes to the hardware. Works for any hw_sio object that
refers to hardware.

Description of hw_sio_link Tcl Commands

Table 8-5 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with links.

Table 8-5:

Descriptions of hw_sio_link Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

create_hw_sio_link

Create an hw_sio_link object with the given hw_sio_rx and/or hw_sio_tx objects.

remove_hw_sio_link

Deletes the given link.

get_hw_sio_links

Get list of hw_sio_links for the given object.

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Description of hw_sio_linkgroup Tcl Commands

Table 8-6 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with linkgroups.

Table 8-6:

Descriptions of hw_sio_linkgroup Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

create_hw_sio_linkgroup

Create an hw_sio_linkgroup object with the hw_sio_link objects.

remove_hw_sio_linkgroup

Deletes the given linkgroup.

get_hw_sio_linkgroups

Get list of hw_sio_linkgroups for the given object.

Description of hw_sio_scan Tcl Commands

Table 8-7 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to interact with scans.

Table 8-7:

Descriptions of hw_sio_scan Tcl Commands

Tcl Command

Description

create_hw_sio_scan

Creates a scan object.

remove_hw_sio_scan

Deletes a scan object.

run_hw_sio_scan

Runs a scan.

stop_hw_sio_scan

Stops a scan.

wait_on_hw_sio_scan

Blocks the Tcl console prompt until a given run_hw_sio_scan operation is

complete.

display_hw_sio_scan

Displays a partial or complete scan in the Scan Plot.

write_hw_sio_scan

Writes the scan data to a file.

read_hw_sio_scan

Reads scan data from a file into a scan object.

get_hw_sio_scans

Get a list of hw_sio_scan objects.

Description of Tcl Commands to Get Objects

Table 8-8 contains descriptions of all Tcl commands used to get serial I/O objects.

Table 8-8:

Descriptions of Tcl Commands to Get Objects

Tcl Command

Description

get_hw_sio_iberts

Get list of IBERT objects.

get_hw_sio_gts

Get list of GTs.

get_hw_sio_commons

Get list of COMMON blocks.

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Table 8-8:

Descriptions of Tcl Commands to Get Objects

Tcl Command

Description

get_hw_sio_txs

Get list of transmitters.

get_hw_sio_rxs

Get list of receivers.

get_hw_sio_plls

Get list of PLLs.

get_hw_sio_links

Get list of links.

get_hw_sio_linkgroups

Get list of linkgroups.

get_hw_sio_scans

Get list of scans.

Using Hardware Session Tcl Commands

Below is an example Tcl command script that interacts with the following example system

One KC705 board's Digilent JTAG-SMT1 cable (serial number 12345) accessible via a
CSE server running on localhost:50001

Single IBERT core in a design running in the XC7K325T device on the KC705 board

IBERT core has Quad 117 and Quad 118 enabled

Example Tcl Command Script

# Connect to the Digilent Cable on localhost:50001
connect_hw_server -host localhost -port 50001
current_hw_target [get_hw_targets */digilent_plugin/SN:12345]
open_hw_target
# Program and Refresh the XC7K325T Device
current_hw_device [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
refresh_hw_device -update_hw_probes false [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
set_property PROGRAM.FILE {C:/design.bit} [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
program_hw_devices [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
refresh_hw_device [lindex [get_hw_devices] 0]
# Set Up Link on first GT
set tx0 [lindex [get_hw_sio_txs] 0]
set rx0 [lindex [get_hw_sio_rxs] 0]
set link0 [create_hw_sio_link $tx0 $rx0]
set_property DESCRIPTION {Link 0} [get_hw_sio_links $link0]
# Set link to use PCS Loopback, and write to hardware
set_property LOOPBACK "Near-End PCS" $link0
commit_hw_sio $link0
# Create, run, display and save scan
set scan0 [create_hw_sio_scan 2d_full_eye [get_hw_sio_rxs -of $link0]]
run_hw_sio_scan $scan0
display_hw_sio_scan $scan0
write_hw_sio_scan "scan0.csv" $scan0

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Appendix A

Device Configuration Bitstream Settings

This table describes all of the device configuration settings available for use with the
set_property <Bitstream Setting> <Value> [current_design] Vivado tool
Tcl command.
Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings
Default
Value

Settings

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.BPI_
1ST_READ_CYCLE

1, 2, 3, 4

Helps synchronize BPI configuration with the timing

of page mode operations in Flash devices. It allows
you to set the cycle number for a valid read of the
first page. The BPI_page_size must be set to 4 or 8 for
this option to be available.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.BPI_
PAGE_SIZE

1, 4, 8

For BPI configuration, this sub-option lets you specify

the page size which corresponds to the number of
reads required per page of Flash memory.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.BPI_
SYNC_MODE

Disable

Disable,
Type1,
Type2

Sets the BPI synchronous configuration mode for

different types of BPI flash devices.
Disable (the default) disables the synchronous
configuration mode.
Type1 enables the synchronous configuration
mode and settings to support the Micron G18(F)
family.
Type2 enables the synchronous configuration
mode and settings to support the Micron
(Numonyx) P30 family.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
CCLKPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pullnone

Adds an internal pull-up to the Cclk pin. The Pullnone

setting disables the pullup.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
CONFIGFALLBACK

Disable

Disable,
Enable

Enables or disables the loading of a default bitstream

when a configuration attempt fails.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
CONFIGRATE

3, 6, 9, 12,
16, 22, 26,
33, 40, 50,
66

Bitstream generation uses an internal oscillator to

generate the configuration clock, Cclk, when
configuring is in a master mode. Use this sub-option
to select the rate for Cclk.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
DCIUPDATEMODE

AsRequired

AsRequired,
Continuous,
Quiet

Controls how often the Digitally Controlled

Impedance circuit attempts to update the impedance
match for DCI IOSTANDARDs.

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Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings (Contd)

Settings

Default
Value

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
DONEPIN

Pullup

Pullup
Pullnone

Adds an internal pull-up to the DONE pin. The

Pullnone setting disables the pullup. Use DonePin
only if you intend to connect an external pull-up
resistor to this pin. The internal pull-up resistor is
automatically connected if you do not use DonePin.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
EXTMASTERCCLK_EN

Disable

Disable,
div-8, div-4,
div-2, div-1

Allows an external clock to be used as the

configuration clock for all master modes. The
external clock must be connected to the
dual-purpose USERCCLK pin.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
INITPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pullnone

Specifies whether you want to add a Pullup resistor

to the INIT pin, or leave the INIT pin floating.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
INITSIGNALSERROR

Enable

Enable,
Disable

When Enabled the init_b pin is not set to 0 when CFG

error is detected.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
M0PIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds an internal pull-up, pull-down, or neither to the

M0 pin. Select Pullnone to disable both the pull-up
resistor and the pull-down resistor on the M0 pin.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
M1PIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds an internal pull-up, pull-down, or neither to the

M1 pin. Select Pullnone to disable both the pull-up
resistor and the pull-down resistor on the M1 pin.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
M2PIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds an internal pull-up, pull-down, or neither to the

M2 pin. Select Pullnone to disable both the pull-up
resistor and the pull-down resistor on the M2 pin.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
NEXT_CONFIG_ADDR

none

<string>

Sets the starting address for the next configuration in

a MultiBoot setup, which is stored in the General1
and General2 registers.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
NEXT_CONFIG_REBOOT

Enable

Enable,
Disable

When set to Disable the IPROG command is removed

from the bitfile.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
OVERTEMPPOWERDOWN

Disable

Disable,
Enable

Enables the device to shut down when the system

monitor detects a temperature beyond the
acceptable operational maximum. An external
circuitry setup for the System Monitor is required to
use this option.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
PERSIST

No

No, Yes,
CTLReg, X1,
X8, X16,
X32, SPI1,
SPI2, SPI4,
BPI8, BPI

Prohibits use of the SelectMAP mode pins for use as

user I/O. Refer to the data sheet for a description of
SelectMAP mode and the associated pins. Persist is
needed for Readback and Partial Reconfiguration
using the SelectMAP configuration pins, and should
be used when either SelectMAP or Serial modes are
used. Only the SelectMAP pins are affected, but this
option should be used for access to config pins
(other than JTAG) after configuration.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
PROGPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pullnone

Adds an internal pull-up to the ProgPin pin. The

Pullnone setting disables the pullup. The pullup
affects the pin after configuration.

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Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings (Contd)

Default
Value

Settings

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
REVISIONSELECT

00

00, 01, 10,

11

Specifies the internal value of the RS[1:0] settings in

the Warm Boot Start Address (WBSTAR) register for
the next warm boot.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
REVISIONSELECT_
TRISTATE

Disable

Disable,
Enable

Specifies the whether the RS[1:0] tristate is enabled

by setting the option in the Warm Boot Start Address
(WBSTAR).

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
SELECTMAPABORT

Enable

Enable,
Disable

Enables or disables the SelectMAP mode Abort

sequence. If disabled, an Abort sequence on the
device pins is ignored.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
SPI_32BIT_ADDR

No

No, Yes

Enables SPI 32-bit address style, which is required for

SPI devices with storage of 256 Mb and larger.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
SPI_BUSWIDTH

1, 2, 4

Sets the SPI bus to Dual (x2) or Quad (x4) mode for
Master SPI configuration from third party SPI Flash
devices.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
SPI_FALL_EDGE

No

No, Yes

Sets the FPGA to use a falling edge clock for SPI data
capture. This improves timing margins and may allow
faster clock rates for configuration.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
TCKPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds a pull-up, a pull-down, or neither to the TCK

pin, the JTAG test clock. The Pullnone setting shows
that there is no connection to either the pull-up or
the pull-down.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
TDIPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds a pull-up, a pull-down, or neither to the TDI pin,

the serial data input to all JTAG instructions and JTAG
registers. The Pullnone setting shows that there is no
connection to either the pull-up or the pull-down.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
TDOPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds a pull-up, a pull-down, or neither to the TdoPin

pin, the serial data output for all JTAG instruction and
data registers. The Pullnone setting shows that there
is no connection to either the pull-up or the
pull-down.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
TIMER_CFG

none

<8-digit
hex string>

Sets the value of the Watchdog Timer in

Configuration mode. This option cannot be used at
the same time as TIMER_USR.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
TIMER_USR

0x00000000

<8-digit
hex string>

Sets the value of the Watchdog Timer in User mode.

This option cannot be used at the same time as
TIMER_CFG.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
TMSPIN

Pullup

Pullup,
Pulldown,
Pullnone

Adds a pull-up, pull-down, or neither to the TMS pin,

the mode input signal to the TAP controller. The TAP
controller provides the control logic for JTAG. The
Pullnone setting shows that there is no connection to
either the pull-up or the pull-down.

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Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings (Contd)

Settings

Default
Value

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
UNUSEDPIN

Pulldown

Pulldown,
Pullup,
Pullnone

Adds a pull-up, a pull-down, or neither to unused

SelectIO pins (IOBs). It has no effect on dedicated
configuration pins. The list of dedicated
configuration pins varies depending upon the
architecture. The Pullnone setting shows that there is
no connection to either the pull-up or the pull-down.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
USERID

0xFFFFFFFF

<8-digit
hex string>

Used to identify implementation revisions. You can

enter up to an 8-digit hexadecimal string in the User
ID register.

BITSTREAM.CONFIG.
USR_ACCESS

None

none,
<8-digit
hex string>,
TIMESTAMP

Writes an 8-digit hexadecimal string, or a timestamp

into the AXSS configuration register. The format of
the timestamp value is ddddd MMMM yyyyyy hhhhh
mmmmmm ssssss : day, month, year (year 2000 =
00000), hour, minute, seconds. The contents of this
register may be directly accessed by the FPGA fabric
via the USR_ACCESS primitive.

BITSTREAM.ENCRYPTION.
ENCRYPT

No

No Yes

Encrypts the bitstream.

BITSTREAM.ENCRYPTION.
ENCRYPTKEYSELECT

bbram

bbram,
efuse

Determines the location of the AES encryption key to

be used, either from the battery-backed RAM
(BBRAM) or the eFUSE register.
Note: This property is only available when the
Encrypt option is set to True.

BITSTREAM.ENCRYPTION.
HKEY

Pick

Pick, <hex
string>

HKey sets the HMAC authentication key for bitstream

encryption. 7 series devices have an on-chip
bitstream-keyed Hash Message Authentication Code
(HMAC) algorithm implemented in hardware to
provide additional security beyond AES decryption
alone. These devices require both AES and HMAC
keys to load, modify, intercept, or clone the
bitstream.
The pick setting tells the bitstream generator to
select a random number for the value. To use this
option, you must first set Encrypt to Yes

BITSTREAM.ENCRYPTION.
KEY0

Pick

Pick, <hex
string>

Key0 sets the AES encryption key for bitstream

encryption. The pick setting tells the bitstream
generator to select a random number for the value.
To use this option, you must first set Encrypt to Yes.

BITSTREAM.ENCRYPTION.
KEYFILE

none

<string>

Specifies the name of the input encryption file (with

a .nky file extension). To use this option, you must
first set Encrypt to Yes.

BITSTREAM.ENCRYPTION.
STARTCBC

Pick

Pick,
<32-bit hex
string>

Sets the starting cipher block chaining (CBC) value.

The pick setting enables selection of a random
number for the value.

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Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings (Contd)

Settings

Default
Value

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.GENERAL.
COMPRESS

False

True, False

Uses the multiple frame write feature in the bitstream

to reduce the size of the bitstream, not just the
Bitstream (.bit) file. Using Compress does not
guarantee that the size of the bitstream shrinks.

BITSTREAM.GENERAL.
CRC

Enable

Enable,
Disable

Controls the generation of a Cyclic Redundancy

Check (CRC) value in the bitstream. When enabled, a
unique CRC value is calculated based on bitstream
contents. If the calculated CRC value does not match
the CRC value in the bitstream, the device will fail to
configure. When CRC is disabled a constant value is
inserted in the bitstream in place of the CRC, and the
device does not calculate a CRC.

BITSTREAM.GENERAL.
DEBUGBITSTREAM

No

No, Yes

Lets you create a debug bitstream. A debug

bitstream is significantly larger than a standard
bitstream. DebugBitstream can be used only for
master and slave serial configurations.
DebugBitstream is not valid for Boundary Scan or
Slave Parallel/SelectMAP. In addition to a standard
bitstream, a debug bitstream offers the following
features:
Writes 32 0s to the LOUT register after the
synchronization word.
Loads each frame individually.
Performs a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) after
each frame.
Writes the frame address to the LOUT register after
each frame.

BITSTREAM.GENERAL.
DISABLE_JTAG

No

No, Yes

Disables communication to the Boundary Scan

(BSCAN) block via JTAG after configuration.

BITSTREAM.GENERAL.
JTAG_XADC

Enable

Enable,
Disable,
StatusOnly

Enables or disables the JTAG connection to the XADC.

BITSTREAM.GENERAL.
XADCENHANCEDLINEARITY

Off

Off, On

Disables some built-in digital calibration features

that make INL look worse than the actual analog
performance.

BITSTREAM.READBACK.
ACTIVERECONFIG

No

No, Yes

Prevents the assertions of GHIGH and GSR during

configuration. This is required for the active partial
reconfiguration enhancement features.

BITSTREAM.READBACK.
ICAP_SELECT

Auto

Auto, Top,
Bottom

Selects between the top and bottom ICAP ports.

BITSTREAM.READBACK.
READBACK

False

True, False

Lets you perform the Readback function by creating

the necessary readback files.

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Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings (Contd)

Default
Value

Settings

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.READBACK.
SECURITY

None

None,
Level1,
Level2

Specifies whether to disable Readback and

Reconfiguration.
Note: Specifying Security Level1 disables Readback.
Specifying Security Level2 disables Readback and
Reconfiguration.

BITSTREAM.READBACK.
XADCPARTIALRECONFIG

Disable

Disable,
Enable

When Disabled XADC can work continuously during

Partial Reconfiguration. When Enabled XADC works
in Safe mode during partial reconfiguration.

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
DONEPIPE

Yes

Yes, No

Tells the FPGA device to wait on the CFG_DONE

(DONE) pin to go High and then wait or the first clock
edge before moving to the Done state.

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
DONE_CYCLE

4, 1, 2, 3, 5,
6, Keep

Selects the Startup phase that activates the FPGA

Done signal. Done is delayed when DonePipe=Yes.

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
GTS_CYCLE

5, 1, 2, 3, 4,
6, Done,
Keep

Selects the Startup phase that releases the internal

tristate control to the I/O buffers.

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
GWE_CYCLE

6, 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, Done,
Keep

Selects the Startup phase that asserts the internal

write enable to flip-flops, LUT RAMs, and shift
registers. GWE_cycle also enables the BRAMS. Before
the Startup phase, both BRAM writing and reading
are disabled.

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
LCK_CYCLE

NoWait

NoWait, 0,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6

Selects the Startup phase to wait until

DLLs/DCMs/PLLs lock. If you select NoWait, the
Startup sequence does not wait for DLLs/DCMs/PLLs
to lock.

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Table A-1:

Bitstream Settings (Contd)

Settings

Default
Value

Possible
Values

Description

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
MATCH_CYCLE

Auto

Auto,
NoWait, 0,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6

Specifies a stall in the Startup cycle until digitally

controlled impedance (DCI) match signals are
asserted. DCI matching does not begin on the
Match_cycle that was set in BitGen. The Startup
sequence waits in this cycle until DCI has matched.
Given that there are a number of variables in
determining how long it takes DCI to match, the
number of CCLK cycles required to complete the
Startup sequence may vary in any given system.
Ideally, the configuration solution should continue
driving CCLK until DONE goes high.
Note: When the Auto setting is specified,
write_bitstream searches the design for any DCI I/O
standards. If DCI standards exist, write_bitstream
uses BITSTREAM.STARTUP.MATCH_CYCLE=2.
Otherwise, write_bitstream uses
BITSTREAM.STARTUP.MATCH_CYCLE=NoWait.

BITSTREAM.STARTUP.
STARTUPCLK

Cclk

Cclk,
UserClk,
JtagClk

The StartupClk sequence following the configuration

of a device can be synchronized to either Cclk, a User
Clock, or the JTAG Clock. The default is Cclk.
Cclk lets you synchronize to an internal clock
provided in the FPGA device.
UserClk lets you synchronize to a user-defined
signal connected to the CLK pin of the STARTUP
symbol.
JtagClk lets you synchronize to the clock provided
by JTAG. This clock sequences the TAP controller
which provides the control logic for JTAG.

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Appendix B

Additional Resources
Xilinx Resources
For support resources such as Answers, Documentation, Downloads, and Forums, see the
Xilinx Support website at:
www.xilinx.com/support.
For a glossary of technical terms used in Xilinx documentation, see:
www.xilinx.com/company/terms.htm.

Solution Centers
See the Xilinx Solution Centers for support on devices, software tools, and intellectual
property at all stages of the design cycle. Topics include design assistance, advisories, and
troubleshooting tips.

References
These documents provide supplemental material useful with this guide:
Vivado Design Suite 2013.2 Documentation
(http://www.xilinx.com/cgi-bin/docs/rdoc?v=2013.2;t=vivado+docs)
1. Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Logic Simulation (UG900)
2. Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Synthesis (UG901)
3. Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Implementation (UG904)
4. Vivado Design Suite: Release Notes, Installation and Licensing (UG973)
5. Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Design Flows Overview (UG892)

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References
ISE Design Suite 14.6 Documentation
6. iMPACT Help
(http://www.xilinx.com/cgi-bin/docs/rdoc?l=en;v=14.6;d=isehelp_start.htm;a=pim_c_ov
erview.htm)
Xilinx IP Documentation
7. LogiCORE IP ChipScope Pro Integrated Logic Analyzer (ILA) (v2) Datasheet (DS875)
8. LogiCORE IP Virtual Input/Output (VIO) v2.0 Product Guide (PG159)
9. LogiCORE IP IBERT for 7 Series GTX Transceivers (PG132)
10. LogiCORE IP IBERT for 7 Series GTP Transceivers (PG133)
11. LogiCORE IP IBERT for 7 Series GTH Transceivers (PG152)

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