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Building a Linux distribution for the UNISIM Virtex 5 FXT Simulator

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This is a deprecated content.
An up-to-date version of it is here

The UNISIM Virtex 5 FXT Simulator can easily run a minimalist Linux distribution for a Xilinx Virtex-5 FXT development board. We propose you to build a mini Linux distribution based on Busybox and including the MiBench version 1 benchmark suite.

1. What you get after the build ?

You get a mini Linux Distribution adapted for the UNISIM Virtex 5 FXT Simulator. The distribution is based on Busybox and the MiBench version 1 benchmark suite. At least four files are needed to boot Linux in the simulator:
  • A boot program (PPC440 startup):
    boot.elf
  • A Linux kernel:
    vmlinux
  • A device tree (a machine description for Linux):
    device-tree-16m.dtb
    device-tree-32m.dtb
    device-tree-64m.dtb
  • An initial RAM disk image (a root file system):
    initrd.img
    initrd_automotive_basicmath_large.img
    initrd_automotive_basicmath_small.img
    initrd_automotive_bitcount_large.img
    initrd_automotive_bitcount_small.img
    initrd_automotive_qsort_large.img
    initrd_automotive_qsort_small.img
    initrd_automotive_susan_large.img
    initrd_automotive_susan_small.img
    initrd_consumer_jpeg_large.img
    initrd_consumer_jpeg_small.img
    initrd_consumer_lame_large.img
    initrd_consumer_lame_small.img
    initrd_consumer_typeset_large.img
    initrd_consumer_typeset_small.img
    initrd_network_dijkstra_large.img
    initrd_network_dijkstra_small.img
    initrd_network_patricia_large.img
    initrd_network_patricia_small.img
    initrd_office_ghostscript_large.img
    initrd_office_ghostscript_small.img
    initrd_office_ispell_large.img
    initrd_office_ispell_small.img
    initrd_office_rsynth_large.img
    initrd_office_rsynth_small.img
    initrd_office_stringsearch_large.img
    initrd_office_stringsearch_small.img
    initrd_security_blowfish_large.img
    initrd_security_blowfish_small.img
    initrd_security_pgp.img
    initrd_security_rijndael_large.img
    initrd_security_rijndael_small.img
    initrd_security_sha_large.img
    initrd_security_sha_small.img
    initrd_telecomm_adpcm_large.img
    initrd_telecomm_adpcm_small.img
    initrd_telecomm_crc32_large.img
    initrd_telecomm_crc32_small.img
    initrd_telecomm_fft_large.img
    initrd_telecomm_fft_small.img
    initrd_telecomm_gsm_large.img
    initrd_telecomm_gsm_small.img

2. Requirements

  • A Linux host machine with the sudo rights
  • A GNU cross tool-chain: follow the instructions here
  • Binaries and data sets of the MiBench version 1 benchmark suite: download
  • make 3.82 (may not work with make 3.81)

3. Get the material

Download that tarball. It contains all the necessary material (scripts and source codes) to get a mini Linux distro for the UNISIM Virtex 5 FXT Simulator.

4. Uncompress the tarball

$ tar zxvf unisim-virtex5fxt-linux-distro-source-v4.tar.gz

5. Build the Linux distribution

Run the building script:
$ cd unisim-virtex5fxt-linux-distro-source-v4
$ ./build.sh all ${HOME}/mibench-v1-bin-powerpc-7450-linux-gnu-v4 ${HOME}/crosstool-source-v3/powerpc-440fp-linux-gnu

Adjust the arguments of the building script to your cross tool-chain and MiBench installations. Be patient...the process of building the Linux distribution is quite long.

6. Check your distro build/simulator build (optional regression test)

Run the checking script:
$ cd unisim-virtex5fxt-linux-distro-source-v4
$ ./check.sh ${HOME}/unisim-virtex5fxt-1.0beta11/virtex5fxt/bin/unisim-virtex5fxt-wfpu-1.0beta11 1234

Archive

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Virtual Platforms

Highlights

Acknowledgments

Digiteo
We would like to thank Digiteo that supported us in making the UNISIM virtual platforms available to the community.

Exhibition

HiPEAC
We presented a poster at the poster sessions of the HiPEAC'12 conference, January 23-25, 2012, Paris, France. The HiPEAC conference provides a forum for experts in computer architecture, programming models, compilers, and operating systems for embedded and general-purpose systems. The conference aims at the dissemination of advanced scientific knowledge and the promotion of international contacts among scientists from academia and industry.

On-going evaluation

OPEES
A UNISIM virtual platform of a Xilinx Virtex-5 FXT is being evaluated by project partners in the context of OPEES (Open Platform for the Engineering of Embedded Systems), a European project that aims to ensure long-term availability of critical / embedded systems engineering technologies to secure industry competitiveness and development.