Clément Foucher

ZedBoard development

Introduction

The ZedBoard development platform includes a Xilinx Zynq FPGA coupled with many base peripherals required for testing systems (DDR, Ethernet communication, etc.)

As I use it as a base development platform, I generally install an Embedded Linux that will run on the ARM Cortex A9 dual-core embedded in the Zynq chip. Using this, it is possible to communicate with the board using SSH communication. This software part is then able to manage the reconfigurable fabric of the FPGA and hardware modules instantiated on it.

ZedBoard Embedded Linux Building Guide

As I frequently build Linux kernels and related software elements for this platform, I designed scripts to automate compilation of Linux kernel, boot loader, and all other base software required to boot the board.

From there, I wrote a guide describing the whole build operation from scratch to a running Embedded Linux system. This guide is not intended to address each and every need you could have in building such a system. It rather presents a step-by-step way of buiding a basic system if you have unfamiliar with the process. From there, I expect you will be able to build your own customized system after reading this guide.

Moreover, I provide scripts along with this documentation that can automate the building process. You can use scripts to hide the process details, or use them as a base to write your own scripts automating your system building.

Latest version of the guide specifically targets Vivado 2016.4. For any other Vivado versions, you will be unable to use the scripts: just follow the manual procedure by adapting to your Vivado version. Adaptation will require some knowledge of tools (such as git to check which tag to use), but should otherwise be quite easy.

Do not hesitate to contact me for any help, or to provide feedback on potential issues you may encounter.