MCS File Generation and Alveo Card Programming - MCS File Generation and Alveo Card Programming - UG1289

Alveo U200 and U250 Accelerator Cards User Guide (UG1289)
Document ID
UG1289
Release Date
2023-06-13
Revision
1.1 English

This section outlines the steps to generate and program the MCS file.

MCS File Generation

The MCS file represents the PROM image which is loaded onto the Alveo accelerator card at power on. It is generated using the write_cfgmem tool. This section outlines the steps to generate and program the MCS file.

Prior to generating the MCS file, ensure your project XDC file sets the following properties.

  • CONFIG_VOLTAGE
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.CONFIGFALLBACK
  • BITSTREAM.GENERAL.COMPRESS
  • CONFIG_MODE
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.SPI_BUSWIDTH
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.CONFIGRATE
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.EXTMASTERCCLK_EN
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.SPI_FALL_EDGE
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.UNUSEDPIN
  • BITSTREAM.CONFIG.SPI_32BIT_ADDR

Use the following command with the parameters outlined in Table 1 to generate the MCS file.

write_cfgmem -force -format mcs -interface <interface_type> -size <size> -loadbit "up <user_config_region_offset> <input_file.bit>" -file "<output_file.mcs>"
Table 1. write_cfgmem Parameter Settings
write_cfgmem Parameter Setting
interface_type spix4
size 128
user_config_region_offset 1 0x01002000
input_file.bit Filename of the input .bit file
output_file.mcs MCS output filename
  1. Address 0x00000000 through 0x01001FFF is a write protected region which holds the card's golden recovery image and cannot be written to. The user_config_region_offset setting cannot be within this range.

For additional details on write_cfgmem, see the UltraScale Architecture Configuration User Guide (UG570).

Program the Alveo Data Center accelerator card

After the MCS file has been generated, use the following steps to flash the FPGA on the Alveo Data Center accelerator card using the Vivado hardware manager. Detailed steps for programming the FPGA are outlined in the chapter Programming the FPGA Device in the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Programming and Debugging (UG908).

Recommended: Programming through JTAG maintenance port must be from a separate machine to avoid PCIe downlink causing the server to reboot during programming. Alternatively, the PCIe link can be manually disabled through software and rescanned after programming is complete.
  1. Connect to the Alveo U200/U250 data center accelerator card using the Vivado hardware manager via the Micro-USB port.
  2. Select Add Configuration Device and select the mt25qu01g-spi-x1_x2_x4 part.
  3. Select OK when prompted "Do you want to program the configuration memory device now?" or right-click the target to select Program the Configuration Memory Device.
    1. Select the MCS file target.
    2. Select Configuration File Only.
    3. Click OK.
  4. After programming has completed, disconnect the card in the hardware manager, and disconnect the JTAG programming cable from the Alveo accelerator card.
  5. Perform a cold reboot on the host machine to complete the card update.
Important: When switching between an Alveo data center accelerator card target platform and a custom design, revert the card to the factory image before loading an alternate image into the PROM. See Answer Record 71757 for more information.