Best Vivado license option on Zedboards

[cvtabc]

Hello

I want to buy a Zedboard to evaluate to possibly replacing our existing embedded computer solution (Kontron ETX computer module on a baseboard) with a ZYNQ 7000 based solution. I work at a research institute with a very strong mandate to train students. We will probably put a student on this job to investigate, so we might be able to qualify for the Academic edition of the Zedboard. My question is related to the licenses (vouchers)  that come bundled with the zedboards by the various resellers. 

 

1. On the zedboard.org site http://zedboard.org/sites/default/files/product_briefs/PB-AES-Z7EV-7Z020_G-v12.pdf    they state:

      A. (AES-Z7EV-7Z020-G)    ZedBoard Commercial Edition (Available Exclusively from Avnet)

      I have contacted local Avnet rep which stated that this board comes with the Vivado HL Design edition node lock licence valid for 1 year.

      B. (ZEDBOARD)                ZedBoard Academic Edition (Available Exclusively from Digilent) 

       I have contacted digilent which indicate that this board comes with a node locked SDSoC licence valid for 1 year.

2. Looking at other suppliers like Digikey and Mouser (http://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=ZEDBOARD) you find -when searching the datasheet- that they provide a voucher for Chipscope licence only. You use webpack with these boards.

Now I know that Vivado Webpack should be enough but I want to maximize value by purchasing the most valuable license for our particular application. I would want the student to have maximum flexibility. I think elements that are important are.

1. Good simulation and debugging capabilities i.e. embedded logic analyser, chipscope and a version of ISIM with more features than that shipped with webpack.

2. Good tools for C/C++ software development. We would be looking at integrating EPICS in our solutions.

3. Also access to more IP cores not available in Webpack would also be interesting to evaluate. We would be looking at integrating EtherCAT into our solutions.

4. It would also be nice to do High Level synthesis work (HLS) using C.

Please advise me on which resellers' product supply the best/most valuable licensing option. 

Thank you

Chris

 

 

[jpeyron]

Hi @cvtabc,

I escalated this question to a more knowledge forum member. They should respond to you either later tonight or tomorrow. 

cheers,

Jon

[JColvin]

Hello @cvtabc,

You'll have to take this response with a grain of salt considering that we as Digilent are one of those re-sellers that you mentioned, but I'll see if I can give you a helpful response here on the Forum having set aside my webteam hat.

All major versions of Vivado that I presume you would be looking into (WebPACK, Design, and System Editions) all support the Vivado Logic Analyzer and various debug IPs such as the Intergrated Logic Analyzer, which as I understand it is Vivado's successor to Chipscope from Xilinx ISE. Considering that Xilinx has not stated any plans to continue to working on ISE and will be primarily focusing on supporting Vivado, I wouldn't be too anxious to get a Chipscope license (although the link you provided to Digikey didn't indicate anything about Chipscope).

Similarly, Vivado has its own version of a simulator like ISIM, which all major versions of Vivado include. I don't know what the differences of the simulator, if any, are between the various editions of Vivado.

None of us at Digilent have experience with EPICS so we can't speak towards that. However these newer editions of Vivado (2016.1 onward if I'm not mistaken) support HLS (High-Level Synthesis) to allow for C/C++ development in the Vivado environment, although I do not personally know how robust it is, but I suspect it does fairly well for what it is and that Xilinx will support it since it was recently implemented. The SDSoC license would probably be good in this case since it's likely a lot more optimized for writing C/C++ code for an SoC, such as the Zynq chip present on the Zedboard.

In terms of IP cores, that is something that the Design Edition Voucher would be good for since it will give you (from my understanding) it will let you generate bitstreams for some of Xilinx's more complex IPs cores such as TEMAC. The TEMAC core isn't included with the Vivado Design edition though (from my understanding) so it would need to be evaluated or licensed separately. Lite ethernet versions from Xilinx do exist though that don't require the Design Edition of Vivado, but are more limited in functionality (although I can't personally speak towards how they are limited/in what way they are different). Those of us here are Digilent aren't familiar with EtherCAT so we can't speak towards that.

From your initial description, I presume this work would be lab related as opposed to classroom based teaching material, so I imagine this is less of a "learning/teaching" as opposed to an "implementing" situation, so that'll affect your decision. I guess the thing with vouchers of any kind is that they are node locked (so they only are applied to one system/computer) and are only valid for one year. During that year you can upgrade to newer versions of that particular edition that Xilinx releases at no additional charge, but be unable to do so after that year without re-purchasing access to the edition. After that year is up, you will be able to use whatever edition is installed on that machine more or less indefinitely without restrictions.

In the end, it sounds like you'll end up wanting some sort of Vivado edition with good C/C++ support. However, Digilent (I can't speak for Avnet or Xilinx) won't be able to offer a ton of help integrating 3rd party systems into your solution since we don't actively support them. So to me it sounds like you'll either want the SDSoC voucher or the Design Edition voucher, although I don't know what additional IPs the Design Edition enables nor do I know a whole lot about SDSoC and what it offers/is capable of.

Good luck!

JColvin

[cvtabc]

Hello @JColvin

Thank your for your detailed reply. I have decided that the best option for me is the combination with the Vivado Design Edition voucher. I am rather more interested in the IP licences that I can get access to.

Thank you.

[JColvin]

Hi @cvtabc,

Agreed about the IPs. I'm not certain what licenses you receive access to; I did a bit of searching for a list of what IPs come with which editions of Vivado but came up empty (but maybe I was searching in the completely wrong location). Some, like the TEMAC I mentioned, apparently won't (from what I've been told from my coworkers) be licensed via the Design Edition, just be able to have a bitstream generated, since apparently the WebPACK Edition will not generate the bitstream for whatever reason. I do not know if such license list exists; the people over on the Xilinx forum might know that answer. Otherwise, it may all be manually asking about individual IPs.

Thanks,
JColvin

 

[uros]

On 3/10/2017 at 6:37 PM, JColvin said:

I guess the thing with vouchers of any kind is that they are node locked (so they only are applied to one system/computer) and are only valid for one year. During that year you can upgrade to newer versions of that particular edition that Xilinx releases at no additional charge, but be unable to do so after that year without re-purchasing access to the edition. After that year is up, you will be able to use whatever edition is installed on that machine more or less indefinitely without restrictions.

Instead of opening a new topic for a license question, I assume it's fine to reuse this one!

So, recently I purchased a ZedBoard from Digilent (excellent product!), and yesterday I went to the Xilinx website to use my vouchers (it's written on the vouchers that they can be used 1 year from the purchase, so I haven't redeemed that for a couple months now). Now, as @JColvin mentioned, the subscription is for a year, but I have some questions regarding that.

As I understand, that means I won't be able to get Xilinx software tools updates after a year, but would I regain access if I purchase the same board from Digilent and use another voucher? Also, what would happen if I decide to get a a different board, with a different FPGA chip (still Xilinx)? Would I still be able to use the software with my old (current) board, without any problems?

Thanks in advance!

[JColvin]

Hi @uros,

I've personally never tried to do this, so it is speculation on my part in terms of the usage of Xilinx voucher. Ultimately, Xilinx will be the final authority on their own software so it will be up to them on how everything will work.

As I understand, that means I won't be able to get Xilinx software tools updates after a year, but would I regain access if I purchase the same board from Digilent and use another voucher?  -- Yes, I believe that would be the case because the license is node locked so it wouldn't be concerned that the board has a different serial number.

Also, what would happen if I decide to get a a different board, with a different FPGA chip (still Xilinx)? Would I still be able to use the software with my old (current) board, without any problems?  -- I'm not certain what you mean here. If the other board comes with a node locked voucher, then it will be the same situation where you can use it. But if you just get another board in general with no voucher or anything special, then you will still be able the software that is still on your machine from the previous voucher with the original board.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
JColvin

[uros]

12 hours ago, JColvin said:

Hi @uros,

I've personally never tried to do this, so it is speculation on my part in terms of the usage of Xilinx voucher. Ultimately, Xilinx will be the final authority on their own software so it will be up to them on how everything will work.

As I understand, that means I won't be able to get Xilinx software tools updates after a year, but would I regain access if I purchase the same board from Digilent and use another voucher?  -- Yes, I believe that would be the case because the license is node locked so it wouldn't be concerned that the board has a different serial number.

Also, what would happen if I decide to get a a different board, with a different FPGA chip (still Xilinx)? Would I still be able to use the software with my old (current) board, without any problems?  -- I'm not certain what you mean here. If the other board comes with a node locked voucher, then it will be the same situation where you can use it. But if you just get another board in general with no voucher or anything special, then you will still be able the software that is still on your machine from the previous voucher with the original board.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
JColvin

Hi @JColvin, thanks a lot for the answer!

Let me explain what I meant. The scenario is, my current license expires, and then I decide to buy a new Digilent board, with a newer Zynq on it. I get a voucher with it, which I use to activate Vivado for my newer chip, but would that enable me to get updates for the software that's related to my older chip? In other words, do these Vivado updates update Vivado as a whole, or only the parts that are related to the chip that I'm licensed to build for?

Let me know if it makes sense. I'll probably contact Xilinx these days, and I'll let you know what they said!

Thanks again!

[JColvin]

Hello @uros,

Truthfully, I am not certain how that would work. I imagine that as a node-locked license it would update Vivado as a whole if you activated a new voucher, as opposed to having multiple node-locked licenses on your machine. Then again, you can have multiple webPACK versions of Vivado on your machine (although they are not license based, so the comparison isn't completely fair), so perhaps you would be able to have two difference versions of the design edition of Vivado (or SDSoC if you are getting Zynq).

As for the different chips, if they are both from Digilent, my understanding is that the new voucher will still be able to interact with both chips, provided that the software supports both chips, no matter if it installed separately or simply updated the existing version.

In the end, I think it will depend on how the Vivado License Manager (or the equivalent for SDSoC) handles the process, but I have never gone through it myself so I cannot speak on how it performed for me. I will check to see if one of my co-workers has experience with this, otherwise Xilinx will be able to provide you with the answer.

Thanks,
JColvin

[uros]

Hi, @JColvin, thanks a lot again for the answer!

I guess the question is a little bit too complicated! From what I heard in the meantime, I think node-locked license for the adequate chip model is needed to generate the actual bit stream. So I guess even if I get a new chip, I need a license for the old one to generate bit stream. Hm, confusing, haha! I'll reach out to Xilinx soon and I'll let you know what they said, but thanks a lot for all the info.

[theUltimateSource]

hello,

My new board just arrived yesterday

I received my Zynq Development Voucher with instructions:

1. log in to xilinx
2. confirm your purchase and license entitlement placed into my account, code may only be used once
3. generate FLEX license for product. Must be redeemed within one year of purchase

I want to wait for a future release of Vivado before I use the license. So according to instructions, I need to perform steps 1 + 2, and wait until that release before generating the license. 

Is this correct? Just want to be sure before messing something up 

[JColvin]

Hi @theUltimateSource,

Yes, you can wait to generate the license. Once you generate the license, you will have a year to update to any newer versions that Xilinx puts out during that time. After the one year is up, you won't be able to further upgrade to newer versions without purchasing access to a new license, but you will be able to keep and continue to use the current license on your machine.

Naturally, before you activate the license (for presumably the Design Edition), you will need to use the WebPACK version of Vivado from Xilinx.

Thanks,
JColvin