Setting up and Troubleshooting Xilinx Programming Cables on Linux

These instructions cover initial setup of the cable drivers and common problems. Please correct and update sections as you discover more information. You must be logged in as root to perform these operations.

Initial Setup

You must have at least the kernel headers, if not the entire kernel source for your current kernel loaded locally on your machine in /usr/src before you begin.

Xilinx cable drivers need two (or one) drivers. You can download these drivers directly from Xilinx or use the copy on the server located at /project/lab/software_tool_setup/xilinx_cable_drivers.

1. Log in as root, if not already. Make sure you are in root 's home directory /root .
2. Make a directory entitiled xilinx_cables and change into this directory.
3. Copy the windrvr6 and xpc4drvr folders or tar files to your new directory.
4. If you copied tar files, untar each with tar -xvzf
5. Change directory into each of the new directories and execute the following:

         ./configure
         make
         make install
         

   You may need to run the make install step for xpc4drvr twice if it fails the first time.
6. Create the file /etc/init.d/xilinx and TODO: What goes here? windrvr6 is always loaded, xpc4drvr isn't but xpc4drvr interferes.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

1. Impact complains of not being able to find the cables or doesn't have access or other odd things.
   • Try initializing the cable twice. If this does not work, allow Impact to use cable compatible mode (Parallel III) which is far slower.
   • Access issues on the device. As root, execute chmod 777 /dev/windrvr6.
   • Unload the xpc4drvr driver with modprobe -r xpc4drvr as root.
   • Try loading the drivers/modules again, as directed in "How do I load the modules?" below.
   • Ensure libusb is installed on your machine. Then export  XIL_IMPACT_USE_LIBUSB="1" -- PatrickSheridan - 21 Feb 2009
2. How do I load the xpc4drvr and/or windrvr6 modules?
   • Open a root shell and execute

     /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/misc/install_windrvr6 windrvr6

     and/or

     /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/misc/install_xpc4drvr

     The xpc4drvr command may fail the first time with this error ERROR: Module xpc4drvr does not exist in /proc/modules. Simply execute it a second time. If it suceeds, you will see Loading /lib/modules/2.6.8-2-686/kernel/drivers/misc/xpc4drvr.ko.
3. When working with XMD, my machine's utilization goes up to 100%, Impact reports of "no cable" or XMD operations never complete.
   • Unload the xpc4drvr module by executing as root the following: modprobe -r xpc4drvr. Try connecting with cable compatible mode (Parallel III).
4. Impact can connect to the cable, but Chipscope can't.
   • No answer yet.
5. After Impact crashed, I can't connect to the cables.
   • The lock on the cable was not released. Issue the following commands with iMPACT in batch mode or create a file, impactUnlock.cmd and place the commands in it:

        setMode -bs
        cleanCableLock
        setCable -p auto
        quit
        

     and execute with: impact -batch impactUnlock.cmd.

-- YousefIskander - 30 Jan 2007