---
author: Penguin
date: 06/19/23
title: PolarFire SoC FPGA
---

# About the Board

<img src="./doc/img/PolarFire-Board.png"
style="width:50.0%;height:50.0%" />

# Installing Libero (via portage)

# Installing Libero (MANUAL)

## Prerequisites

## Installation Process

``` bash
sudo mkdir -p /opt/Microchip
sudo chown $USER:$USER /opt/Microchip
unzip
```

Installer Directions:

- Install Directory: /opt/Microchip/Libero_SoC_v2023.1
- Common Directory: /opt/Microchip/common
- Install Set: Everything

## Post-Install

``` bash
sudo /opt/Microchip/Libero_SoC_v2023.1/Logs/req_to_install.sh
```

### Installing FlashPro Drivers

You need to have the FlashPro device to install these, so ignore this if
you don't have a FlashPro device.

1.  FlashPro 5

    ``` bash
    sudo /opt/Microchip/Libero_SoC_v2023.1/Libero/bin/udev_install
    ```

2.  FlashPro 6

    ``` bash
    sudo /opt/Microchip/Libero_SoC_v2023.1/Libero/bin/fp6_env_install
    ```

### Installing Your License

You can register for a Microchip and request a year-long evaluation
license here:
<https://www.microchipdirect.com/login?redirectTo=%2Ffpga-software-products>

You'll want to get the **LIB-PL-MACID-F-EVAL** license, which is a
floating linux license. If you're on windows, just get whatever license
works for you.

``` bash
mkdir -p /opt/Microchip/Libero_SoC_v2023.1/license
cp /path/to/license /opt/Microchip/Libero_SoC_v2023/license
```

### Installing the Licensing Daemon

``` bash
# install lsb-core
sudo apt install lsb-core
sudo cp scripts/libero-license.service /etc/systemd/user
```

# Install Yocto Ecosystem

## Prerequisites

``` bash
sudo apt-get install gawk wget git-core diffstat unzip texinfo gcc-multilib \
     build-essential chrpath socat libsdl1.2-dev xterm bmap-utils python3-distutils repo
```

## Create the Yocto Workspace

``` bash
mkdir yocto-dev && cd yocto-dev
repo init -u https://github.com/polarfire-soc/polarfire-soc-yocto-manifests.git -b main -m default.xml
```

## Update the repo workspace

``` bash
repo sync
repo rebase
```

## Setup the Bitbake environment

``` bash
. ./meta-polarfire-soc-yocto-bsp/polarfire-soc_yocto_setup.sh
```

## Optimize your build environment

Yocto builds take a very long time. We can optimize this.

``` bash
mkdir -p ${HOME}/.local/share/yocto/downloads
mkdir -p ${HOME}/.local/share/yocto/sstate-cache
mkdir -p ${HOME}/.local/share/yocto/persistent
cd <project_root>/build/conf/


echo '
BB_NUMBER_THREADS ?= "${@oe.utils.cpu_count()}"
PARALLEL_MAKE ?= "-j ${@oe.utils.cpu_count() - 1}"
DL_DIR = "${HOME}/.local/share/yocto/downloads"
SSTATE_DIR = "${HOME}/.local/share/yocto/sstate-cache"
PERSISTENT_DIR=${HOME/.local/share/yocto/persistent
SOURCE_MIRROR_URL ?= "file://${HOME}/.local/share/yocto/downloads"
INHERIT += "own-mirrors"
BB_GENERATE_MIRROR_TARBALLS = "1"
# uncomment to test sources
# BB_NO_NETWORK = "1"

# remove static deps
STATICLIBCONF = "--disable-static"
DISABLE_STATIC:pn-openssl = ""
DISABLE_STATIC:pn-openssl-native = ""
DISABLE_STATIC:pn-nativesdk-openssl = ""
DISABLE_STATIC:pn-libtalloc = ""
EXTRA_OECONF += "${STATICLIBCONF}"
' >> local.conf
```

## Build the Disk Image

``` bash
cd $PROOT
bitbake mpfs-dev-cli
```

# References

[PolarFire Yocto
Github](https://github.com/polarfire-soc/meta-polarfire-soc-yocto-bsp)

# Creating a Bootable Yocto Linux Image

We have two options: Create a new workspace, or we can use this repo as
a workspace because this repo is my working workspace.

## Create a workspace (OPTIONAL)

    mkdir yocto-dev && cd yocto-dev
    repo init -u https://github.com/polarfire-soc/polarfire-soc-yocto-manifests.git -b main -m default.xml

## Update the repo workspace

``` bash
repo sync
repo rebase
```

## Set up the Bitbake environment

``` bash
. ./meta-polarfire-soc-yocto-bsp/polarfire-soc_yocto_setup.sh
```

## Building Board Disk Image

### Building a Linux Image with a root file system (RootFS)

``` bash
MACHINE=icicle-kit-es bitbake mpfs-dev-cli
```

### Building a RAM-based Root Filestystem

``` bash
MACHINE=icicle-kit-es bitbake -R conf/initramfs.conf mpfs-initramfs-image
```

### Building a Linux Image for an external QSPI flash memory

### Flashing an SD Card

``` bash
zcat build/tmp-glibc/deploy/images/icicle-kit-es/mpfs-dev-cli-icicle-kit-es.wic.gz | sudo dd of=/dev/sdX bs=4096 iflag=fullblock oflag=direct conv=fsync status=progress
```

# References

[PolarFire SoC
Yocto](https://github.com/polarfire-soc/meta-polarfire-soc-yocto-bsp)

**\*\***