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Design Build
In this section, you will build and run the FIR filter design using the HLS/DSP implementation. The difference between this implementation and the AI Engine implementation, where users compile the AI Engine design and integrate it into a larger system design (including the programmable logic (PL) kernels and processing system (PS) host application), is that the FIR filter is now implemented in PL using DSP Engines.
At the end of this section, the design flow will generate a new directory (called build/
). Underneath are subdirectories named fir_hls_$(N_FIR_FILTERS)firs_$(N_FIR_TAPS)taps
(for example, fir_hls_1firs_15taps
) depending on the value of N_FIR_FILTERS
and N_FIR_TAPS
chosen in the build. Each subdirectory contains the hw_emu/
and hw/
subfolders. The hw_emu/
subfolder contains the build for hardware emulation. The hw/
subfolder contains the build for the hardware run on a VCK190 board.
Make Steps
To run the following make
steps (for example, make kernels
, make graph
, and so on), you must be in the HLS/
folder.
cd HLS
The following options can be specified in the make steps. See the make steps for instructions how to apply them.
-
TARGET: it can be set to "hw" or "hw_emu" to build the design in hardware or hardware emulation flow. Default is "hw_emu".
-
N_FIR_FILTERS: specifies the number of FIR filters in the chain. Default is 1.
-
N_FIR_TAPS: specifies the number of FIR filter taps. Default is 15.
-
EN_TRACE: Flag to enable trace data to be captured. 0 is disabled and 1 is enabled. Default is 0.
The Makefile uses the following directory references:
#Relative FIR filter directory
RELATIVE_PROJECT_DIR := ./
#Absolute FIR filter directory = <user path>/Tutorials/AI_Engine/filter_AIEvsDSP
PROJECT_REPO := $(shell readlink -f $(RELATIVE_PROJECT_DIR))
DESIGN_REPO := $(PROJECT_REPO)/design
PL_SRC_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/pl_src
HOST_APP_SRC := $(DESIGN_REPO)/host_app_src
VIVADO_METRICS_SCRIPTS_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/vivado_metrics_scripts
DIRECTIVES_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/directives
SYSTEM_CONFIGS_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/system_configs
PROFILING_CONFIGS_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/profiling_configs
EXEC_SCRIPTS_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/exec_scripts
PYTHON_SCRIPTS_REPO := $(DESIGN_REPO)/python_scripts
BASE_BLD_DIR := $(PROJECT_REPO)/build
FIR_TAPS_BLD_DIR := $(BASE_BLD_DIR)/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps
FIR_FILTERS_DIR := $(FIR_TAPS_BLD_DIR)/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs
BUILD_TARGET_DIR := $(FIR_FILTERS_DIR)/$(TARGET)
REPORTS_REPO := $(PROJECT_REPO)/reports_dir
BLD_REPORTS_DIR := $(REPORTS_REPO)/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs
EMBEDDED_PACKAGE_OUT := $(BUILD_TARGET_DIR)/package
EMBEDDED_EXEC_SCRIPT := run_script.sh
Build the Entire Design with a Single Command
If you are already familiar with the AI Engine and Vitis accelerated kernel compilation flows, you can build the entire design with one command:
make run (default hardware emulation, 1 filter 15 taps, no trace enabled)
or
make run TARGET=hw N_FIR_FILTERS=1 N_FIR_TAPS=15 EN_TRACE=1 (hardware, 1 FIR filters, each with 15 taps, enable tracing)
This command runs the make kernels
,make xsa
,make application
,make package
and make run_emu
for hardware emulation or to run on hardware (VCK190 board) depending on the TARGET
you specify. The default TARGET
without specification is hw_emu. The settings also apply to the following individual make steps.
Note
- The generated files for a particular build are placed under individual directory:
build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs
- See the specification in each make step for options used and location of input and output files.
The individual make steps to build the design with the options that applied to them are specified as follows.
make kernels: Compile PL Kernels
In this step, the Vitis compiler takes any kernels (RTL or HLS C) in the PL region of the target platform (xilinx_vck190_base_202410_1
) and compiles them into their respective XO files.
The following commands compiles the kernels (default TARGET=hw_emu, N_FIR_FILTERS=1, N_FIR_TAPS=15, EN_TRACE=0):
make kernels
The expanded command is as follows:
mkdir -p build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu
cd build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu
v++ --target hw_emu \
--hls.pre_tcl design/directives/hls_pre.tcl \
--hls.clock 500000000:fir_hls \
-D N_FIR_FILTERS=$(N_FIR_FILTERS) \
-D N_FIR_TAPS=$(N_FIR_TAPS) \
--platform xilinx_vck190_base_202410_1 \
--include design/pl_src \
--save-temps \
--temp_dir build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/_x \
--verbose \
-g -c \
-k fir_hls \
design/pl_src/fir_hls.cpp \
-o fir_hls.hw_emu.xo
v++ --target hw_emu \
--hls.clock 300000000:datamover \
-D N_FIR_FILTERS=$(N_FIR_FILTERS) \
-D N_FIR_TAPS=$(N_FIR_TAPS) \
--platform xilinx_vck190_base_202410_1 \
--include design/pl_src \
--save-temps \
--temp_dir build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/_x \
--verbose \
-g -c \
-k datamover \
design/pl_src/datamover.cpp \
-o datamover.hw_emu.xo
Summary of the switches used:
Switch | Description |
---|---|
--target | -t [hw|hw_emu] | Specifies the build target. |
--hls.clock | Specifies a frequency in Hz at which the listed kernel(s) should be compiled by Vitis HLS. |
--platform | -f | Specifies the name of a supported acceleration platform as specified by the $PLATFORM_REPO_PATHS environment variable or the full path to the platform XPFM file. |
--save-temps | -s | Directs the Vitis compiler command to save intermediate files/directories created during the compilation and link process. Use the --temp_dir option to specify a location to write the intermediate files to. |
--temp_dir | This allows you to manage the location where the tool writes temporary files created during the build process. The temporary results are written by the Vitis compiler, and then removed, unless the --save-temps option is also specified. |
--verbose | Display verbose/debug information. |
-g | Generates code for debugging the kernel during software emulation. Using this option adds features to facilitate debugging the kernel as it is compiled. |
--compile | -c | Required for compilation to generate XO files from kernel source files. |
--kernel <arg>|-k <arg> | Compile only the specified kernel from the input file. Only one -k option is allowed per Vitis compiler command. |
--output | -o | Specifies the name of the output file generated by the V++ command. The compilation process output name must end with the XO file suffix. |
Detailed Description of All Vitis Compiler Switches
Input | Description |
---|---|
fir_hls.cpp | The FIR filter chain PL kernel source code. |
datamover.cpp | The data-mover PL kernel source code. |
Output | Description |
---|---|
fir_hls.hw/hw_emu.xo | The FIR filter chain PL kernel object file. |
datamover.hw/hw_emu.xo | The stream-to-memory-mapped data-mover kernel object file. |
make xsa: Use Vitis Tools to Link HLS Kernels with the Platform
After the PL HLS kernels have been compiled, you can use the Vitis compiler to link them with the platform to generate an XSA file.
The Vitis tools allow you to integrate the HLS kernels into an existing extensible platform. This is an automated step from a software developer perspective where the platform chosen is provided by the hardware designer (or you can opt to use one of the many extensible base platforms provided by AMD and the Vitis tools build the hardware design and integrate the PL kernels into the design).
To test this feature in this tutorial, use the base VCK190 platform to build the design.
The command to run this step is shown as follows (default TARGET=hw_emu, N_FIR_FILTERS=1, N_FIR_TAPS=15, EN_TRACE=0):
make xsa
The expanded command is as follows:
cd build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu
v++ -l \
--platform xilinx_vck190_base_202410_1 \
--include design/pl_src \
--save-temps \
--temp_dir build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/_x \
--verbose \
-g \
--clock.defaultTolerance 0.001 \
--clock.freqHz 300000000:datamover_0 \
--clock.freqHz 500000000:fir_hls_0 \
--config design/system_configs/system.cfg \
--vivado.prop run.synth_1.{STEPS.SYNTH_DESIGN.ARGS.CONTROL_SET_OPT_THRESHOLD}={16} \
--advanced.param compiler.userPostSysLinkOverlayTcl=$(DIRECTIVES_REPO)/post_sys_link.tcl \
-o vck190_hls_fir.hw_emu.xsa \
datamover.hw_emu.xo \
fir_hls.hw_emu.xo
If EN_TRACE is enabled, the following v++
flags are also set:
--profile.trace_memory DDR \
--profile.data datamover:datamover_0:all \
--profile.data fir_hls:dir_hls_0:all
By enabling EN_TRACE=1 timing violation occurs for 10 filters,tolerance of WNS=-0.050 is set:
--xp param:compiler.worstNegativeSlack=-0.050
This captures the trace data for the ports specified.
Summary of the Switches used:
Switch | Description |
---|---|
--platform | -f | Specifies the name of a supported acceleration platform as specified by the $PLATFORM_REPO_PATHS environment variable or the full path to the platform XPFM file. |
--save-temps | -s | Directs the v++ command to save intermediate files/directories created during the compilation and link process. Use the --temp_dir option to specify a location to write the intermediate files to. |
--temp_dir | This allows you to manage the location where the tool writes temporary files created during the build process. The temporary results are written by the Vitis compiler, and then removed, unless the --save-temps option is also specified. |
--verbose | Display verbose/debug information. |
-g | Generates code for debugging the kernel during software emulation. Using this option adds features to facilitate debugging the kernel as it is compiled. |
--clock.freqHz <freq_in_Hz>:<cu>[.<clk_pin>] | Specifies a clock frequency in Hz and assigns it to a list of associated compute units (CUs) and optionally specific clock pins on the CU. |
--config <config_file> | Specifies a configuration file containing v++ switches. |
--target | -t [hw|hw_emu] | Specifies the build target. |
--output | -o | Specifies the name of the output file generated by the v++ command. The linking process output file name must end with the .xsa suffix |
--profile.data [<kernel_name>|all]:[<cu_name>|all]:[<interface_name>|all](:[counters|all]) | Enables monitoring of data ports through the monitor IPs. This option needs to be specified during linking. Detailed Profiling Options |
--profile.trace_memory <FIFO>:<size>|<MEMORY>[<n>] | When building the hardware target (-t=hw), use this option to specify the type and amount of memory to use for capturing trace data. Detailed Profiling Options |
Detailed Description of All Vitis Compiler Switches Linking the Kernels in Vitis
Inputs Sources | Description |
---|---|
datamover.hw/hw_emu.xo | The data-mover kernel object file. |
fir_hls.hw/hw_emu.xo | The FIR filter chain PL kernel object file. |
Output Objects | Description |
---|---|
vck190_hls_fir.hw_emu.xsa | Compiled Platform Binary Container |
make application: Compile the Host Application
You can compile the host application by following the typical cross-compilation flow for the Cortex-A72. To build the application run the following command (default TARGET=hw_emu, N_FIR_FILTERS=1, N_FIR_TAPS=15, EN_TRACE=0):
make application
The expanded command is as follows:
aarch64-linux-gnu-g++ -O \
-c -std=c++17 \
-D__linux__ \
-DXAIE_DEBUG \
-DITER_CNT=8 \
-DN_FIR_FILTERS=1 \
-DN_FIR_TAPS=15 \
-I$(SDKTARGETSYSROOT)/usr/include/xrt \
-I$(SDKTARGETSYSROOT)/usr/include \
-I$(SDKTARGETSYSROOT)/usr/lib \
-Idesign/host_app_src \
-Idesign/pl_src \
design/app_src/fir_aie_app.cpp \
-o fir_aie_app.o \
-L$(SDKTARGETSYSROOT)/usr/lib \
-lxrt_coreutil
aarch64-linux-gnu-g++ fir_hls_app.o \
-L$(SDKTARGETSYSROOT)/usr/lib \
-lxrt_coreutil \
-o build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/fir_hls_xrt.elf
Summary of the Switches used:
Switch | Description |
---|---|
-O | Optimize | Optimizing compilation takes somewhat more time, and a lot more memory for a large function. With -O, the compiler tries to reduce code size and execution time, without performing any optimizations that can take a great deal of compilation time. |
-c | Compile or assemble the source files, but do not link. |
-std=<\standard> | Set the language standard. |
-D__linux__ | |
-DXAIE_DEBUG | Enable debug interface capabilities where certain core status, event status, or stack trace can be dumped out. |
-D<Pre-processor Macro String>=<value> | Pass Pre-processor Macro definitions to the cross-compiler. |
-I <dir> | Add the directory dir to the list of directories to be searched for header files. |
-o <file> | Place output in file <file> . This applies regardless of the output being produced, whether it be an executable file, an object file, an assembler file or preprocessed C code. |
-l<library> | Search the library named library when linking. The 2D-FFT tutorial requires adf_api_xrt and xrt_coreutil libraries. |
-L <dir> | Add directory <dir> to the list of directories to be searched for -l. |
XRT Documentation Details of Host Application Programming
Inputs Sources | Description |
---|---|
fir_hls_app.cpp | Host processor application source code file that will run on an A72 processor. |
Intermediate Objects | Description |
---|---|
fir_hls_app.o | Compiled host processor application object. |
Output Objects | Description |
---|---|
fir_hls_xrt.elf | The executable that will run on an A72 processor. |
make package: Package the Design
With the HLS kernel outputs created, as well as the new platform, you can now generate the programmable device image (PDI) and a package to be used on an SD card. The PDI contains all executables, bitstreams, configurations of the device. The packaged SD card directory contains everything to boot Linux, the generated applications, and .xclbin
.
The command to run this step is as follows (default TARGET=hw_emu, N_FIR_FILTERS=1, N_FIR_TAPS=15, EN_TRACE=0):
make package
or
cd ../build/fir_hls_$(N_FIR_FILTERS)firs_$(N_FIR_TAPS)taps/hw_emu
v++ -p \
-t hw_emu \
--save-temps \
--temp_dir build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/_x \
-f xilinx_vck190_base_202410_1 \
--package.rootfs $(COMMON_IMAGE_VERSAL)/rootfs.ext4 \
--package.kernel_image $(COMMON_IMAGE_VERSAL)/Image \
--package.boot_mode=sd \
--package.out_dir build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/package \
--package.image_format=ext4 \
--package.sd_file build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/fir_hls_xrt.elf \
build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/vck190_hls_fir.hw_emu.xsa \
--package.sd_file design//exec_scripts/run_script.sh
If EN_TRACE is enabled, the following v++
flags are also set:
--package.sd_file design/profiling_configs/xrt.ini
This will include the XRT ini file which includes tracing parameters.
Switch | Description |
---|---|
--package | -p | Packages the final product at the end of the Vitis compile and link build process. |
--target | -t [hw|hw_emu] | Specifies the build target. |
--save-temps | -s | Directs the V++ command to save intermediate files/directories created during the compilation and link process. Use the --temp_dir option to specify a location to write the intermediate files to. |
--temp_dir | This allows you to manage the location where the tool writes temporary files created during the build process. The temporary results are written by the Vitis compiler, and then removed, unless the --save-temps option is also specified. |
--platform | -f | Specifies the name of a supported acceleration platform as specified by the $PLATFORM_REPO_PATHS environment variable or the full path to the platform XPFM file. |
--package.sd_dir <arg> | Where specifies a folder to package into the sd_card directory/image. The contents of the directory are copied to a sub-folder of the sd_card folder. |
--package.rootfs <arg> | Where <arg> specifies the absolute or relative path to a processed Linux root file system file. The platform RootFS file is available for download from xilinx.com. Refer to the Vitis Software Platform Installation for more information. |
--package.kernel_image <arg> | Where <arg> specifies the absolute or relative path to a Linux kernel image file. Overrides the existing image available in the platform. The platform image file is available for download from xilinx.com. Refer to the Vitis Software Platform Installation for more information. |
--package.boot_mode <arg> | Where <arg> specifies <ospi|qspi|sd> Boot mode used for running the application in emulation or on hardware. |
--package.image_format | Where <arg> specifies <ext4|fat32> output image file format. ext4 : Linux file system and fat32 : Windows file system |
--package.sd_file | Where <arg> specifies an ELF or other data file to package into the sd_card directory/image. This option can be used repeatedly to specify multiple files to add to the sd_card . |
Detailed Description of All Vitis Compiler Switches Details of Packaging the System
Inputs Sources | Description |
---|---|
$(COMMON_IMAGE_VERSAL)/rootfs.ext4 | The Root Filesystem file for Petalinux. |
$(PLATFORM_REPO_PATHS)/Image | The pre-built Petalinux Image the processor boots from. |
$(BUILD_TARGET_DIR)/fir_hls_xrt.elf | The PS Host Application executables created in the make application step. |
$(BUILD_TARGET_DIR)/vck190_hls_fir.hw_emu.xsa | The XSA file created in the make xsa step. |
The output of the V++ Package step is the package directory that contains the contents to run hardware emulation.
Output Objects | Description |
---|---|
$(BUILD_TARGET_DIR)/package | The hardware emulation package that contains the boot file, hardware emulation launch script, the PLM and PMC boot files, the PMC and QEMU command argument specification files, and the Vivado tools simulation folder. |
make run_emu: Run Hardware Emulation
After packaging, everything is set to run emulation or hardware. To run emulation use the following command (default TARGET=hw_emu, N_FIR_FILTERS=1, N_FIR_TAPS=15, EN_TRACE=0):
make run_emu
or
cd build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/package
./launch_hw_emu.sh
When launched, you will see the QEMU simulator load. Wait for the autoboot countdown to go to zero, and after a few minutes, you will see the root Linux prompt come up:
root@versal-rootfs-common-2024_1:~#
In some cases, the following error might come up on the screen:
root@versal-rootfs-common-2024_1:~## xinit: giving up
xinit: unable to connect to X server: Connection refused
xinit: server error
Enabling notebook extension jupyter-js-widgets/extension...
- Validating: OK
[C 13:46:09.233 NotebookApp] Bad config encountered during initialization:
[C 13:46:09.239 NotebookApp] No such notebook dir: ''/usr/share/example-notebooks''
The error can be ignored. Press to return to the root prompt.
After the root prompt comes up, run the following commands to run the design:
mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt
cd /mnt
./fir_hls_xrt.elf a.xclbin
The fir_hls_xrt.elf
should execute, and after a few minutes, you should see the output with TEST PASSED on the console. When this is shown, run the following keyboard command to exit the QEMU instance:
#To exit QEMU Simulation
Press Ctrl-A, let go of the keyboard, and then press x
To run with waveform do the following:
cd build/fir_$(N_FIR_TAPS)_taps/x$(N_FIR_FILTERS)_firs/hw_emu/package
./launch_hw_emu.sh -g
The XSIM Waveform Viewer is launched. Drag and drop the signals into the Viewer and click Play to start the emulation. Go back to the terminal and wait for the Linux prompt to show up.
In the XSIM Waveform Viewer, you will see the signals you added to the waveform adjusting over the execution of the design. Once done, hit the pause button and close the window to end the emulation.
TARGET=hw: Run on Hardware
To run the design in hardware, re-run the following "make" steps with TARGET=hw and other applicable options (see the make steps above)
make kernels TARGET=hw
make xsa TARGET=hw
make application TARGET=hw
make package TARGET=hw
this can also be done is a single step as follows:
make build TARGET=hw
Now follow Steps 1-9 to run the fir_hls_xrt.elf
executable on your VCK190 board.
Step 1. Ensure your board is powered OFF.
Step 2. Use an SD card writer (such as balenaEtcher) to flash the sd_card.img
file onto an SD card.
Step 3. Plug the flashed SD card into the top slot of the VCK190 board.
Step 4. Set the switch SW1 Mode[3:0]=1110 = OFF OFF OFF ON.
Step 5. Connect your computer to the VCK190 board using the included USB cable.
Step 6. Open a TeraTerm terminal and select the correct COM port. Set the port settings to the following:
Port: <COMMXX>
Speed: 115200
Data: 8 bit
Parity: none
Stop Bits: 1 bit
Flow control: none
Transmit delay: 0 msec/char 0 msec/line
Step 7. Power ON the board.
Step 8. Wait until you see the root@versal-rootfs-common-2024_1
Linux command prompt. Press enter a few times to get past any xinit
errors.
Step 9. Run the following commands into the TeraTerm terminal:
mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt
cd /mnt
./fir_hls_xrt.elf a.xclbin
After execution completes and the testcase passes data integrity check, 'TEST PASSED' should appear on the terminal.
FIR Filter HLS Implementation Architecture
The following figure shows a high level block diagram of the design. The test harness consists of the compute kernel and the data mover kernel. This setup is maintained in the two implementations (using HLS/DSP engines in this section of the tutorial and AI Engine in the other). In this setup, the interface between the data mover kernel and FIR filter kernel is AXI4-Stream. The data width of both the kernels is 128-bit, and they run at 250 MHz, providing a transfer rate of up to 1.2 GSPS.
Design Details
The design in this tutorial starts with a base platform containing the control interface and processing system (CIPS), NoC, and AI Engine and the interfaces among them. The v++ linker step builds on top of the base platform by adding the PL kernels. To add the various functions in a system level design, PL kernels are added to the base platform depending on the application, that is, the PL kernels present in each design may vary. In the design, the components are added by v++ -l step (make XSA in the tool flow section above) and include the following:
- FIR Filter Chain kernel (
fir_hls.[hw|hw_emu].xo
) - data mover kernel (
datamover.[hw|hw_emu].xo
) - connections interfaces defined in system configuration file (system.cfg)
To see a schematic view of the design with the extended platform as shown in the following figure, open in the Vivado tool:
build/fir_hls_$(N_FIR_FILTERS)firs_$(N_FIR_TAPS)taps/[hw|hw_emu]/_x/link/vivado/vpl/prj/prj.xpr
The actual FIR filter chain itself is implemented in a HLS PL kernel, which connects the specified number of filters together in a chain. For purposes of simplicity in comparing the designs, all the filters in the chain are identical, though it is unlikely such a chain would be used in a practical application.
Notice the system debugging and profiling IP (DPA) is added to the PL region of the device to capture AI Engine run-time trace data if the EN_TRACE option is enabled in the design. The datamover kernel and the AI Engine array interface are both operating at 300 MHz.
HLS PL Kernels
In the HLS implementation of the FIR Filter design, the AI Engine is not used and therefore there are no AI Engine-related kernels and graphs. The compute and datamover functions are implemented as HLS kernels in the PL region.
The PL kernel fir_hls
implements the FIR filter chain. It contains a single AXI-stream input port and a single AXI-stream output port. Since the FIR function requires no initialization, no additional control/status ports are required.
The PL-based data mover consists of DATAMOVER kernels. It moves a data pattern into the AI Engine array using a streaming interface. The final FIR output from the AI Engine array is moved back into the datamover kernel by way of a streaming interface and is checked for errors. The AI Engine array interface with the datamover kernel uses an AXI4-Stream interface. Some additional details regarding the data mover kernels include:
DATAMOVER
- The data width is 128-bit.
- The frequency is 300 MHz.
The software design in the FIR Filter HLS implementation consists of the following sections:
PL Kernels
For the HLS implementation of this design, the data mover kernel and the FIR filter chain are all implmented in HLS.
The fir_filter kernel consists of a single AXI-stream input and AXI-stream output. The kernel makes use of the FIR Compiler IP, the same one that can be instantiated as an IP in Vivado tools. In HLS, it is instantiated as an object in the HLS code, and then cascaded together into a chain by the design.
The following include allows us to utilize the FIR Compiler interface provided in the HLS IP libraries from the Vitis HLS Libraries Reference:
#include <fir_hls.h>
This header files provides a parameterization struct (hls::ip_fir::params_t
) that sets the static parameters of the filter:
struct fir_params : hls::ip_fir::params_t {
static const unsigned num_coeffs = N_FIR_TAPS;
static const double coeff_vec[N_FIR_TAPS];
static const unsigned coeff_width = 16;
static const unsigned input_width = 16;
static const unsigned output_width = 16;
static const unsigned output_rounding_mode = hls::ip_fir::truncate_lsbs;
#if N_FIR_TAPS == 15
static const unsigned input_length = WINDOW_LENGTH_HALF;
static const unsigned output_length = WINDOW_LENGTH_HALF;
static const unsigned sample_period = SAMP_PERIOD;
#else
static const unsigned input_length = WINDOW_LENGTH;
static const unsigned output_length = WINDOW_LENGTH;
static const unsigned sample_period = SAMP_PERIOD;
#endif
static const unsigned coeff_structure = hls::ip_fir::symmetric;
};
Here we set key non-default values for the filter, the number of taps, the tap vectors (in coeff_vec
), data widths, truncation mode, and filter structure.
Note that the FIR filter wrapper has the concept of an input/output length, which is called WINDOW_LENGTH. This is unrelated to FIR_WINDOW_SIZE in the AI Engine version of the design. In AI Engine graph design, data is processed in fixed size batches (windows), and FIR_WINDOW_SIZE specifies the size of these physical buffers. Here the buffer size will directly impact latency.
In the HLS (DSP) implementation, arrays (windows) are a means of passing data to functions, but these data arrays are ultimately translated into AXI-streams. For this implementation, WINDOW_SIZE is made to be 64k.
To match the performance of 15 taps of AIE with HLS , we have used multi instance method only for 15 taps. The following section instantiates arrays of filter objects (one for real values, one for imaginary):
#if N_FIR_TAPS == 15
static hls::FIR<fir_params> fir_real[N_FIR_FILTERS*2];
static hls::FIR<fir_params> fir_imag[N_FIR_FILTERS*2];
#else
static hls::FIR<fir_params> fir_real[N_FIR_FILTERS];
static hls::FIR<fir_params> fir_imag[N_FIR_FILTERS];
#endif
In fir_hls.cpp
file,complex_split
function is used to take the incoming array (stream) of 128-bit data, and split each word into two 16-bit word streams:
void complex_split(
hls::stream<ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0>> &strmInp,
DataWindow_t DataRealInp, DataWindow_t DataImagInp
)
{
CMPLX_SPLIT_LOOP:for(int ix = 0; ix < WINDOW_LENGTH; ix += 4) {
#pragma HLS PIPELINE II=1
ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0> fir_inp = strmInp.read();
// To enable Dataflow...
Data_t tmp_imag_inp[4];
Data_t tmp_real_inp[4];
//#pragma HLS ARRAY_RESHAPE variable=tmp_imag_inp cyclic factor=4 dim=1
//#pragma HLS ARRAY_RESHAPE variable=tmp_real_inp cyclic factor=4 dim=1
tmp_imag_inp[0].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(15, 0);
tmp_real_inp[0].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(31, 16);
tmp_imag_inp[1].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(47, 32);
tmp_real_inp[1].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(63, 48);
tmp_imag_inp[2].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(79, 64);
tmp_real_inp[2].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(95, 80);
tmp_imag_inp[3].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(111, 96);
tmp_real_inp[3].range(15, 0) = fir_inp.data.range(127, 112);
DataImagInp[ix] = tmp_imag_inp[0];
DataRealInp[ix] = tmp_real_inp[0];
DataImagInp[ix + 1] = tmp_imag_inp[1];
DataRealInp[ix + 1] = tmp_real_inp[1];
DataImagInp[ix + 2] = tmp_imag_inp[2];
DataRealInp[ix + 2] = tmp_real_inp[2];
DataImagInp[ix + 3] = tmp_imag_inp[3];
DataRealInp[ix + 3] = tmp_real_inp[3];
}
}
In fir_hls.cpp
file, complex_merge
function is the inverse of complex_split, and used to merge the words from two incoming 16-bit streams into one 32-bit stream:
void complex_merge(
DataWindow_t DataRealOut, DataWindow_t DataImagOut,
hls::stream<ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0>> &strmOut
)
{
CMPLX_MERGE_LOOP:for(int ix = 0; ix < WINDOW_LENGTH; ix += 4) {
#pragma HLS PIPELINE II=1
ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0> fir_out;
fir_out.data.range(15, 0) = DataImagOut[ix].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(31, 16) = DataRealOut[ix].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(47, 32) = DataImagOut[ix + 1].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(63, 48) = DataRealOut[ix + 1].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(79, 64) = DataImagOut[ix + 2].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(95, 80) = DataRealOut[ix + 2].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(111, 96) = DataImagOut[ix + 3].range(15, 0);
fir_out.data.range(127, 112) = DataRealOut[ix + 3].range(15, 0);
strmOut.write(fir_out);
}
}
The function fir_wrap
is used to construct the filter chain. It uses a series of #if/#elif preprocessor directives to enable the code, since it was not possible to generate it iteratively using a loop. (The limitation being synthesis of arrays of arrays).
void fir_wrap(
hls::stream<ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0>> &strmInp,
hls::stream<ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0>> &strmOut
)
{
#pragma HLS dataflow
DataWindow_t DataRealInp, DataImagInp;
DataWindow_t DataRealOut, DataImagOut;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealInp depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealOut depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagInp depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagOut depth=16
#pragma HLS ARRAY_RESHAPE variable=DataRealInp cyclic factor=4 dim=1
#pragma HLS ARRAY_RESHAPE variable=DataImagInp cyclic factor=4 dim=1
#pragma HLS ARRAY_RESHAPE variable=DataRealOut cyclic factor=4 dim=1
#pragma HLS ARRAY_RESHAPE variable=DataImagOut cyclic factor=4 dim=1
#if (N_FIR_TAPS == 15)
DataWindow_t DataRealInp_buff1, DataImagInp_buff1;
DataWindow_t DataRealInp_buff2, DataImagInp_buff2;
DataWindow_t DataRealOut_buff1, DataImagOut_buff1;
DataWindow_t DataRealOut_buff2, DataImagOut_buff2;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealInp_buff1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagInp_buff1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealInp_buff2 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagInp_buff2 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealOut_buff1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagOut_buff1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealOut_buff2 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagOut_buff2 depth=16
#else
DataWindow_t DataRealOut_buff, DataImagOut_buff;
DataWindow_t DataRealInp_buff, DataImagInp_buff;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealInp_buff depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagInp_buff depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataRealOut_buff depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImagOut_buff depth=16
#endif
complex_split(strmInp, DataRealInp, DataImagInp);
#if (N_FIR_TAPS == 15)
buffInp_15tap(DataRealInp, DataImagInp, DataRealInp_buff1, DataImagInp_buff1, DataRealInp_buff2, DataImagInp_buff2);
#else
buffInp(DataRealInp, DataImagInp, DataRealInp_buff, DataImagInp_buff);
#endif
#if (N_FIR_FILTERS == 1)
#if (N_FIR_TAPS == 15)
fir_real[0].run(DataRealInp_buff1, DataRealOut_buff1);
fir_imag[0].run(DataImagInp_buff1, DataImagOut_buff1);
fir_real[1].run(DataRealInp_buff2, DataRealOut_buff2);
fir_imag[1].run(DataImagInp_buff2, DataImagOut_buff2);
#else
fir_real[0].run(DataRealInp_buff, DataRealOut_buff);
fir_imag[0].run(DataImagInp_buff, DataImagOut_buff);
#endif
#elif (N_FIR_FILTERS > 1)
#if (N_FIR_TAPS == 15)
DataWindow_t DataReal_a0, DataImag_a0;
DataWindow_t DataReal_a1, DataImag_a1;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataReal_a0 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImag_a0 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataReal_a1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImag_a1 depth=16
fir_real[0].run(DataRealInp_buff1, DataReal_a0);
fir_imag[0].run(DataImagInp_buff1, DataImag_a0);
fir_real[1].run(DataRealInp_buff2, DataReal_a1);
fir_imag[1].run(DataImagInp_buff2, DataImag_a1);
#else
DataWindow_t DataReal_0, DataImag_0;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataReal_0 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImag_0 depth=16
fir_real[0].run(DataRealInp_buff, DataReal_0);
fir_imag[0].run(DataImagInp_buff, DataImag_0);
#endif
#endif
#if (N_FIR_FILTERS == 2)
fir_real[1].run(DataReal_0, DataRealOut_buff);
fir_imag[1].run(DataImag_0, DataImagOut_buff);
#elif (N_FIR_FILTERS > 2)
#if (N_FIR_TAPS == 15)
DataWindow_t DataReal_b0, DataImag_b0;
DataWindow_t DataReal_b1, DataImag_b1;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataReal_b0 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImag_b0 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataReal_b1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImag_b1 depth=16
fir_real[2].run(DataReal_a0, DataReal_b0);
fir_imag[2].run(DataImag_a0, DataImag_b0);
fir_real[3].run(DataReal_a1, DataReal_b1);
fir_imag[3].run(DataImag_a1, DataImag_b1);
#else
DataWindow_t DataReal_1, DataImag_1;
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataReal_1 depth=16
#pragma HLS stream variable=DataImag_1 depth=16
fir_real[1].run(DataReal_0, DataReal_1);
fir_imag[1].run(DataImag_0, DataImag_1);
#endif
#endif
..etc
The #pragma HLS dataflow directive instructs the compile to run the two processes to run in parallel, much as would be done in RTL.
Finally, the fir_hls
function it a top-level module / kernel available to be linked together to the other HLS kernels.
The FIR kernel takes the following arguments:
hls::stream<ap_axiu<128, 0, 0, 0>>
is a data type defined inap_axi_sdata.h
. It is a special data class used for data transfer when using a streaming platform. The parameter<D>
is the data width of the streaming interface which is set to 128. The remaining three parameters should be set to 0.
The fir_hls kernel also specifies the following pragmas to help optimize the kernel code and adhere to interface protocols:
#pragma HLS interface axis port=strmInp
#pragma HLS interface axis port=strmOut
#pragma HLS INTERFACE s_axilite port=iterCnt bundle=control
#pragma HLS INTERFACE s_axilite port=return bundle=control
The datamover kernel reads and writes data from and to the AI Engine array, through the AXI4-Stream interface.
The datamover kernel takes the following arguments:
ap_int<N>
is an arbitrary precision integer data type defined inap_int.h
whereN
is a bit-size from 1-1024. In this design, the bit-size is set to 128.hls::stream<qdma_axis<D,0,0,0>>
is a data type defined inap_axi_sdata.h
. It is a special data class used for data transfer when using a streaming platform. The parameter<D>
is the data width of the streaming interface which is set to 128. The remaining three parameters should be set to 0.
The datamover kernel also specifies the following pragmas to help optimize the kernel code and adhere to interface protocols:
The datamover kernels has one s_axilite
interface (specifying an AXI4-Lite slave I/O protocol) with bundle=control
associated with all the arguments (size
and iterCnt
). This interface is also associated with return
.
The datamover kernel has one axis
interface (specifying an AXI4-Stream I/O protocol).
The datamover kernel has a for
loop that is a candidate for burst read because the memory addresses per loop iteration are consecutive (ARBURST=INCR
). To pipeline this for
loop, you can use this pragma by setting the initiation interval (II
) = 1.
PS Host Application
The FIR filter HLS(DSP) tutorial uses the embedded PS as an external controller to control the AI Engine graph and data mover PL kernel. Review Programming the PS Host Application Section in the AI Engine Documentation to understand the process to create a host application. Note that unlike the AI Engine implementation, there are no AI Engine graphs and associated control code.
Within the PS host application, two classes are defined (datamover_class), which defines methods used to control and monitor the corresponding kernels.
The main sections of the PS host application code is described in the following subsections:
This function is responsible for loading the XCLBIN file into the device.
This class provides the following methods for controlling/monitoring this kernel:
- init(): opens the kernel, and sets the kernel parameters (location of the buffer object, and its length).
- run(): starts execution of the datamover kernel
- waitTo_complete(): waits for the datamover kernel to finish
- close(): closes the input data buffer object and kernel
This is the main PS application code that controls the kernels and runs data through the design. The various steps this code goes through is described in the following subsections.
The beginning of the A72 application is represented by the main function. It takes in one command line argument: an XCLBIN file.
The A72 application loads the XCLBIN binary file and creates the data mover kernels to be executed on the device.
Create the kernel objects and initialize them.
Start execution of the datamover kernel.
Wait for the datamover kernel to complete.
Compare data in output with the reference golden data and get the error count from the kernel.
Close the datamover kernel objects.
The following documents provide supplemental information for this tutorial.
Contains sections on how to develop AI Engine graphs, how to use the AI Engine compiler, AI Engine simulation, and performance analysis.
Describes the FIR Compiler IP describes all of the parameters and settings and how they control the final filter implementation.
GitHub issues will be used for tracking requests and bugs. For questions go to forums.xilinx.com.
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