FPGA computing with Debian and derivatives

FPGA [1] (Field-programmable gate array) can be programmed to perform a particular computation in hardware. And when the array is large enough, it can perform many such computations in parallel. This resembles the execution of code on the GPU, just that the GPU can other than the FPGA not be changed in its functionality.

The flexibility of FPGAs makes them come in various flavours. They are usually coming on PCI or USB-pluggable boards, or they occupy a CPU slot. And when on a separate board, they may have some extra intelligence with them, which may be capable to run Linux. And there are yet again other setups, that let an FPGA emulate a CPU ... confusion.

The FPGA vendors coming to mind first are Altera, Lattice and Xilinx [2]. When aiming at just getting some problem with FPGA solved with that machine attached to the net or to the USB port in a Debian compatible manner, there may be several options [3,4,5].

Debian has the API of ZTEX [3] already shipping with its distribution, see the package ztex-ezusb:

• their boards are Open Source hardware, prepared for IO, application acceleration,

• the company regularly contributes to ?OpenCores.org, and

• their API is Free.

While the ZTEX boards use Xilinx FPGAs themselves, that vendor supports Linux also directly, also for the boards to run the OS themselves. See FPGA/Xilinx for details.

See also

• VHDL

• FPGA/ToDo - ideas for this page to develop

References

• [1] Wikipedia on FPGA

• [2] http://www.xilinx.com

• [3] http://www.ztex.de

• [4] http://www.sciengines.com

• [5] please add your Debian-compatible FPGA resource here

• http://www.mrc.uidaho.edu/fpga/index.php

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHDL

• http://www.fpgacentral.com