Libre-FDATool as a Virtual Appliance
In order to overcome the problems often related with deploying open design toolchains from the ground up across different host environments, we can use well-known techniques from the open-software world in order to get an Out-of-Box experience. One possible solution is the Virtual Appliance approach.
A Virtual Appliance is a software application that might be combined with Just enough Operating System (JeOS) for it to run optimally in a virtual machine.
Libre-FDATool can be easily deployed as a Virtual Appliance by only using free software in any mainstream Operating System (GNU/Linux, Windows, OS-X, Solaris) -- including all the required functionality, from the scientific Python environment to the extra EDA tools. In order to do that, you must:
- Download and deploy the JeOS Virtual Appliance: Virtual Appliance JeOS
- Install the Libre-FDATool app and environment in the JeOS image: Libre-FDATool on Launchpad
Base Operating System: Ubuntu
We have choose Ubuntu as a the base operating system for building the virtual appliance JeOS for the next reasons:
- Ubuntu is built on Free/Open Source Software
- Ubuntu excels in code stability vs cutting-edge tradeoff
- Ubuntu allows for building customized light JeOS deployments
-
Ubuntu support includes free cloud services
for:
- Data storage: Ubuntu One
- Application development: Launchpad
The JeOS image includes a selection of unmodified Ubuntu packages deployed by using the official Ubuntu distribution network installer -- current version used is Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander Minimal CD for 32-bit PC (x86).
The only custom "tweaks" are autologin and some standard desktop options for default user.
The graphical frontend for the JeOS is a clean and minimal Xubuntu desktop environment.
DISCLAIMER: Virtual Appliance JeOS is intended as a resource for application development, testing and evaluation. In no way Virtual Appliance JeOS purpose is acting as a replacement of a standard Ubuntu installation.
Virtualization Platform
Despite the fact that Libre-FDASys is able to run on other platforms such as VMWare, we have choose Oracle VM VirtualBox as the reference virtualization platform for the next reasons:
- Oracle VM VirtualBox is distributed under GPL terms
-
Oracle VM VirtualBox supports all the
mainstream hosts OS:
- Windows
- Linux
- Solaris
- Apple OS-X
NOTE*: the JeOS image includes built in VirtualBox guest addition support for advanced host integration, including shared folders, shared clipboard and automatic window resizing.
Download Virtual Appliance JeOS
We are using Ubuntu One cloud services in order to host the virtual appliance JeOS image.
You can get JeOS from the next link:
Once you have downloaded the file, you can easily import the virtual appliance in your virtual machine platform and run JeOS.
Install the Libre-FDATool application and the required third-party tools
Libre-FDATool is being packaged in a Debian like repository by using the Ubuntu's Launchpad infrastructure.
You can access Libre-FDATool original source and binary package snapshots in the next PPA:
In order to install the package in the Virtual Appliance JeOS or in any other Ubuntu deployment, just execute the next commands from a terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:garcialasheras/libre-fdatool
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python-librefdatool
NOTE*: sudo command requires administrator privileges password. The Virtual Appliance default user access settings are:
- User: "user"
- Password: "user"
Once the process of automatically downloading and installing the binary packages has ended, we can run libre-FDATool by:
- Clicking on the Libre-FDATool icon from the desktop application launcher menu.
- Writing the "librefdatool" command in the system terminal.
VHDL simulation support
VHDL simulation capabilities are provided throughout GHDL compiler. GHDL is not included in mainstream Ubuntu, but can be installed from a Launchpad PPA:
To handle external app's on Ubuntu
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pgavin/ghdl
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ghdl
Troubleshooting
If JeOS virtual appliance startup is too slow and you get messages such as "waiting for network configuration", then your virtual machine isn't able to configure the virtual network interface. You must erase all the contents of the next file:
/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules
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