This tutorial details the steps required for creating, building & running PetaLinux on both the QEMU emulator and Zedboard hardware.

The aims of this tutorial are as follows :-

Part 1 - Project Setup

1. Setup environment
2. Change present working directory

Part 2 - Create PetaLinux project & configure it

3. Create PetaLinux project
4. Add Hardware Platform
5. Configure PetaLinux

Part 3 - Revision Control

6. Create repository & commit files

Part 4 - Build & package PetaLinux

7. Build PetaLinux
8. Package PetaLinux

Part 5 - Emulator Deployment

9. Run PetaLinux on QEMU

Part 6 - Hardware Deployment

10. Setup Zedboard hardware
11. Launch MiniCom terminal emulator
12. Run PetaLinux on Zedboard via JTAG
13. Check everything is working as expected

Part 7 - Quickstart

14. Obtain tutorial files from Bitbucket, create & build project, deploy on Zedboard

Setup Xilinx design environment for the 2021.2 toolset.

Create the root project directory structure and change the present working directory (pwd) to be inside the OS part.

Create a PetaLinux project using the Zynq FPGA template. Examine the project directory.

Configure the PetaLinux project to use the exported hardware platform from the zedboard_leds_switches Vivado project. The configuration menu now appears.

Select Exit to leave the configuration menu. Select Yes when prompted to save the new configuration. Examine the root directory again to see what's changed.

Configure PetaLinux to use Network Time Protocol (NTP) to obtain and maintain the correct date & time. Note this requires the Zedboard to be connected to the Internet.

Edit the petalinuxbsp.conf as shown below. Remove the auto-login option to stop the console from dropping into a root shell. Navigate Image Features from the root menu. Unselect the auto-login option from the sub-menu. Select Exit to navigate back to the root menu. Select Exit again to exit the configuration session. Select Yes when prompted to save the new configuration. Set up a transfer directory for the built images.

Create a fresh repository and commit the newly created & configured project along with its hardware platform. Create an annotated tag and push the commit & tag up to the remote repository.

Build the PetaLinux project (this takes around 20 minutes, hardware dependent).

Package up the PetaLinux project ready for deployment.

Launch PetaLinux on the QEMU software emulator. Login with either root:root or petalinux:petalinux. To quit QEMU use Ctrl-a then x.

Connect up the hardware as follows :-

1. Xubuntu PC USB ⇄ Zedboard USB JTAG/Debug
2. Xubuntu PC USB ⇄ Zedboard USB UART
3. Zedboard Ethernet ⇄ Router
4. Xubuntu PC Ethenet ⇄ Router
5. Router ⇄ Internet

Set the boot mode jumpers on the Zedboard for JTAG. Power on the Zedboard.

If not already running, open up a new terminal and launch the MiniCom terminal emulator.

Power cycle the Zedboard and deploy the project via JTAG.

The blue done LED should illuminate once the Programmable Logic (PL) has been programmed, then the two middle LED's should illuminate indicating that the bitstream from the zedboard_leds_switches project is in use. After this the software should run on the Processor System (PS) and ultimately provide a login prompt via the terminal emulator. The login credentials are as before. Login as root to gain full access rights. Check for local area network (LAN) connectivity (ping DHCP server). Check for wide area network (WAN) connectivity (ping Google). Find out what IP address the DHCP server issued and also what the MAC number is. As with all connected equipment it is highly recommended to assign a fixed IP address to the Zedboard via the DHCP server, in this case 192.168.2.87.

The source files relating to this tutorial for the OS can be obtained from Bitbucket. The OS repository contains both PetaLinux and a local copy of the exported hardware (firmware).

The instructions below assume that Part 1 - Installation of tools, setup of environment and creation of project area has been completed in full and that the environment has been setup as per 1. Setup environment. The root project area ~/projects should be present and contain the common project. The zedboard_linux projects should NOT be present. Adjust the commands below to suit if the above differs.

Obtain OS source, build & deploy on Zedboard. Do something with the OS (if required) then perform the following steps :-

7. Build PetaLinux
8. Package PetaLinux
10. Setup Zedboard hardware
11. Launch MiniCom terminal emulator
12. Run PetaLinux on Zedboard via JTAG
13. Check everything is working as expected