Webpack Vs. ISE

D

Dave

Guest
I am just about to go through a 115 page introduction tutorial on the XCESS
website for using the Xilinx Webpack 4.x edition. However I will be using
the ISE Foundation 4.x edition and want to know if I am wasting my time
reading the entire Webpack tutorial to learn how to use the ISE Foundation
edition. I am assuming its all the same, with Webpack just having less
features. Anyone who is familiar with both editions that can let me know to
go ahead with this or STOP - and find a tutorial at Xilinx instead (I need
to install the software for their tutes I think) would be much appreciated.
Initial stages will be purely schematic entry. VHDL will come later.

Regards
Dave
 
I have used Webpack 4.2 something and I believe the ISE foundation of about the
same edition.

I have found that they are essentially identical, with the following
differences:

Webpack does not have the core generator. You cannot use the block rams and
other on chip resources.

I also am not sure that you can change the synthesis flow from XST to any thing
else. I don't know this for fact, as I have not tried to do this.

HTH

Clyde

Dave wrote:

I am just about to go through a 115 page introduction tutorial on the XCESS
website for using the Xilinx Webpack 4.x edition. However I will be using
the ISE Foundation 4.x edition and want to know if I am wasting my time
reading the entire Webpack tutorial to learn how to use the ISE Foundation
edition. I am assuming its all the same, with Webpack just having less
features. Anyone who is familiar with both editions that can let me know to
go ahead with this or STOP - and find a tutorial at Xilinx instead (I need
to install the software for their tutes I think) would be much appreciated.
Initial stages will be purely schematic entry. VHDL will come later.

Regards
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Clyde R. Shappee <clydes@the_world.com> wrote in message
news:3F6118EE.96AB3E46@the_world.com...
I have used Webpack 4.2 something and I believe the ISE foundation of
about the
same edition.

I have found that they are essentially identical, with the following
differences:

Webpack does not have the core generator. You cannot use the block rams
and
other on chip resources.
Click to expand...
That's not true Clyde, you've just got to know what they're called
and instantiate them directly.

See the Picoblaze and 'VirtexII picoblaze (more instruction memory)
on a SpartanII' projects on the Downloads page of my web site below.

Both done with web-pack and both instantiate blockrams.


Nial Stewart

------------------------------------------------
Nial Stewart Developments Ltd
FPGA and High Speed Digital Design
www.nialstewartdevelopments.co.uk
 
Are you going to be using ISE or Foundation? They are two completely
different software packages. ISE is very similar to the Webpack (another
reply you received describes the differences). Foundation is no longer
supported by Xilinx and is based on third party software. Also
Foundation will not do the newer FPGAs and ISE will not do the older FPGAs.

Dave wrote:
I am just about to go through a 115 page introduction tutorial on the XCESS
website for using the Xilinx Webpack 4.x edition. However I will be using
the ISE Foundation 4.x edition and want to know if I am wasting my time
reading the entire Webpack tutorial to learn how to use the ISE Foundation
edition. I am assuming its all the same, with Webpack just having less
features. Anyone who is familiar with both editions that can let me know to
go ahead with this or STOP - and find a tutorial at Xilinx instead (I need
to install the software for their tutes I think) would be much appreciated.
Initial stages will be purely schematic entry. VHDL will come later.

Regards
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Marc,

Xilinx has four versions of their ISE software. They are:

1) Webpack
2) BaseX
3) Foundation
4) Alliance

1 and 2 are subsets of Foundation which has the XST synthesis tool. The
differentiator is that #3 has the full toolset with support for all Xilinx
devices. Numbers 1 and 2 have XST but only support the low to mid range
devices. Alliance is the third party flow which does not include XST.
It should be noted that XST does not support devices based on the 4000
architecture. i.e. 4000 family, Spartan/Spartan XL. All other families are
supported. If you need support for the 4000 stuff you need to go third
party.

Hope this helps...


Matt

"Marc Guardiani" <marc@guardiani.com> wrote in message
news:R_u8b.758$U41.369@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...
Are you going to be using ISE or Foundation? They are two completely
different software packages. ISE is very similar to the Webpack (another
reply you received describes the differences). Foundation is no longer
supported by Xilinx and is based on third party software. Also
Foundation will not do the newer FPGAs and ISE will not do the older
FPGAs.

Dave wrote:
I am just about to go through a 115 page introduction tutorial on the
XCESS
website for using the Xilinx Webpack 4.x edition. However I will be
using
the ISE Foundation 4.x edition and want to know if I am wasting my time
reading the entire Webpack tutorial to learn how to use the ISE
Foundation
edition. I am assuming its all the same, with Webpack just having less
features. Anyone who is familiar with both editions that can let me know
to
go ahead with this or STOP - and find a tutorial at Xilinx instead (I
need
to install the software for their tutes I think) would be much
appreciated.
Initial stages will be purely schematic entry. VHDL will come later.

Regards
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Matt,

Thanks for the info. I looked at the Xilinx web site and what they are
now calling Foundation is not what they had called Foundation
previously. Previously, ISE started and Foundation ended with version
4.x (which used Aldec technology). What they are now calling Foundation
is something completely different than what I was refering to. I stand
corrected.

Marc


Matt wrote:
Marc,

Xilinx has four versions of their ISE software. They are:

1) Webpack
2) BaseX
3) Foundation
4) Alliance

1 and 2 are subsets of Foundation which has the XST synthesis tool. The
differentiator is that #3 has the full toolset with support for all Xilinx
devices. Numbers 1 and 2 have XST but only support the low to mid range
devices. Alliance is the third party flow which does not include XST.
It should be noted that XST does not support devices based on the 4000
architecture. i.e. 4000 family, Spartan/Spartan XL. All other families are
supported. If you need support for the 4000 stuff you need to go third
party.

Hope this helps...


Matt

"Marc Guardiani" <marc@guardiani.com> wrote in message
news:R_u8b.758$U41.369@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...

Are you going to be using ISE or Foundation? They are two completely
different software packages. ISE is very similar to the Webpack (another
reply you received describes the differences). Foundation is no longer
supported by Xilinx and is based on third party software. Also
Foundation will not do the newer FPGAs and ISE will not do the older

FPGAs.

Dave wrote:

I am just about to go through a 115 page introduction tutorial on the

XCESS

website for using the Xilinx Webpack 4.x edition. However I will be

using

the ISE Foundation 4.x edition and want to know if I am wasting my time
reading the entire Webpack tutorial to learn how to use the ISE

Foundation

edition. I am assuming its all the same, with Webpack just having less
features. Anyone who is familiar with both editions that can let me know

to

go ahead with this or STOP - and find a tutorial at Xilinx instead (I

need

to install the software for their tutes I think) would be much

appreciated.

Initial stages will be purely schematic entry. VHDL will come later.

Regards
Dave
Click to expand...
 
I just did a little experiment with the webpack software, instantiating a
fifo in the block ram.... and the software black boxes it because it doesn't
know how to hook it up.

The .edn file from the core generator is missing, and as such XST does not
know how to configure the block ram.

This is consistent with information I received from the Xilinx Apps guy.

/\/\/\/

Sorry for my confusion on Webpack vs. Foundation.

Clyde

Nial Stewart wrote:

Clyde R. Shappee <clydes@the_world.com> wrote in message
news:3F6118EE.96AB3E46@the_world.com...
I have used Webpack 4.2 something and I believe the ISE foundation of
about the
same edition.

I have found that they are essentially identical, with the following
differences:

Webpack does not have the core generator. You cannot use the block rams
and
other on chip resources.

That's not true Clyde, you've just got to know what they're called
and instantiate them directly.

See the Picoblaze and 'VirtexII picoblaze (more instruction memory)
on a SpartanII' projects on the Downloads page of my web site below.

Both done with web-pack and both instantiate blockrams.

Nial Stewart

------------------------------------------------
Nial Stewart Developments Ltd
FPGA and High Speed Digital Design
www.nialstewartdevelopments.co.uk
Click to expand...
 
Clyde R. Shappee <clydes@the_world.com> wrote in message
news:3F64ABE0.783CE26F@the_world.com...
I just did a little experiment with the webpack software, instantiating a
fifo in the block ram.... and the software black boxes it because it
doesn't
know how to hook it up.
The .edn file from the core generator is missing, and as such XST does
not
know how to configure the block ram.
This is consistent with information I received from the Xilinx Apps guy.
Clyde
Click to expand...
What are you trying to instantiate? If it's a component that you
previously generated from Coregen then it won't work as coregen
stitches whatever Blockrams together to get the structure you
need, creates a wrapper round them and gives it a sensible name.

If you try to instantiate the wrapper web-pack won't know what you're
talking about.

Have a look at the data sheet for whatever device you're targeting to
see what the blockrams should be called. As an example a 256* 8 bit dual
port
ram in SpartanIIE is RAMB4_S8_S8, you'll have to check the data sheet for
port names.

If you want bigger/wider structures than you get with one block ram you've
got to stitch them together yourself (with a wrapper if you want).


It would be almost a complete waste of time for Xilinx to release web-pack
if you couldn't access blockrams.


Nial.

------------------------------------------------
Nial Stewart Developments Ltd
FPGA and High Speed Digital Design
www.nialstewartdevelopments.co.uk
 
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