AN 817: Static Update Partial Reconfiguration Tutorial: for Intel Arria 10 GX FPGA Development Board

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AN-817 | 2019.07.15

Static Update Partial Reconfiguration Tutorial for Intel Arria 10 GX FPGA Development Board

This application note demonstrates static update partial reconfiguration (SUPR) on the Intel^® Arria^® 10 GX FPGA development board.

Partial reconfiguration (PR) allows you to reconfigure a portion of an Intel^® FPGA dynamically, while the remaining FPGA continues to operate. PR implements multiple personas in a particular region in your design, without impacting operation in areas outside this region. This methodology provides the following advantages in systems in which multiple functions time-share the same FPGA resources:

Allows run-time reconfiguration
Increases design scalability
Reduces system down-time
Supports dynamic time-multiplexing functions in the design
Lowers cost and power consumption by efficient use of board space

In traditional PR, any change to the static region requires recompilation of every persona. However, you can define a specialized SUPR region that allows change, without requiring the recompilation of personas. This technique is useful for a portion of a design that you may possibly want to change for risk mitigation, but that never requires runtime reconfiguration.

Tutorial Requirements

This tutorial requires the following:

Basic familiarity with the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Pro Edition FPGA implementation flow and project files.
Installation of Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Pro Edition version 19.1, with Intel^® Arria^® 10 device support.
For FPGA implementation, a JTAG connection with the Intel^® Arria^® 10 GX FPGA development board on the bench.
Download Reference Design Files.

Reference Design Overview

This reference design consists of one, 32-bit counter. At the board level, the design connects the clock to a 50MHz source, and then connects the output to four LEDs on the board. Selecting the output from the counter bits, in a specific sequence, causes the LEDs to blink at a specific frequency. The top_counter module is the SUPR region.

Figure 1. Flat Reference Design

Static Update Region Overview

The following figure shows the block diagram for a PR design that includes a SUPR region. Block A is the Top static region. Block B is the SUPR region. Block C is the PR partition.

Figure 2. PR Design with SUPR Region

A Top Static Region—contains design logic that does not change. Changing this region requires recompilation of all associated personas. The static region includes the portion of the design that does not change for any persona. This region can include periphery and core device resources. You must register all communication between the SUPR and PR partitions in the static region. This requirement helps to ensure timing closure for any personas, with respect to the static region.
B SUPR Region—contains core-only logic that may possibly change for risk mitigation, but never requires runtime reconfiguration. The SUPR region has the same requirements and restrictions as the PR partition. The SUPR partition can contain only core resources. Therefore, the SUPR partition must be a child partition of the top-level root partition that contains the design periphery and clocks. Changing the SUPR region produces a SRAM Object File (.sof) that is compatible with all existing compiled Raw Binary File (.rbf) files for PR partition C.
C PR Partition—contains arbitrary logic that you can reprogram at runtime with any design logic that fits and achieves timing closure during compilation.

Download Reference Design Files

The partial reconfiguration tutorial is available in the following location:

https://github.com/intel/fpga-partial-reconfig

To download the tutorial:

Click Clone or download.
Click Download ZIP. Unzip the fpga-partial-reconfig-master.zip file.
Navigate to the tutorials/a10_pcie_devkit_blinking_led_supr sub-folder to access the reference design.

The flat folder consists of the following files:

Table 1. Reference Design Files
File Name	Description
top.sv	Top-level file containing the flat implementation of the design. This module instantiates the `blinking_led` sub-partition and the `top_counter` module.
top_counter.sv	Top-level 32-bit counter that controls `LED[1]` directly. The registered output of the counter controls `LED[0]`, and also powers `LED[2]` and `LED[3]` via the `blinking_led` module.
blinking_led.sdc	Defines the timing constraints for the project.
blinking_led.sv	In this tutorial, you convert this module into a parent PR partition. The module receives the registered output of `top_counter` module, which controls `LED[2]` and `LED[3]`.
blinking_led.qpf	Intel^® Quartus^® Prime project file containing the list of all the revisions in the project.
blinking_led.qsf	Intel^® Quartus^® Prime settings file containing the assignments and settings for the project.

Note: The supr folder contains the complete set of files you create using this application note. Reference these files at any point during the walkthrough.

Reference Design Walkthrough

The following steps describe implementation of SUPR with a flat design:

Step 1: Getting Started
Step 2: Create Design Partitions
Step 3: Allocate Placement and Routing Regions
Step 4: Add the Partial Reconfiguration Controller IP
Step 5: Define Personas
Step 6: Create Revisions
Step 7: Compile the Base Revision
Step 8: Set Up PR Implementation Revisions
Step 9: Change the SUPR Logic
Step 10: Program the Board

Figure 3. SUPR Compilation Flow

Step 1: Getting Started

To copy the reference design files to your working environment and compile the blinking_led flat design:

Before you begin, Download Reference Design Files.
Create the a10_pcie_devkit_blinking_led_supr directory in your working environment.
Copy the downloaded tutorials/a10_pcie_devkit_blinking_led_supr/flat sub-folder to the a10_pcie_devkit_blinking_led_supr directory.
In the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Pro Edition software, click File > Open Project and open /flat/blinking_led.qpf.
To compile the base design, click Processing > Start Compilation.

Step 2: Create Design Partitions

Create design partitions for each region that you want to partially reconfigure. You can create any number of independent partitions or PR regions in your project. Follow these steps to create design partitions for the u_blinking_led instance as the PR partition, and the u_top_counter instance as the SUPR region:

Right-click the u_blinking_led instance in the Project Navigator and click Design Partition > Reconfigurable. A design partition icon appears next to each instance that is set as a partition.

Figure 4. Creating Design Partitions
Repeat step 1 to create a partition for the u_top_counter instance.
Click Assignments > Design Partitions Window. The window displays all design partitions in the project.

Figure 5. Design Partitions Window
Double-click the blinking_led Partition Name cell to rename it to pr_partition. Similarly, rename the top_counter partition to supr_partition.

Alternatively, adding the following lines to blinking_led.qsf creates these partitions:

set_instance_assignment -name PARTITION pr_partition \
     -to u_blinking_led -entity top
set_instance_assignment -name PARTIAL_RECONFIGURATION_PARTITION ON \
     -to u_blinking_led -entity top
set_instance_assignment -name PARTITION supr_partition \
     -to u_top_counter -entity top
set_instance_assignment -name PARTIAL_RECONFIGURATION_PARTITION ON \
     -to u_top_counter -entity top

Step 3: Allocate Placement and Routing Regions

For every base revision that you create, the Compiler uses the PR partition region allocation to place the corresponding persona core in the reserved region. Follow these steps to locate and assign a PR region in the device floorplan for your base revision:

In the Project Navigator Hierarchy tab, right-click the u_blinking_led instance, and then click Logic Lock Region > Create New Logic Lock Region. The region appears in the Logic Lock Regions window.
Specify a region Width of 5 and Height of 4.
Specify the placement region coordinates for u_blinking_led in the Origin column. The origin corresponds to the lower-left corner of the region. Specify the Origin as X57_Y6. The Compiler calculates (X62_Y9) as the top-right coordinate.
Enable the Reserved and Core-Only options for the region.
Double-click the Routing Region option. The Logic Lock Routing Region Settings dialog box appears.
For the Routing Type, select Fixed with expansion. This option automatically assigns an Expansion length of one.
Repeat the previous steps to allocate the following resources for the u_top_counter partition:
- Height—4
- Width—5
- Origin—X64_Y6
- Routing Region— Fixed with expansion with Expansion length of one.
Note: The routing region must be larger than the placement region, to provide extra flexibility for the Compiler's routing stage, when the Compiler routes different personas.
Your placement region must enclose the blinking_led logic. To select the placement region by locating the node in Chip Planner, right-click the u_blinking_led region name in the Logic Lock Regions window, and then click Locate Node > Locate in Chip Planner.

Under Partition Reports, double-click Report Design Partitions. The Chip Planner highlights and color codes the region.

Alternatively, adding the following lines to blinking_led.qsf creates these regions:

set_instance_assignment -name PARTITION supr_partition -to u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name PARTIAL_RECONFIGURATION_PARTITION ON -to \
     u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name PLACE_REGION "X64 Y6 X68 Y9" -to \
     u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name RESERVE_PLACE_REGION ON -to u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name CORE_ONLY_PLACE_REGION ON -to u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name ROUTE_REGION "X63 Y5 X69 Y10" -to \
     u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name PARTITION pr_partition -to u_blinking_led
set_instance_assignment -name PARTIAL_RECONFIGURATION_PARTITION ON -to \
     u_blinking_led
set_instance_assignment -name RESERVE_PLACE_REGION ON -to u_blinking_led
set_instance_assignment -name CORE_ONLY_PLACE_REGION ON -to u_blinking_led
set_instance_assignment -name PLACE_REGION "X57 Y6 X62 Y9" -to \ 
     u_blinking_led
set_instance_assignment -name ROUTE_REGION "X56 Y5 X61 Y10" -to \
     u_blinking_led

Step 4: Add the Partial Reconfiguration Controller IP

The Partial Reconfiguration Controller IP enables reconfiguration over JTAG. The following steps describe adding the Partial Reconfiguration Controller IP core to your project.

Note: To skip these steps, copy the pr_ip.ip file from the pr folder into your project directory, and add the set_global_assignment -name IP_FILE pr_ip.ip assignment to the blinking_led.qsf file. To ensure appropriate constraining of the IP, place this assignment after the SDC_FILE assignments (jtag.sdc and blinking_led.sdc).

In the IP Catalog (Tools > IP Catalog), type Partial Reconfiguration in the search field.
Double-click Partial Reconfiguration Controller Intel^® Arria^® 10/Cyclone 10 FPGA IP.
In the Create IP Variant dialog box, type pr_ip as the file name, and then click Create.
Turn on Use as partial reconfiguration internal host, Enable JTAG debug mode, and Enable freeze interface. Turn off Enable Avalon-MM slave interface.

Figure 6. Partial Reconfiguration Controller IP Core Parameters
Click Generate HDL.
In the Generation dialog box, accept the default settings and click Generate. The parameter editor generates the pr_ip.ip variation file and adds the file to the blinking_led project.

Update the Top-Level Design

Update the top.sv file with the PR_IP instance:

To add the pr_ip instance to the top-level design, uncomment the following code block in the top.sv file:

pr_ip u_pr_ip
    (
        .clk           (clock),
        .nreset        (1'b1),
        .freeze        (freeze),
        .pr_start      (1'b0),            // ignored for JTAG
        .status        (pr_ip_status),
        .data          (16'b0),
        .data_valid    (1'b0),
        .data_ready    ()
    );

To force the output ports to logic 1 during reconfiguration, use the freeze control signal output from PR_IP. Uncomment the following lines of code:
```
assign led_two_on_w    = freeze ? 1'b1 : pr_led_two_on;
assign led_three_on_w  = freeze ? 1'b1 : pr_led_three_on;
```

To assign an instance of the default persona (blinking_led), update the top.sv file with the following block of code:

blinking_led u_blinking_led
    (
        .led_two_on    (pr_led_two_on),
        .led_three_on  (pr_led_three_on),
        .clock         (clock)
        .counter       (count_d)
    );

Figure 7. Partial Reconfiguration IP Core Integration

Step 5: Define Personas

This reference design defines three separate personas for the single PR partition, and one SUPR persona for the SUPR region. Follow these steps to define and include these personas in your project. If using the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Text Editor, disable Add file to current project when saving the files.

Create new blinking_led_slow.sv, blinking_led_empty.sv, and top_counter_fast.sv SystemVerilog files in your working directory. Confirm that blinking_led.sv is already present in the working directory.

Enter the following contents for the SystemVerilog files:

Table 2. Reference Design Personas SystemVerilog
File Name	Description	Code
blinking_led_slow.sv	LEDs blink slower	`timescale 1 ps / 1 ps `default_nettype none module blinking_led_slow ( // clock input wire clock, input wire [31:0] counter, // Control signals for the LEDs output wire led_two_on, output wire led_three_on ); localparam COUNTER_TAP = 27; reg led_two_on_r; reg led_three_on_r; assign led_two_on = led_two_on_r; assign led_three_on = led_three_on_r; always_ff @(posedge clock) begin led_two_on_r <= counter[COUNTER_TAP]; led_three_on_r <= counter[COUNTER_TAP]; end endmodule
blinking_led_empty.sv	LEDs stay ON	`timescale 1 ps / 1 ps `default_nettype none module blinking_led_empty( // clock input wire clock, input wire [31:0] counter, // Control signals for the LEDs output wire led_two_on, output wire led_three_on ); // LED is active low assign led_two_on = 1'b0; assign led_three_on = 1'b0; endmodule
top_counter_fast.sv	Second SUPR persona	`timescale 1 ps / 1 ps `default_nettype none module top_counter_fast ( // Control signals for the LEDs output wire led_one_on, output wire [31:0] count, // clock input wire clock ); localparam COUNTER_TAP = 23; reg [31:0] count_d; assign count = count_d; assign led_one_on = count_d[COUNTER_TAP]; always_ff @(posedge clock) begin count_d <= count_d + 2; end endmodule

Table 2. Reference Design Personas SystemVerilog

File Name

Description

Code

blinking_led_slow.sv

LEDs blink slower

`timescale 1 ps / 1 ps
`default_nettype none

module blinking_led_slow (
     // clock
     input wire clock,
     input wire [31:0] counter,
     // Control signals for the LEDs
     output wire led_two_on,
     output wire led_three_on
);

     localparam COUNTER_TAP = 27;

     reg led_two_on_r;
     reg led_three_on_r;
 
     assign led_two_on = led_two_on_r;
     assign led_three_on = led_three_on_r;

     always_ff @(posedge clock) begin
          led_two_on_r <= counter[COUNTER_TAP];
          led_three_on_r <= counter[COUNTER_TAP];
     end

endmodule

blinking_led_empty.sv

LEDs stay ON

`timescale 1 ps / 1 ps
`default_nettype none

module blinking_led_empty(
     // clock
     input wire clock,
     input wire [31:0] counter,
     // Control signals for the LEDs
     output wire led_two_on,
     output wire led_three_on
);

     // LED is active low 
     assign led_two_on = 1'b0;
     
     assign led_three_on = 1'b0;

endmodule

top_counter_fast.sv

Second SUPR persona

`timescale 1 ps / 1 ps
`default_nettype none 

module top_counter_fast (
     // Control signals for the LEDs
     output wire led_one_on,
     output wire [31:0] count,
     // clock
     input wire clock
);

     localparam COUNTER_TAP = 23;
     reg [31:0] count_d;

     assign count = count_d;
     assign led_one_on = count_d[COUNTER_TAP];

     always_ff @(posedge clock) begin
         count_d <= count_d + 2;
     end
endmodule

Step 6: Create Revisions

The PR design flow uses the project revisions feature in the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software. Your initial design is the base revision, where you define the static region boundaries and reconfigurable regions on the FPGA.

From the base revision, you create additional revisions. These revisions contain the different implementations for the PR regions. However, all PR implementation revisions use the same top-level placement and routing results from the base revision.

To compile a PR design, you create a PR implementation revision for each persona. In addition, you must assign either the Partial Reconfiguration - Base or Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation revision type for each of the revisions. The following table lists the revision name and the revision type for each of the revisions. The impl_blinking_led_supr_new.qsf revision is the SUPR persona implementation.

Table 3. Revision Names and Types
Revision Name	Revision Type
`blinking_led.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Base
`blinking_led_default.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation
`blinking_led_slow.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation
`blinking_led_empty.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation
`impl_blinking_led_supr_new.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation

Setting the Base Revision

Follow these steps to set blinking_led as the base revision:

Click Project > Revisions.
For Revision Type, select Partial Reconfiguration - Base.
This step adds the following to the blinking_led.qsf:
```
##blinking_led.qsf
set_global_assignment -name REVISION_TYPE PR_BASE
```

Creating Implementation Revisions

Follow these steps to create the implementation revisions:

In the Revisions dialog box, double-click <<new revision>>.
In Revision name, specify blinking_led_default and select blinking_led for Based on revision.
Enable This project uses a Partition Database (.qdb) file for the root partition, but do not specify the Root Partition Database file at this point. You specify this file in Step 8: Set Up PR Implementation Revisions
For the Revision type, select Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation.
Disable the Set as current revision option.

Repeat steps 2 through 5 to set the Revision type for the other implementation revisions:

Revision Name	Revision Type	Based on Revision
`blinking_led_slow.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation	blinking_led
`blinking_led_empty.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation	blinking_led
`impl_blinking_led_supr_new.qsf`	Partial Reconfiguration - Persona Implementation	blinking_led

Each .qsf file now contains the following assignment:

set_global_assignment -name REVISION_TYPE PR_IMPL
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING place_holder -to u_top_counter
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING place_holder -to u_blinking_led

Step 7: Compile the Base Revision

Follow these steps to compile the base revision and export the static and SUPR regions for later use in implementation revisions for new PR personae:

Set blinking_led as the Current Revision if not already set.
Before compiling the base revision, make sure blinking_led.qsf contains the following assignments. These assignments direct the Assembler to automatically generate the required PR bitstreams following compilation:
```
set_global_assignment -name GENERATE_PR_RBF_FILE ON
set_global_assignment -name ON_CHIP_BITSTREAM_DECOMPRESSION OFF
```
In the Design Partitions Window, click the (…) adjacent to the farthest right column and enable the Post Final Export File column. You can also disable or change the order of columns.
To automatically export the final snapshot of PR implementation design partitions after each compilation, specify the following for the Post Final Export File options for the root and SUPR partitions. The .qdb files export to the project directory by default.
- root_partition—blinking_led_static.qdb
- supr_partition—blinking_led_supr_partition_final.qdb
Figure 8. Auto Export in Design Partitions Window

Alternatively, the following .qsf assignments export the partitions automatically after each compilation:
```
set_instance_assignment -name EXPORT_PARTITION_SNAPSHOT_FINAL \
    blinking_led_static.qdb -to | -entity top
set_instance_assignment -name EXPORT_PARTITION_SNAPSHOT_FINAL \
    blinking_led_supr_partition_final.qdb -to u_top_counter \
    -entity top
```
To compile the blinking_led base revision, click Processing > Start Compilation. Alternatively, you can use the following command to compile this revision:
```
quartus_sh --flow compile  blinking_led -c blinking_led
```
After successful compilation, the following files appear in the project directory:
- blinking_led.sof
- blinking_led.pr_partition.rbf
- blinking_led_static.qdb
- blinking_led_supr_partition_final.qdb

Step 8: Set Up PR Implementation Revisions

You must prepare the PR implementation revisions before you can generate the PR bitstream for device programming. This setup includes adding the static region .qdb file as the source file for each implementation revision. In addition, you must specify the corresponding entity of the PR region.

Follow these steps to setup the PR implementation revisions:

To set the current revision, click Project > Revisions, select blinking_led_default as the Revision name, and then click Set Current. Alternatively, select the current revision on the main Intel^® Quartus^® Prime toolbar.
To verify the correct source for this implementation revision, click Project > Add/Remove Files in Project. Confirm that the blinking_led.sv file appears in the file list.

To verify the correct source file for the implementation revisions, click Project > Add/Remove files in Project, and add the following source files for the implementation revisions. If present, remove blinking_led.sv from the list of project files.

Implementation Revision Name	Source File
blinking_led_empty	blinking_led_empty.sv
blinking_led_slow	blinking_led_slow.sv

Set blinking_led_default as the Current Revision.
To specify the .qdb file as the source for root_partition, click Assignments > Design Partitions Window. Double-click the Partition Database File cell and specify the blinking_led_static.qdb file.

Similarly, specify blinking_led_supr_partition_final.qdb as the Partition Database File for supr_partition.

Figure 9.

Alternatively, use the following .qsf assignments to specify the .qdb:

set_instance_assignment -name QDB_FILE_PARTITION \
     blinking_led_static.qdb -to |
set_instance_assignment -name QDB_FILE_PARTITION \
     blinking_led_supr_partition_final.qdb -to u_top_counter

In the Design Partitions Window, click the (…) adjacent to the farthest right column and enable the Entity Re-binding column.
Remove any .qdb file entry for the

In the Entity Re-binding cell, specify the new entity name for the PR partition you are changing in the current implementation revision. For the blinking_led_default implementation revision, the entity name is blinking_led. In this case, you are overwriting the u_blinking_led instance from the base revision compile with the new entity blinking_led. For other implementation revisions, refer to the following table:

Revision	Entity Re-binding Value
`blinking_led_slow`	`blinking_led_slow`
`blinking_led_empty`	`blinking_led_empty`

Figure 10. Entity Rebinding

Alternatively, you can use the following lines in each revision's .qsf to set the assignments:

##blinking_led_default.qsf
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING blinking_led \
     -to u_blinking_led

##blinking_led_slow.qsf
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING blinking_led_slow \
     -to u_blinking_led

##blinking_led_empty.qsf
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING blinking_led_empty \
     -to u_blinking_led

Delete the place_holder text from the Entity Re-binding cell for supr_partition.
Before compiling the implementation revision, make sure the revision's .qsf contains the following assignments. These assignments direct the Assembler to automatically generate the required PR bitstreams following compilation:
```
set_global_assignment -name GENERATE_PR_RBF_FILE ON
set_global_assignment -name ON_CHIP_BITSTREAM_DECOMPRESSION OFF
```
To compile the design, click Processing > Start Compilation. Alternatively, use the following command to compile this project:
```
quartus_sh --flow compile blinking_led –c blinking_led_default
```
Repeat steps 4 through 11 to prepare and compile the blinking_led_slow and blinking_led_empty implementation revisions.

Step 9: Change the SUPR Logic

To change the functionality of the logic within the SUPR partition, you must change the SUPR partition source. Complete the following steps to replace the u_top_counter instance in the SUPR partition with the top_counter_fast entity.

To set the SUPR implementation revision as current, click Project > Revisions and set impl_blinking_led_supr_new as the current revision, or select the revision on the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime main toolbar.
To verify the correct source file for the implementation revision, click Project > Add/Remove files in Project, and verify that top_counter_fast.sv is the source for the impl_blinking_led_supr_new implementation revision. If present, remove top_counter.sv from the list of project files.
To specify the .qdb file associated with the root partition, click Assignments > Design Partitions Window, and then double-click the Partition Database File cell to specify blinking_led_static.qdb.
Alternatively, use the following command to assign this file:
```
set_instance_assignment -name QDB_FILE_PARTITION \
     blinking_led_static.qdb -to |
```
In the Entity Re-binding cell for pr_partition, specify the appropriate entity name. For this example, specify the blinking_led_empty entity. In this case, you are overwriting the u_blinking_led instance from the base revision compile with the new entity blinking_led_empty. The following line now exists in the .qsf:
```
##impl_blinking_led_supr_new.qsf
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING blinking_led_empty \
     -to u_blinking_led
```
In the Entity Re-binding cell for supr_partition, specify the top_counter_fast entity. top_counter_fast is the name of the static entity that replaces u_top_counter when you complete the SUPR.
```
##impl_blinking_led_supr_new.qsf
set_instance_assignment -name ENTITY_REBINDING top_counter_fast \
     -to u_top_counter
```
Before compiling the implementation revision, make sure the revision's .qsf file (impl_blinking_led_supr_new.qsf) contains the following assignment. This assignment directs the Assembler to automatically generate the required PR bitstreams following compilation:
```
set_global_assignment -name GENERATE_PR_RBF_FILE ON
set_global_assignment -name ON_CHIP_BITSTREAM_DECOMPRESSION OFF
```
To compile the design, click Processing > Start Compilation. Alternatively, use following command to compile this project revision:
```
quartus_sh --flow compile blinking_led –c \
     impl_blinking_led_supr_new
```

Step 10: Program the Board

Follow these steps to connect and program the Intel^® Arria^® 10 GX FPGA development board:

Connect the power supply to the Intel^® Arria^® 10 GX FPGA development board.
Connect a USB cable between your PC USB port and the USB programming hardware on the development board.
Open the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software, and then click Tools > Programmer.
In the Programmer, click Hardware Setup, and then select USB-Blaster.
Click Auto Detect, and then select the 10AX115S2 device.
Click OK. The Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software detects and updates the Programmer with the three FPGA devices on the board.
Select the 10AX115S2 device, click Change File, and load the blinking_led_default.sof file.
Enable Program/Configure for the blinking_led_default.sof file.
Click Start and wait for the progress bar to reach 100%.
Observe the LEDs on the board blinking.
To program only the PR region, right-click the blinking_led_default.sof file in the Programmer and click Add PR Programming File.
Select the blinking_led_slow.pr_partition.rbf file.
Disable Program/Configure for the blinking_led_default.sof file.
Enable Program/Configure for the blinking_led_slow.pr_partition.rbf file, and then click Start. On the board, observe LED[0] and LED[1] continuing to blink. When the progress bar reaches 100%, LED[2] and LED[3] blink slower.

Figure 11. Programming the Intel^® Arria^® 10 GX FPGA Development Board
To re-program the PR region, right-click the .rbf file in the Programmer, and then click Change PR Programing File.
Select the .rbf files for the other two personas to observe the behavior on the board. Loading the blinking_led_default.pr_partition.rbf file causes the LEDs to blink at the original frequency, and loading the blinking_led_empty.pr_partition.rbf file causes the LEDs to stay ON.
To change the SUPR logic, repeat step 7 above to select the impl_blinking_led_supr_new.sof. After changing this file, led [0:1] now blinks at a faster rate than before. The other PR .rbf files are also compatible with the new .sof.

Note:

The Assembler generates an .rbf file for the SUPR region. However, you should not use this file to reprogram the FPGA at runtime because the SUPR partition does not instantiate the freeze bridge, PR region controller, and other logic in the overall system. When you make changes to the SUPR partition logic, you must reprogram the full .sof file from the SUPR implementation revision compilation.

Modifying the SUPR Partition

You can modify an existing SUPR partition. After modifying the SUPR partition, you must compile it, generate the .sof file, and program the board, without compiling the other personas. For example, follow these steps to change the top_counter_fast.sv module to count faster:

Set impl_blinking_led_supr_new as the current revision.
In the top_counter_fast.sv file, replace the count_d + 2 statement with count_d + 4.
Run the following commands to re-synthesize the SUPR block and generate the new .sof file:
```
quartus_sh --flow compile blinking_led \
     -c impl_blinking_led_supr_new
```
The resulting .sof now contains the new SUPR region, and uses blinking_led for the default (power-on) persona.

Static Update Partial Reconfiguration Tutorial Revision History

Document Version	Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Version	Changes
2019.07.15	19.1.0	Changed default file export location from output_files to project directory. Described new reserved core partition type and related GUI. Updated Design Partition Window descriptions and screenshots for column display button and new partition properties.
2018.10.12	18.1.0	Updated Partial Reconfiguration Controller Intel^® Arria^® 10 FPGA IP name to Partial Reconfiguration Controller Intel^® Arria^® 10/Cyclone 10 FPGA IP. Added information about automated .qdb partition export to "Compile the Base Revision." Added output_files directory to output paths. Removed note about new simplified flow.
2018.06.18	18.0.0	Corrected syntax error in Define Personas topic code example. Corrected syntax error in Change the SUPR Logic code example. Updated screenshot in Change the SUPR Logic.
2018.05.07	18.0.0	Removed descriptions of obsolete synthesis-only revisions and corresponding personas. Replaced with latest simplified flow instructions. Renamed PR revision names to match simplified PR flow. Updated official name of Partial Reconfiguration Controller Intel^® Arria^® 10 FPGA IP. Added .qsf setting to automatically generate PR bitstream files after compilation.
2017.11.06	17.1.0	Initial release of the document.