SynthOS: FPGA Synthesis Operating System

Overview

SynthOS is a live operating system based on Ubuntu Server, tailored for FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) synthesis using High-Level Synthesis (HLS) tools. It simplifies the process of synthesizing C/C++ code for FPGA deployment by providing a ready-to-use environment with all necessary tools pre-installed. SynthOS is ideal for use on personal computers, virtual machines, and AWS EC2 instances for enhanced computing power. The OS includes a demo project for matrix multiplication to help users get started.

Getting Started

Booting into SynthOS

1. Download SynthOS ISO Image: Obtain the ISO image of SynthOS.
2. Create a Bootable USB Drive or Setup a VM: Use the ISO to create a bootable USB drive or configure a virtual machine or AWS EC2 instance.
3. Boot from USB Drive or Start VM/EC2 Instance: Boot your system from the USB or launch the VM/EC2 instance.
4. Login to the Instance: The default username is synthos and the default password is HIGHLEVELSYNTHESIS.

Using SynthOS

1. Open Terminal: Access the terminal in SynthOS.
2. Run Synthesis Script:

   • Use synthesis_project.sh script to either run your own project or the demo project:

     ./synthesis_project.sh

   • Follow the prompts to either input your project's GitHub repo URL (see the demo project for how your project should be structured) or use the demo matrix multiplication project.

3. FPGA Synthesis:
   • The script facilitates the synthesis process, making it easy to compile and prepare your code for FPGA deployment.

Configuration

• Modify synthesis_settings.cfg to customize synthesis settings.
• Ensure the script points to the correct HLS tools and project files (by default this is done for you).

Project Structure

• Demo Project: Sample matrix multiplication code (matrix_multiplication.cpp/h and testbench).
• Scripts: synthesis_project.sh for running synthesis and run_synthesis.tcl for HLS.
• Config File: synthesis_settings.cfg for managing synthesis settings.

Customizing for Your Project

1. Place your C/C++ project files in the SynthOS environment.
2. Use synthesis_project.sh to specify your project repository or select the demo project.
3. Modify synthesis settings in synthesis_settings.cfg as required.

Dependencies

• SynthOS includes all necessary dependencies, including HLS tools and GCC for C++.