Introduction and Expectation of Students
This article is designed to provide a comprehensive guide for utilizing the Xilinx Ubuntu VM on ENGR229 lab computers. These VMs are purpose built to serve the Xilinx application. If you're using the VMs for any purpose other than completing work that requires the Xilinx software, you are operating outside the intended use of the VM. Please be respectful of other students, faculty, and staff by only using these VMs for their intended purposes. No data stored inside the VM is private or backed up. Anyone with access to the lab computers will have access to the data stored inside the VM. Please transfer all your personal data/projects out of the VM when necessary to avoid unwanted modification and deletion of your work.
The VM will reset and re-deploy every evening on lab computers. If you do not export your data at the end of your session, you will likely lose it permanently. The OIT Helpdesk will provide ZERO support for data recovery issues on these VMs. If a VM breaks or becomes corrupted, we will simply delete the entire VM and replace it with our template. There will be no consideration for the data present on the machine.
Due to the way this software is being utilized and implemented in the labs, students MUST shutdown the Xilinx virtual machine before logging out or walking away from the computer. If the Xilinx VM is left open after a student is finished using it, the VM will become unusable for all other students logging into that computer. If this occurs, restarting the machine will force the application to close and allow a new student to access the software.
Starting the Xilinx VM
1. After logging into a lab computer in 229, look for the blue Xilinx.lnk shortcut on the desktop. Double-click the shortcut and the Xilinx VM should start automatically.
2. You may be taken to the VirtualBox management window. If you see the screen below, simply press the green start button with the Ubuntu Xilinx VM selected.
3. Allow the virtual machine to boot. This could take up to 2 minutes. The Xilinx ISE should open automatically after the VM boots.
4. If the Xilinx application doesn't automatically start or you've closed it accidentally, you can re-open the application by double-clicking the run_xilinx.sh script on the desktop
Connecting the FPGA board to the Xilinx Ubuntu VM
1. Plug the USB cable from your FPGA board into the lab computer you're working at. After connecting the USB, wait approximately 30 seconds to allow Windows to assign the correct drivers. Then in VirtualBox, click the Devices tab, USB, and choose the "Xilinx, Inc." device.
2. Confirm the device is passing through to the VM correctly by opening the terminal application and running lsusb. You should see the Xilinx board in the list of devices.
The USB passthrough feature in VirtualBox isn't always the most reliable. If you run the lsusb command as mentioned above but you don't see the xilinx board in the list, please perform the steps in this section again. It could take up to 3 attempts for the board to be properly recognized by the Ubuntu VM.
Transferring files between the Xilinx Ubuntu VM and the host Windows 11 lab computer
1. Open the "Machine" tab in the top left hand corner of VirtualBox
2. Select "File Manager"
3. Enter xilinx for the username AND password in the bottom right hand corner and choose "Open Session"
4. Click on the blue home icon on the guest and host systems to set the correct directories for file transfer
5. Select your Xilinx files on the right (guest) transfer tab and choose your OneDrive folder from the left (host) transfer tab. Click the blue transfer arrow in between the two tabs to initiate the transfer.
6. You should see the selected file copy into your chose destination folder
7. Finally, delete your files from the VM by selecting them and clicking the red X on the guest file transfer tab
Load the Ubuntu Xilinx VM on your own computer
UCCS OIT won't provide any support for VirtualBox or Xilinx VM operations running on your local machine
1. Install VirtualBox and the add-on pack to your local machine https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
2. While connected to the UCCS network (not guest) open your file explorer and navigate to this file server address: \\eas-data\Public\Software\ECE\Xilinx
3. Copy the Xilinx Ubuntu folder anywhere on your local machine, such as you desktop or documents folder
4. Open the Xilinx Ubuntu folder you just copied and double-click the blue .vbox
5. The machine may open and power on, if it doesn't it should auto-register to VirtualBox
6. Press the green start button to power on the VM. This VM should operate the same way it does in the engineering labs
Basic troubleshooting
1. Occasionally VirtualBox profile configurations can become corrupted. If you are receiving ambiguous or complex error messages when trying to open VirtualBox or trying to open the Ubuntu Xilinx VM, try deleting your VirtualBox profile located at C:\Users\%USERNAME%. The profile folder is .VirtualBox, simply delete this folder and re-attempt any VirtualBox actions you were trying to complete.