Digital systems design

Using the Linux servers, all practical work is done using EDA tools on Linux (Linux in a nutshell, Linux commands, Linux command summary). Remember, for the final part of programming the FPGA, you need to use a computer which has Vivado or the Vivado Lab Edition installed! See Working with your own computer for how to setup one of the two local installations.

For the Linux servers, each student is assigned an account with the username edauserN where N=1..250. Please ask for an edauser account from the TAs/teachers! These accounts are not automatically assigned, but granted upon request. The computer accounts are only available for working on the Linux servers selsrv1 and selsrv2. The computer rooms CO 260, CO 6 and CO 020 are equipped with Dell thin clients providing access to virtual machines (VM). Each thin client has a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and a small Wyse network box located on the rear side of the display.

Logging In (please ask for an edauser account in class before attempting this)

To use a Dell thin client OR vdi.epfl.ch from home (vdi should not require VPN):

1. If required, turn the display on.
2. If the client is down, press the start button (on the left side of the Wyse box). Wait until you get the start button blue lighted.
3. When the login window appears, enter your GASPAR username and password. After login, you will see a list of available virtual machines on the left side of the screen. 
4. Select the Linux (Ubuntu distro) virtual machine STI-EDA-LABS-RTX.
   It is important to use that VM as limited copies of the VM may run simultaneously. Using another available Ubuntu VM should also work, but then you would consume a copy from another pool.
5. Once the Ubuntu desktop is displaying (it may take some time), open a terminal window (Ctrl-Alt-T or right-click in the desktop area and select Open Terminal).
6. From the VM terminal window, log in to one of the servers selsrv1, or selsrv2 with your edauserN account (initial password is 24user_eda!), e.g.:

ssh -X edauserN@selsrv1.epfl.ch

Do not forget the -X (capital X) option, otherwise the display won’t be redirected properly to the local screen. Please ask for an edauser account from the TAs/teachers!

You are free to use either selsrv1 or selsrv2 server. Both are configured the same way and offer the same resources. There is no automatic load balancing in place, so if one is slow you can try the other one.

When Logged In

Once logged in, you can change the password using the yppasswd command in the terminal. 

From step 6, you are working on a remote Linux server and not the Ubuntu VM (STI-EDA-LABS-RTX), which means that all commands are executed on the remote Linux server, but any display is done on the local display of the Ubuntu VM. This is important to remember! If you need to use more than one terminal window on the remote Linux server, execute the gnome-terminal or the xterm command or either xtdb or xtbl aliases.

Do not confuse the terminal windows running locally on the Ubuntu VM and the terminal running on the remote Linux server. EDA tools are not available on the Ubuntu VM.

File Management

You can use any seat in the rooms and login with your GASPAR account. Do not store important files in the Ubuntu VM, as you may not use the same copy the next time you log in! 

Your edauserN account on the selsrv1/2 servers is a place where you can keep your files safely. The edauserN accounts are backed up every night, so you can ask in case you need to restore files. On the Ubuntu VM, there is also the folder myfiles that refers to your EPFL NAS storage you share between computers. To access the folder myfiles, start the Files application on the Ubuntu desktop.

You can access the Moodle site by using Firefox (type firefox in the terminal) or Google Chrome (type google-chrome in the terminal) from the remote Linux server (the Ubuntu VM only offers Firefox). Be aware that uploading to or downloading from the Moodle web site must only be done from Firefox running on the remote Linux server, because your dsdus account only exists on that machine.

You can also manage your files by using scp, either WinSCP for Windows or the commandline tool scp on Linux. This assumes you are on the EPFL network or using the VPN. These allow you to directly copy files/directories between the Linux servers and your own computer. See How to Use WinSCP. 

Log Off

When you are finished working, log out from the selsrv1 or selsrv2 server and then disconnect from the Ubuntu VM. There are several ways to quit the Ubuntu VM:

• In the top Options menu, select Disconnect and Log Off (selecting Disconnect only disconnects the VM, but keeps the session active).
• In the top right menu, select your name and then select Log Out.

Note that it is not possible to power off the VM.