Getting Started with the LabVIEW FPGA Compile Farm Toolkit

Before you begin setting up the LabVIEW FPGA Compile Farm, it is helpful to understand the components of the LabVIEW FPGA compile system. This system consists of three major components: LabVIEW, the compile server, and the compile worker. These three components have the following roles in compiling FPGA VIs into bitfiles to download to the FPGA on the target:

• LabVIEW—Sends compilation requests to the compile server.
• Compile server—Receives requests from LabVIEW and sends compilation jobs to an available compile worker.
• Compile worker—Takes job requests from the compile server and compiles the FPGA VI.

You can compile multiple FPGA VIs simultaneously as well as monitor and manage the compilation queue remotely with the FPGA Compile Farm. If you install compile workers on different computers, the compile server can manage all available compile workers on the network and load balance compilation requests. In addition, the LabVIEW FPGA compile system has built-in fault tolerance, so if a compile worker becomes inoperable during a compilation, the compile server can reschedule the compilation job to a different compile worker.

You must complete the following steps before you can compile an FPGA VI with the compile farm.

1. Install the FPGA Compile Farm and configure the compile server for simultaneous compilations.
2. Install remote compile workers and configure them to connect to the server.
3. Manage external connections to the compile server.
4. Configure LabVIEW to compile an FPGA VI remotely.
5. Use the FPGA Compile Farm Console to manage the jobs and workers.

Install the FPGA Compile Farm and configure the compile server for simultaneous compilations.

When you install the FPGA Compile Farm add-on, you install the FPGA Compile Farm Console and the FPGA compile server. The FPGA Compile Farm Console is a Web-based application that you use to monitor and manage compilation jobs. The compile server is a system service that runs in the background of the OS.

Complete the following steps to install and configure the FPGA Compile Farm.

1. Insert the installation media in the remote computer.
2. Run setup.exe.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to install the FPGA Compile Farm.
   Note: If you want to use the computer only for monitoring and managing FPGA compilation jobs, you do not need to install LabVIEW, the FPGA Module, or the FPGA compilation tools on the computer.
4. Activate the FPGA Compile Farm license. When you activate the FPGA Compile Farm license, you configure the compile server to accept up to the number of simultaneous compilation jobs that your activation license permits.

Install remote compile workers and configure them to connect to the server.

Complete the following steps to install and configure compile workers on different computers.

1. Insert the installation media in the computer on which you want to install the compile worker.
2. Run setup.exe.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to install and activate the FPGA compilation tools you want. The different compilation tools dictate the capability of the compile worker.
   Note:  You do not need to install the FPGA Module or LabVIEW on the remote computer if you want to use the remote computer only for compiling FPGA VIs.
4. After you install the compile worker, select Start >> All Programs >> National Instruments >> FPGA >> FPGA Compile Worker to launch the compile worker. The compile worker icon appears in the taskbar.
   Note:  You must launch the compile worker from the Start menu on the computer on which it is executing. You cannot launch the compile worker remotely.
5. Right-click the compile worker in the taskbar and select Open from the shortcut menu. The FPGA Compile Worker window appears.
6. Click the Configure button.
7. In the Configure Compile Worker dialog box, select Connect to a compile server.
8. Enter the name of the computer running the compile server for the compile farm.
9. (Optional) Enter the user name and password to connect to the server. By default, the username is admin and the password is left empty.
10. Enter the maximum number of simultaneous jobs that the compile worker can compile in the Number of simultaneous jobs control. NI recommends that the number is not larger than the number of cores in the processor of the computer running the compile worker.
11. Click the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog box.
    The Status text box in the FPGA Compile Worker window indicates when the compile worker connects to the server successfully.
12. (Optional) You can click the Close button to close the FPGA Compile Worker window.
    Note: The compile worker must be running on the remote computer in order to receive jobs from the compile server. Do not shut down the compile worker on the remote computer or you will not be able to compile on it.

Manage External Connections to the Compile Server

By default, the FPGA compile server accepts external connections from remote users. You can manage user accounts and change the default user name and password through Web services. Complete the following steps to manage external user accounts.

1. Select Start >> All Programs >> National Instruments >> FPGA >> FPGA Compile Farm Console to launch the compile farm console for the compile server.
2. Click the Login link and enter a username and password to log into the console. By default, the Username is admin and the Password is left empty.
3. Click the Security Configuration button in the left-hand pane to access the Security Configuration page.
4. Click the Help link in the top-right corner of this page for information about configuring security.

If you want to disallow external connections to the compile server, remove the checkmark from the Allow External Connections checkbox in the FPGA Compile Farm Console window.

Configure LabVIEW to Compile an FPGA Remotely

Complete the following steps to configure LabVIEW to compile an FPGA VI on a remote computer.

1. Launch LabVIEW.
2. Select Tools >> FPGA Module Options to display the FPGA Module Options dialog box.
3. Select Connect to a compile server in the Compile Server section.
4. Enter the name or IP address of the computer running the compile server in the Host name text box.
5. (Optional) Enter the user name and password necessary to log into the remote compile server. By default, the User name is admin and the Password text box is empty.
6. Click the OK button.
7. On the local computer, open the FPGA project that contains the VI you want to compile.
8. Compile the FPGA VI. If LabVIEW is unable to contact the compile server, LabVIEW displays an error in the Compilation Status window. Otherwise, LabVIEW compiles the FPGA VI on the remote computer every time you compile an FPGA VI.

Refer to the FPGA Module Options Dialog Box topic in the LabVIEW Help for information about connecting to the compile server from LabVIEW.

Use the FPGA Compile Farm Console to Manage the Jobs and Workers

You use the FPGA Compile Farm Console window to manage the compile workers and job queue. Click the Help link in the top-right corner of the console to find information about the controls on the page.

• To access the console from the computer on which it is installed—Select Start >> All Programs >> National Instruments >> FPGA >> FPGA Compile Farm Console.
• To access the console from a remote computer—Open a Web browser and enter http://<computername>:3580 into the address field
  • where <computername> is the name of the computer on which the compile farm console is installed.

Note: You must log into the FPGA Compile Farm Console window if you want to access the console remotely.

• NI LabVIEW FPGA Compile Farm Toolkit