NI-ATCA FPGA Modules 19.0 and 19.5 Known Issues

Overview

This document contains the NI-ATCA FPGA Modules 19.0 and 19.5 known issues that were discovered before and since the release of NI ATCA FPGA Modules 19.0 and 19.5. Not every issue known to NI appears on this list; it is intended to show the most severe and common issues that can be encountered.

Each issue appears as a row in the table and includes the following fields: 

  • Issue ID - The number in at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles.  "N/A" indicates that there is no ID assigned to the issue.
  • Issue Title (in italics) - Describes the issue in one sentence or less.
  • Problem Description - A few sentences which describe the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you may want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue, contact NI and reference the ID number given in the document.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter the KnowledgeBase number in the search field to locate the specific document.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version of NI-ATCA FPGA Driver Software in which the issue was reported. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of NI-ATCA FPGA Driver Software than is reported in this field, report the discrepancy to NI to have the field updated.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).

Known Issues

202020A former version of the bitfile is loaded onto the FPGAs of the ATCA-3671 by default
202025The ATCA-3671 (Rev A) may power down after several hours of operation
736818NI-ATCA 19.0 Runtime remains on your machine after you uninstall NI-ATCA FPGA Modules 19.0
711045PCIe bandwidth changes after bitfile download
709150JTAG debugging may interfere with the bitstream download process
708348FPGA enumeration fails during power-on or after bitfile download
698625Failed ATCA-3671 compile reports "ERROR::90 - The BRAM instance <instance> could not be found in the netlist during synthesis"
635892NI-ATCA FPGA Driver Software reports error -61214 when attempting to communicate with the device
615894DRAM bank throughput is asymmetric



IDKnown Issue
202020

Return
A former version of the bitfile is loaded onto the FPGAs of the ATCA-3671 by default
NI-ATCA FPGA Modules users cannot access PCIe performance improvements and other fixes because the bifile automatically loaded onto the FPGAs is not the latest. Driver versions 16.0 to 18.0 do not offer a mechanism for updating the bitfile.

Workaround: Complete the following steps to update your bitfile.

  1. If you are using NI-ATCA FPGA Modules 16.0 or 18.0, uninstall your driver and install NI-ATCA FPGA Modules 19.5 to current.
  2. Launch the ATCA Default Bitstream Loader Utility from C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\NI ATCA\Default Bitfile Downloader\ATCA Default Bitstream Loader.exe.
  3. Follow the instructions contained within the Default Bitstream Loader Utility.

  4. Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 09/13/19
202025

Return
The ATCA-3671 (Rev A) may power down after several hours of operation
NI-ATCA FPGA Modules users cannot access PCIe performance improvements and other fixes because the bifile automatically loaded onto the FPGAs is not the latest. Driver versions 16.0 to 18.0 do not offer a mechanism for updating the bitfile.

Workaround: Complete the following steps to reset the power regulator limit configuration.

  1. Connect the ATCA-3671 to your computer using an Ethernet cable.
  2. Restart your computer.
  3. Open a secure shell program.
  4. Type the following default credentials.
    IP Address: 192.168.0.75
    User: root
  5. Leave the password filed empty then press <Enter>.
  6. Type the following commands then press <Enter>.
    i2cset -y 3 0x4c 0x20 0xff
    i2cset -y 3 0x4c 0x22 0x00
  7. Restart your ATCA-3671 and computer.

  8. Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 09/13/19
736818

Return
NI-ATCA 19.0 Runtime remains on your machine after you uninstall NI-ATCA FPGA Modules 19.0
When you uninstall NI-ATCA 19.0 FPGA Modules from NI Package Manager, the NI-ATCA Runtime is not automatically uninstalled.

Workaround: To uninstall the NI-ATCA Runtime, complete the following steps.

  1. Select the Installed tab in NI Package Manager.
  2. Clear the Products Only checkbox.
  3. Select NI-ATCA Runtime (19.0) and click Remove.
    Reported Version: 19.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 05/02/19
711045

Return
PCIe bandwidth changes after bitfile download
When downloading a bitfile to the ATCA-3671, the PCIe link to the host system is renegotiated. This negotiation may not result in a full bandwidth connection. Instead, a link may be downtrained to a slower speed or fewer lanes. This impacts applications relying on high-rate DMA streaming (peer-to-peer, host-to-target, target-to-host) at maximum or near-maximum rates. Some 3rd-party PCs with PCIe generation 3 capabilities exacerbate this issue.

Workaround: If your application requires a specific data rate for streaming, use the Check PCIe Bandwidth VI (Instrument I/O>>Instrument Drivers>>ATCA>>Advanced) to verify that the lane rate and width required is available after download. If needed, use the RIO Download invoke method to re-download the bitstream and renegotiate the bandwidth.

When using non-NI host PCs, it is recommended that application-specific PCIe streaming requirements be vetted before committing to a particular host PC.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/19/18
709150

Return
JTAG debugging may interfere with the bitstream download process
When debugging with JTAG, downloading to an FPGA or connecting to the device may disrupt the bitstream download process and interfere with communication over the PCIe connection.

Workaround: If you cannot reconnect or redownload to the ATCA-3671 from a host machine after JTAG debugging, power cycle the ATCA to resolve any issues.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/19/18
708348

Return
FPGA enumeration fails during power-on or after bitfile download
Rarely during power-on or after bitfile download, PCIe negotiation between an ATCA-3671 FPGA and a host PC fails and the device becomes inaccessible via PCIe from the host machine. This failure will also occur if a user application downloads an image to one of the ATCA FPGAs using a mechanism other than the RIO download invoke method or LabVIEW FPGA Open Session. For example, downloading images through the BPS workflow or using the NI-ATCA Remote Bitstream Download VI will cause this failure.

Workaround: Use the NI-ATCA Remote Download VI to force a PCIe link reset and restart the host computer.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/19/18
698625

Return
Failed ATCA-3671 compile reports "ERROR::90 - The BRAM instance <instance> could not be found in the netlist during synthesis"
When an ATCA-3671 LVFPGA compiles using the AIO-3691 or AIO-3692 CLIP files, the log may report multiple instances of "ERROR::90 - The BRAM instance could not be found in the netlist. Please verify the instance name in the BMM file and the netlist." These errors occur because multiple microblaze cores are used in the design but BRAM is initialized in a single step. They do not indicate an actual problem with the BRAM initialization and will not cause compiles to fail.

Workaround: Check the end of the Xilinx log for the failed compile to determine the reason that the compile failed. Look for errors other than ERROR::90.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/19/18
635892

Return
NI-ATCA FPGA Driver Software reports error -61214 when attempting to communicate with the device
When attempting to access controls, indicators, FIFOs, or IRQs, you may receive error -61214, "LabVIEW FPGA: For bitfiles that allow removal of implicit enable signals in single-cycle Timed Loops, LabVIEW FPGA does not support this method prior to running the bitfile."
This error can occur after the following sequence of events:
  1. You compiled with the Allow removal of implicit enable signals inside single-cycle Timed Loops checked in the FPGA build specification.
  2. An FPGA reference to the bitfile was opened but not run.
  3. The LabVIEW FPGA Run function is called on the open reference.
  4. You attempt to access a control, indicator, FIFO, or IRQ.

Workaround: Implement one of the following solutions:
  • Recompile the FPGA bitfile without checking the Allow removal of implicit enable signals inside single-cycle Timed Loops box.
  • Use the LabVIEW FPGA Open function with Run enabled instead of using the Open function only.
  • Call the LabVIEW FPGA Run function twice.
Reported Version: 16.0  Resolved Version: 18.0  Added: 03/23/17
615894

Return
DRAM bank throughput is asymmetric
The middle DRAM banks on the ATCA-3671 demonstrate higher throughput than the edge banks. Refer to the nominal throughput numbers below.

Write-only throughput: Middle: 9.04GBps; Edge: 8.46GBps
Read-only throughput: Middle: 9.13GBps; Edge: 8.70GBps

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/19/18

Contacting NI

Contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you contact NI in regards to a specific issue, reference the ID number given in the document. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting NI). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also contact us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document.

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).