Xilinx Alveo U50 Installation Manual
Alveo U50 Data Center
Accelerator Card Installaon
Guide
UG1370 (v1.6) June 4, 2020
Revision History
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The following table shows the revision history for this document.
Section Revision Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction Updated the information.
Card Features Added new section.
Chapter 2: Card Interfaces and Details Added a caution.
Known Issues
Downgrading Packages Added information about downgrading to a beta platform.
Downgrading Packages Added information about downgrading to a beta platform.
XRT and Deployment Platform Installation Procedures on
RedHat and CentOS
XRT and Deployment Platform Installation Procedures on
Ubuntu
Running lspci Revised log file in step 2.
Running xbmgmt flash --scan Revised output, platform, and ID information in step 1.
Upgrading Packages Updated step 1 to include a link to chapter 4; removed steps
Upgrading Packages Updated step 1 to include a link to chapter 4; removed steps
Installing the Card Updated to add notes about UL Listed Servers and card
General Updated output logs.
Qualified Servers Updated the section and provided the web link to the
XRT and Deployment Platform Installation Procedures on
Ubuntu
General Updated to the Vitis™ unified software platform throughout.
Chapter 4: Installing the Deployment Software Replaced xbutil command with the new xbmgmt
Running xbmgmt flash --scan Replaced xbutil command with the new xbmgmt
Revision History
06/04/2020 Version 1.6
• Added a known issue about installing the U50 card
deployment package.
• Added a known issue about downgrading to a beta
platform.
02/27/2020 Version 1.5
Replaced steps 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 to document the new
installation steps for U50. Replaced all mentions of zip files
with tar.gz.
Replaced steps 1, 2, 3, and the log file of step 6 to document
the new installation steps for U50. Replaced all mentions of
zip files with tar.gz.
2-6.
2-6.
01/07/2020 Version 1.4
handling.
12/18/2019 Version 1.3
qualified servers information.
Added a note about XRT installation.
10/31/2019 Version 1.2
Updated outputs throughout the document.
command for card flashing. Updated output logs.
command when scanning card. Updated output logs.
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 2
Revision History
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Section Revision Summary
Known Issues Added a link to Xilinx Answer Record 72766.
Added a known issue.
Appendix A: Changing XRT and Target Platform Versions Replaced xbutil command with the new xbmgmt
command for card flashing. Updated output logs.
09/18/2019 Version 1.1
General updates Updated sample outputs.
Chapter 2: Card Interfaces and Details Added card interface related information and updated
Known Issues Included a link to Xilinx Answer Record 71752.
08/05/2019 Version 1.0
Initial release N/A
images.
Added information about power.
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 3
Table of Contents
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Revision History...............................................................................................................2
Chapter 1: Introduction.............................................................................................. 6
Card Features...............................................................................................................................6
Minimum System Requirements...............................................................................................7
Qualified Servers......................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 2: Card Interfaces and Details..............................................................9
Chapter 3: Card Installation Procedures.........................................................11
Safety Instructions.................................................................................................................... 11
Before You Begin.......................................................................................................................13
Installing the Card.....................................................................................................................15
Chapter 4: Installing the Deployment Software.........................................17
XRT and Deployment Platform Installation Procedures on RedHat and CentOS............. 18
XRT and Deployment Platform Installation Procedures on Ubuntu...................................21
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 4
Chapter 5: Card Bring-Up and Validation........................................................26
Running lspci............................................................................................................................. 26
Running xbmgmt flash --scan................................................................................................. 27
xbutil validate............................................................................................................................ 28
Chapter 6: Next Steps.................................................................................................30
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting....................................................................................31
Known Issues.............................................................................................................................32
Appendix A: Changing XRT and Target Platform Versions....................35
RedHat and CentOS.................................................................................................................. 35
Ubuntu........................................................................................................................................36
Appendix B: Reverting the Card to Factory Image....................................38
Appendix C: Creating a Vault Repository for CentOS...............................39
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Appendix D: Generating the xbmgmt flash --update Command...... 41
Appendix E: Additional Resources and Legal Notices..............................43
Xilinx Resources.........................................................................................................................43
Documentation Navigator and Design Hubs.........................................................................43
References..................................................................................................................................44
Please Read: Important Legal Notices................................................................................... 45
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 5
Introduction
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This document provides hardware and soware installaon procedures for the half-height, halflength Alveo™ U50 Data Center accelerator card and applies to Vis™ unied soware plaorm
release 2019.2 and later.
The Xilinx® Alveo™ U50 Data Center accelerator cards are peripheral component interconnect
express (PCIe®) Gen3 x16 compliant and Gen4 x8 compable cards featuring the Xilinx 16 nm
UltraScale+™ technology. The Alveo U50 card oers 8 GB of HBM2 to provide highperformance, adaptable acceleraon for memory-bound, compute-intensive applicaons
including database, analycs, and machine learning inference.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 1
Dierent system conguraons are available for running, developing, and debugging applicaons
on your Alveo accelerator cards:
• Running Applicaons: To run accelerated applicaons, install an Alveo card into a system as
described in Chapter 3: Card Installaon Procedures along with the required deployment
soware to support running applicaons as described in Chapter 4: Installing the Deployment
Soware.
• Developing Applicaons: To develop FPGA accelerated applicaons, it is necessary to install
both the deployment soware and the development soware. Development soware
installaon, described in Chapter 6: Next Steps, installs both a development target plaorm
and the Vis environment. This conguraon does not have an Alveo card installed and is
used for development along with debugging in emulaon modes.
• Running, Developing, and Debugging Applicaons: By installing the Alveo card along with
both the deployment and development soware on a single machine, you can congure a
system for developing and running accelerated applicaons. With the card installed,
developers can debug applicaons in both emulaon modes and on the hardware.
Card Features
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 6
The Alveo U50 accelerator card features are listed below.
• UltraScale+™ XCU50 FPGA
• 8 GB HBM memory - two 4 gigabyte (GB) HBM memory stacks
○ 32 channels of 256 MB
Chapter 1: Introduction
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• One gigabit (Gb) quad SPI ash memory for conguraon
• Ethernet networking interfaces
○ Two SFP-DD connectors support 4x10/25 GbE (ES3 card)
○ One QSFP28 connector supporng 100 GbE, 40 GbE, or 4x10/25 GbE (PQ card)
• JTAG and UART access through the maintenance connector
• 16-lane integrated Endpoint block for PCI Express connecvity
○ Gen3 x16 supporng to x1, x2, x4, x8, x16 lane conguraons
○ Single or dual Gen4 x8
• I2C bus
• Status LEDs
• Power management with system management bus (SMBus) voltage, current, and temperature
monitoring
• 75W PCIe slot power only
Note: The Alveo U50 card has separate power rails for FPGA fabric and HBM memory. Developers must
ensure their designs do not draw too much power for each rail. More informaon can be found in the
Known Issues table of the Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installaon Guide (UG1370).
Minimum System Requirements
The minimum system requirements for running the Alveo™ U50 Data Center accelerator cards
are listed below:
Table 1: Minimum System Requirements
Component Requirement
Motherboard PCI Express® 3.0-compliant with one x16 slot.
System Power Supply 75W
Operating System Linux, 64-bit:
• Ubuntu 16.04, 18.04
• CentOS 7.4, 7.5, 7.6
• RHEL 7.4, 7.5, 7.6
System Memory For deployment installations, a minimum of 16 GB plus application memory
Internet Connection Required for downloading drivers and utilities.
Hard disk space Satisfy the minimum system requirements for your operating system.
requirements is required.
For development installations, a minimum of 64 GB of device memory is
required, but 80 GB is recommended.
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 7
Table 1: Minimum System Requirements (cont'd)
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Component Requirement
Licensing None required for application deployment.
For details on the acceptable environmental condions, see Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator
Cards Data Sheet (DS965).
Qualified Servers
A list of servers on which Alveo cards are fully qualied on can be found here:
hps://www.xilinx.com/products/boards-and-kits/alveo/qualied-servers.html.
Chapter 1: Introduction
For the application development environment, see Vitis Unified Software
Platform Documentation: Application Acceleration Development (UG1393).
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 8
Chapter 2: Card Interfaces and Details
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Card Interfaces and Details
The Alveo™ U50 accelerator card is available in a passive cooling conguraon and is designed
for installaon into a data center server where controlled air ow provides direct cooling to the
card. The card includes the following interfaces.
• A PCI Express® card connector
• The producon qualied (PQ) card has one QSFP interface and the Engineering sample (ES)
card has two SFP-DD interfaces
• Maintenance Connector
Chapter 2
Used to program the card in RTL ow through the programming cable. For more informaon
see the Alveo Programming Cable User Guide (UG1377).
Figure 1: Alveo U50 PQ Card with Half-Height Bracket
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 9
Chapter 2: Card Interfaces and Details
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Figure 2: Alveo U50DD ES Card with Half-Height Bracket
CAUTION! Alveo accelerator cards are designed to be installed into a data center server, where controlled air
ow provides direct cooling. If the cooling enclosure is removed from the card and the card is powered-up,
external fan cooling airow MUST be applied to prevent over-temperature shut-down and possible damage to
the card electronics. Removing the cooling enclosure voids the board warranty.
For card specicaons, dimensions, list of card features, and block diagram, see Alveo U50 Data
Center Accelerator Cards Data Sheet (DS965).
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 10
Chapter 3: Card Installation Procedures
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Card Installation Procedures
To reduce the risk of re, electric shock, or injury, always follow basic safety precauons.
CAUTION! You must always use an ESD strap or other anstac device when handling hardware.
ATTENTION! Il est fortement recommandé d'uliser un bracelet ESD ou autres disposifs anstaques.
VORSICHT! Beim Umgang mit Hardware müssen sie immer ein Erdungs Armband oder ein anderes
anstasches Gerät verwenden.
Chapter 3
Safety Instructions
Safety Information
To ensure your personal safety and the safety of your equipment:
• Keep your work area and the computer/server clean and clear of debris.
• Before opening the computer/system cover, unplug the power cord.
Dispositif de Sécurité
Pour assurer votre sécurité personnelle et la sécurité de votre équipement:
• Maintenez votre zone de travail et l'ordinateur/serveur propre et dégagé de débris.
• Avant d'ouvrir le capot de l'ordinateur/système, débranchez le cordon d'alimentaon.
Sicherheitsinformation
Um ihre persönliche Sicherheit und die Sicherheit ihrer Ausrüstung zu gewährleisten:
• Halten sie ihren Arbeitsbereich und den Computer / Server sauber und frei von Ablagerungen.
• Ziehen sie vor dem Öenen der Computer / Systemabdeckung das Netzkabel ab.
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 11
Chapter 3: Card Installation Procedures
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Electrostatic Discharge Caution
Electrostac discharge (ESD) can damage electronic components when they are improperly
handled, and can result in total or intermient failures. Always follow ESD-prevenon procedures
when removing and replacing components.
To prevent ESD damage:
• Use an ESD wrist or ankle strap and ensure that it makes skin contact. Connect the equipment
end of the strap to an unpainted metal surface on the chassis.
• Avoid touching the card against your clothing. The wrist strap protects components from ESD
on the body only.
• Handle the card by its bracket or edges only. Avoid touching the printed circuit board or the
connectors.
• Put the card down only on an anstac surface such as the bag supplied in your kit.
• If you are returning the card to Xilinx Product Support, place it back in its anstac bag
immediately.
Attention aux Décharge Électrostatique (ESD)
L'ESD peut endommager les composants électroniques lorsqu'ils sont mal manipulés, et peut
entraîner des défaillances totales ou intermientes. Suivez toujours les procédures de prévenon
contre les ESD lors du retrait et remplacement des composants.
Pour prévenir les dommages dus aux ESD:
• Ulisez une sangle de poignet ou de cheville an-ESD et assurez-vous qu'elle est en contact
avec la peau. Branchez l'extrémité du cable de la sangle à une surface métallique non peinte
du châssis et a la masse.
• Évitez de mere en contact la carte de circuit imprimé ou les connecteurs avec vos vêtements.
La sangle de poignet protège la carte ou connecteurs contre les ESD du corps seulement.
• Manipulez la carte uniquement par son support ou par ses bords. Évitez de toucher la carte de
circuit imprimé ou les connecteurs.
• Ne posez la carte de circuit imprimé ou les connecteurs que sur une surface anstaque telle
que le sac an-staque fourni avec la carte.
• Si vous retournez la carte a Xilinx, remeez-la dans son sac anstaque immédiatement.
Vorsicht Elektrostatische Entladung
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 12
Elektrostasche Entladung (ESD) kann elektronische Bauteile beschädigen, wenn sie
unsachgemäß behandelt werden, und es kann zu totalen oder zeitweiligen Ausfällen kommen.
Befolgen sie beim Enernen und Austauschen von Komponenten stets die ESDSchutzmaßnahmen.
Chapter 3: Card Installation Procedures
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So verhindern sie ESD-Schäden:
• Verwenden sie einen ESD-Handgelenk-oder Knöchelriemen und stellen sie sicher, dass er
Hautkontakt hat. Verbinden sie das Ende des Riemens mit einer unlackierten Metalloberäche
am Gehäuse.
• Berühren sie die Karte nicht mit ihrer Kleidung. Der Riemen schützt Komponenten nur vor
ESD am Körper.
• Fassen sie die Karte nur an der Halterung oder an den Kanten an. Berühren sie nicht die
Leiterplae oder die Anschlüsse.
• Legen sie die Karte nur auf einer anstaschen Oberäche ab, z.B. dem anstaschen Beutel
der mit dem Kit mitgeliefert wurde.
• Wenn sie die Karte an den Xilinx Product Support zurücksenden, legen Sie sie bie sofort
wieder in den anstaschen Beutel.
Before You Begin
IMPORTANT! Alveo™ cards are delicate and sensive electronic devices; equipment is to be installed by a
qualied technician only. This equipment is intended for installaon in a Restricted Access Locaon.
IMPORTANT! Les cartes Alveo™ sont des appareils électronique sensibles et fragiles; l'équipement doit être
installé par un technicien ceré seulement. Cet équipement est desné à être installé dans un lieu d'accès
restreint.
WICHTIG! Die Karten Alveo™ sind sensible und empndliche elektronische Geräte. Das Gerät darf nur von
einem qualizierten Techniker installiert werden. Dieses Gerät ist für die Installaon an einem Ort mit
begrenztem Zugang vorgesehen.
• Verify that the minimum card space is available to install your card. Card specicaons and
dimensions can be found in Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Cards Data Sheet (DS965).
• Determine if a half or full height bracket is necessary for the installaon. If the bracket needs
to be changed, do this before following the installaon steps.
• Check for card compability with the system. Also check for proper system requirements such
as power, bus type, and physical dimensions to support the card.
Related Informaon
Minimum System Requirements
Qualied Servers
Replacing the Bracket
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 13
Chapter 3: Card Installation Procedures
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Replacing the Bracket
The Alveo U50 card can be used with either a full-height or half-height bracket. Depending on
your system, it may be necessary to switch between the full and half-height bracket on the card.
The bracket is secured to the card with four screws, as shown in the gure below. To replace the
bracket, follow the instrucons below.
1. Remove screws 1 and 2 from the card.
2. Remove screws 3 and 4 from the card.
3. Remove the bracket from the card.
4. Place the new bracket on the card and align it with the card's connectors and screw locaons.
5. Replace screws 1 and 2 on the new bracket.
6. Replace screws 3 and 4 on the new bracket.
Figure 3: Screw Locations on Bracket
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Alveo U50 Data Center Accelerator Card Installation Guide 14
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