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Adam edited this page Jan 14, 2013 · 14 revisions

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Obtaining NetFPGA Hardware

The NetFPGA boards can be obtained from a third-party company, Digilent Inc. The cards are sold for a discounted price when used for Educational purposes. They are also available for commercial use, but pricing is higher. Stanford University provided the open reference design to Digilent Inc., but is not involved in the sale of the hardware.

Complete NetFPGA systems can also be ordered on-line that include the NetFPGA hardware pre-installed in a host PC.

Ordering From the Web

The easiest way to purchase hardware is to order on-line from Digilent

Ordering with a Purchase Order by Email or Phone

Academic institutions can order the hardware with a discount by placing a purchase order.

  • To start the process, send an email to request a quote from: sales@digilentinc.com
  • Have your university execute a purchase order and have that sent to Digilent Inc.
  • For help with ordering, call: (509) 334-6306

Obtaining a Host PC for the NetFPGA

NetFPGAs host systems can be built from commodity, off-the-shelf (COTS) parts. The NetFPGA card fits into a standard PCI slot in a desktop or server-class PC. We have only tested the NetFPGA in a few of a few widely-available systems. The NetFPGA may work with other PCs as well, but we do not support such configurations. In fact, according to this thread, current versions of board will work on most PC's.

There are currently multiple ways to obtain a NetFPGA host system:

  1. Assemble your on PC using from components
  2. Purchase a Dell 2950 from Dell.com then add the NetFPGA.
  3. Purchase a complete pre-built system
To install a NetFPGA, you will need to open the case to your computer. To minimize the chance that you damage your computer or the NetFPGA module, we suggest that you wear an anti-static wrist strap when handing the hardware.

Assemble your PC from Components

The most cost-effective way to build a high-performance NetFPGA host system is to purchase the components from on-line vendors and assemble your own machine. This effort is not for the faint of heart, however, as you will need to place multiple orders for components and have the time to assemble and test the PC. We assembled all of the nf-test machines at Stanford University. You can use the Bill of Materials (BOM) below to do the same.

List of PC Components

At Stanford, we built 11 nf-test PCs that we use in the lab and used at the North American tutorials. This is the least expensive way to build a high-end development system, but does take some time to assemble the parts.

Motherboard

  • Use Micro ATX (uATX) for small case
  • Option 1: Gigabyte MA78GM-US2H mATX MB
    • AMD 780G Chipset / SB 700 / Rev 1.0
    • Includes one port of GigE on the motherboard
    • Includes ATI Radeon HE3200 Video (leaves PCI-E slot open)
    • DDR2 1200 DRAM support (supports RAM faster than DDR2 800)
    • 2PCI+PCIe x1+PCIe x16
    • AM2+ Phenom II Support (allows for use of quad-core CPU)
      • Be sure to upgrade BIOS to latest available to make use of all features
    • Availability
  • Option 2: ASUS M2N-VM DVI - Micro ATX Motherboard
    • Item=N82E16813131214 from NewEgg.com : $59.99
    • Set the BIOS to use the on-board Video. Use the PCI-express bus for the NIC
    • We built a dozen nf-test cube machines at Stanford using this motherboard in 2007-2008 combined with the dual-core CPU. If you can't still locate this (now) older board, use option (1)

CPU

Host Memory

DVD Reader/Writer (for boot disk)

MicroATX Chassis with clear covers

Intel Pro/1000 Dual-port Gigabit PCI-Express PCI-express x4 NIC

Hard Disk

Cat5E or Cat6 Ethernet Cables

    • Short-length: 1 foot ~= 30 cm, Blue (for host)
    • Short-length: 1 foot ~= 30 cm, Orange (for host)
    • Medium-length: 6 foot ~= 2m, White (for neighbor machine)
    • Medium-length: 6 foot ~= 2m, Red (for neighbor machine)
    • Long-length: 12 foot ~= 4m, Blue (for Internet)

Other Misc. Parts

Total estimated cost to build a cube

  • About $700 USD
  • Note that prices will vary
    • (but generally become less expensive over time)

Purchase a Dell 2950

A pre-configured Dell 2950 2U Rackmount PC can be purchased from Dell. We have verified that the NetFPGA works in the PCI-X slot of the Dell 2950 2U Rack-mount server. The cost for a pre-built Dell server typically ranges from $3,000 to $5,000 depending on the configuration you select. Running the selftest requires purchasing a SATA cable and two Ethernet cables.

Note: When installing the NetFPGA in a system, it is important that the card is securely fastened to the chassis.

In addition to locking in the faceplate at the front of the system, the card should also be locked in at the rear of the card using a mounting bracket. As shown below, there is a gap between the end of the card and the slot that holds a full-length PCI card, shown shown below:

For PCs that have standard full-length PCI slots, Retainers to secure the back of the NetFPGA to a chassis are available from Gompf as: http://www.bracket.com/downloads/brackets/pdf/91060000AFG.pdf

The actual bracket required depends on the size of the chassis. http://www.bracket.com/retainerslist.asp

To use the card in the Dell 2950, a laser-cut extender was built to enable the card to extend to the end of the card slot. This may help if you ship the NetFPGA in the 2950, or if the 2950 is in a high-vibration environment. Support bracket design files and ordering info.

During shipment, the printed circuit board can vibrate or shake within the chasis causing mechanical damage. Systems should not be shipped with the NetFPGA card pre-installed.

Purchase a Pre-built Machine

A third-party vendor has just started building complete system with the NetFPGA hardware and software pre-installed. The complete turn-key system, including the NetFPGA card, are available from Accent Technolgy Inc.

http://www.accenttechnologyinc.com/product_details.php?category_id=0&item_id=1

During shipment, the printed circuit board can vibrate or shake within the chasis causing mechanical damage. Systems should not be shipped with the NetFPGA card pre-installed. Cards should be shipped separately from the chassis and installed on site to avoid damage.

Obtaining Gateware/Software Package

The Beta release of the NetFPGA Package (NFP) contains the source code for gateware, system software, and regression tests. The NFP includes an IPv4 Router, a four-port NIC, an IPv4 Router with Output Queues Monitoring System, the PW-OSPF software that interacts with the IPv4 Router (SCONE), and the Router Kit which is a daemon that reflects the routing table and ARP cache from the Linux host to the IPv4 router on NetFPGA.

Register to download the NetFPGA Package (NFP)

To download the NFP:

  1. Sign up for a FosWiki account as:
    http://netfpga.org/foswiki/bin/view/NetFPGA/UserRegistration
  2. when your new account is created:
    1. you will be automatically added the NetFPGA Announce mailing list.
      1. This email list will be used to post announcements about the NetFPGA
      2. Let your SPAM filter pass email for: netfpga-announce@lists.stanford.edu
    2. you will be sent an email for a message from NetFPGAwiki.
      1. within that message will be URL that needs to be opened
      2. click on the URL to verify that the email address you provided is valid.
  3. if you have an account but have forgotten your password, click the e-mail password button on:
    http://www.netfpga.org/foswiki/bin/view/NetFPGA/ResetPassword

Download the NetFPGA Package (NFP)

The NFP currently comprises two tarballs:

  • netfpga_full_x_x.tar.gz, which includes regression scripts and binary versions of the reference projects. Replace 'x' with the latest version.
  • netfpga_lib.tar.gz, which includes all external java code needed by the router gui
Download the tarballs from Releases. Later, you will unpack them in the same directory.

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