Arria® 10 SoC Boot User Guide

ID 683735
Date 4/03/2019
Public
Document Table of Contents

1.7.1. Cold Boot Debug

A cold boot is initiated by power cycling the board or by issuing a cold reset when applicable.

Common signs of power-on boot issues are:

  • No signs of hardware activity (for example, no blinking LEDs).
  • Inactive display console (for example, no UART output or no HPS software execution)
  • Interrupted and frozen boot software execution

Although executing the boot ROM is the first boot stage during power up or cold boot, there are other hardware dependencies that must be examined to verify a successful boot. Additionally, test measurement equipment, such as a logic analyzer and oscilloscope can be used to check signal states and levels and monitor the activity during the boot process. Verifying that the hardware platform is stable and dependencies of the boot software are within specification ensures that the boot ROM and boot loader are able to load and run.

Below is a sample of dependencies to check when verifying a successful boot:

  • Check the board power source. Ensure that it is within specification and there is not excessive noise present.
  • Verify the power sequencing is in order and all levels are within specification for each stage.
  • Input clock must be verified for amplitude, frequency, noise and jitter.
  • Verify all reset signal are sequenced to the design specification and levels.