smallest possible vivado install for Basys 3

[Anthocyanina]

i'm tyring to get back to learning FPGA, and one of the things that's kept me from it is how large the vivado install is, about 76GB when selecting the Artix 7 only. I'm wondering what would be the smallest possible usable install to work with the Basys 3 board. Should i go for ML? Webpack?(which appears to no longer be a thing) is ML the new webpack? is there a smaller one? 

If ML is the only one, is there a way to make the install smaller than what the initial setup claims with those 70+GB of space required? 

Thank you!

[zygot]

7 hours ago, Anthocyanina said:

If ML is the only one, is there a way to make the install smaller than what the initial setup claims with those 70+GB of space required? 

First of all, Vivado ML or any recent version of Vivado is NOT the only choice. All versions of Vivado support Artix devices, though not necessarily all Artix devices.

Early versions of Vivado for installation on Windows or Linux hosts were distributed on a DVD. You might find that something like VIvado 2015.4 works just fine... perhaps even includes more free IP than current versions. A good way to figure out a version is to look at the Basys3 supporting demos provided by Digilent.

Lately, it's been a bit harder to get older, *archived*, versions of the tools, but you can browse the AMD/Xilinx website to see what's available. How easy installing one of these older tools on a current OS depends on what you are using. Windows might be easier than Linux. Tools that have 32-bit dependencies might be problematic.

You can reduce the amount of stuff that the installer downloads by selecting support for only the device on your board, but it's still going to be a lot more than any Vivado version that existed when the Basys3 was introduced.

How you intend to use your board and the tools is something to consider. If you want to learn the VHDL or Verilog design flow, then any version is good. If you want to put a MicroBlaze in all of your designs and use Vivado IP in a board design flow, then still any version is fine, though there might be an advantage to using a current tool version.

For a long time now Xilinx assumes that users have a broadband connection and almost unlimited resources. The way that they package and install the tools reflect this.

Edited August 2, 2023 by zygot

[JColvin]

Like zygot mentioned, older versions of the software suite are going to be your best bet in terms of reducing install size, though your mileage may vary depending on your intended workflow.

After unchecking everything I don't need during the install process (I sometimes check and then uncheck boxes just to visually confirm the install size goes down), I also tend to go into <xilinx install path>/Xilinx/<version number>/data/parts/xilinx/ and delete the part families I don't need, and within the familes I do plan on using, go into their nested devint folder to delete the specific parts I don't need (such as the automotive versions of the parts, usually with an 'a' prefix such as aartix7) or go into the artix7 folder itself and delete the parts I don't plan to use (such as xc7a12t and cx7a12ti). This same approach can be done for the Vitis folder as well. If you do end up needing a part later for whatever reason, it's usually straightforward enough to download the part family you need by editing the install through Xilinx Information Center.

This is all after the downloading process though, so it doesn't really help anybody without broadband connections, and you quickly get diminishing returns with relatively small part families like Artix 7 (as opposed to the much bigger files from various Zynq Ultrascale parts).

Thanks,
JColvin

I am hoping one day I'll be allowed to optionally exclude Vivado/Vitis HLS from the initial install as I don't plan on using it, but I'm also not holding my breath.

[Anthocyanina]

Thank you, I'm going to see about older versions. I intend to only use the Basys 3 for the foreseeable future, as i'm just learning and it's the only FPGA board i have. Are projects made with the latest vivado versions compatible with the older versions? Like if i find a project written on the 2023 version, will i be able to import it and work on it in the older versions? 

Thanks again!

[zygot]

6 hours ago, Anthocyanina said:

Like if i find a project written on the 2023 version, will i be able to import it and work on it in the older versions?

Vivado doesn't convert projects from later tool versions for a variety of reasons. That doesn't mean that you can't manually recreate the project in an older version. Projects created with older versions of tools can often, but not always, and usually with considerable effort be made to work in more recent tool versions.

For someone just getting started it might be nice to be able to replicate a demo project without a lot of hassle.