Nios II Classic Software Developer’s Handbook

ID 683282
Date 5/14/2015
Public
Document Table of Contents

2.11. Creating Memory Initialization Files

Sometimes it is useful to generate memory initialization files. For example, to program your FPGA with a complete, running Nios II system, you must include the memory contents in your .sof file. In this configuration, the processor can boot directly from internal memory without downloading.

Creating a Hexadecimal (Intel-Format) File (.hex) is a necessary intermediate step in creating such a .sof file. The Nios II SBT for Eclipse can create .hex files and other memory initialization formats.

To generate correct memory initialization files, the Nios II SBT needs details about the physical memory configuration and the types of files required. Typically, this information is specified when the hardware system is generated.

Note: If your system contains a user-defined memory, you must specify these details manually.