
Altera Corporation
12–19
September 2004
Stratix Device Handbook, Volume 2
Remote System Configuration with Stratix & Stratix GX Devices
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For more information on the control signals for the remote block, see
Using Enhanced
Configuration
Devices
This section describes remote system configuration of Stratix and
Stratix GX devices with the Nios embedded processor using enhanced
configuration devices. Enhanced configuration devices are composed of
a standard flash memory and a controller. The flash memory stores
configuration data, and the controller reads and writes to the flash
memory.
In remote system configuration, only PS and FPP modes are supported
using an enhanced configuration device. A Stratix or Stratix GX device
running a Nios embedded processor can receive data from a remote
source through a network or any other appropriate media. A specific
page of the enhanced configuration device stores the received data.
This scheme uses the page mode option in Stratix and Strati GX devices.
Up to eight pages can be stored in each enhanced configuration device,
each of which can store a configuration file.
In enhanced configuration devices, a page is a section of the flash
memory space. Its boundary is determined by the Quartus II software
(the page size is programmable). In the software, you can specify which
configuration file should be stored in which page within the flash
memory. To access the configuration file on each page, set the three input
pins (PGM[2..0]), which provide access to all eight pages. Because the
PGM[2..0]
pins of an enhanced configuration device connect to the
same pins of the Stratix or Stratix GX device, the Stratix or Stratix GX
device selects one of the eight memory pages as a target location to read
from.
Figure 12–11 shows the allocation of different pages in the
enhanced configuration device.
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For more information on enhanced configuration devices, see the
Enhanced Configuration Devices (EPC4, EPC8 & EPC16) Data Sheet and the
Altera Enhanced Configuration Devices chapter.