Nix is an innovative, robust, fast, and high-quality solution that comes with a larger collection of packages and features than Conda. However, Windows support is poor (using it with Windows Subsystem for Linux still has many problems) and Nix can be harder to learn.
Conda has a more traditional approach to package management, is much more limited, slow, and lower-quality than Nix, but it supports Windows and it is simpler to use when it functions correctly.
First, install the Nix package manager. Some distributions provide a package for the Nix package manager, otherwise, it can be installed via the script on the `Nix website <https://nixos.org/download/>`_. Make sure you get Nix version 2.4 or higher.
The easiest way to obtain ARTIQ is then to install it into the user environment with ``$ nix profile install git+https://github.com/m-labs/artiq.git\?ref=release-7``. Answer "Yes" to the questions about setting Nix configuration options. This provides a minimal installation of ARTIQ where the usual commands (``artiq_master``, ``artiq_dashboard``, ``artiq_run``, etc.) are available.
This installation is however quite limited, as Nix creates a dedicated Python environment for the ARTIQ commands alone. This means that other useful Python packages that you may want (pandas, matplotlib, ...) are not available to them.
Installing multiple packages and making them visible to the ARTIQ commands requires using the Nix language. Create an empty directory with a file ``flake.nix`` with the following contents:
Then spawn a shell containing the packages with ``$ nix shell``. The ARTIQ commands with all the additional packages should now be available.
You can exit the shell by typing Control-D. The next time ``$ nix shell`` is invoked, Nix uses the cached packages so the shell startup is fast.
You can create directories containing each a ``flake.nix`` that correspond to different sets of packages. If you are familiar with Conda, using Nix in this way is similar to having multiple Conda environments.
If your favorite package is not available with Nix, contact us using the helpdesk@ email.
After installing either Anaconda or Miniconda, open a new terminal (also known as command line, console, or shell and denoted here as lines starting with ``$``) and verify the following command works::
Executing just ``conda`` should print the help of the ``conda`` command. If your shell does not find the ``conda`` command, make sure that the Conda binaries are in your ``$PATH``. If ``$ echo $PATH`` does not show the Conda directories, add them: execute ``$ export PATH=$HOME/miniconda3/bin:$PATH`` if you installed Conda into ``~/miniconda3``.
Controllers for third-party devices (e.g. Thorlabs TCube, Lab Brick Digital Attenuator, etc.) that are not shipped with ARTIQ can also be installed with this script. Browse `Hydra <https://nixbld.m-labs.hk/project/artiq>`_ or see the list of NDSPs in this manual to find the names of the corresponding packages, and list them at the beginning of the script.
The board-specific files containing bitstream and firmware for the FPGA board can be obtained through AFWS, and are only required when flashing. Controllers for third-party devices (e.g. Thorlabs TCube, Lab Brick Digital Attenuator, etc.) that are not shipped with ARTIQ can also be installed with Conda. Browse `Hydra <https://nixbld.m-labs.hk/project/artiq>`_ or see the list of NDSPs in this manual to find the names of the corresponding packages.
On Windows, if the last command that creates and installs the ARTIQ environment fails with an error similar to "seeking backwards is not allowed", try to re-run the command with admin rights.
..note::
For commercial use you might need a license for Anaconda/Miniconda or for using the Anaconda package channel. `Miniforge <https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge>`_ might be an alternative in a commercial environment as it does not include the Anaconda package channel by default. If you want to use Anaconda/Miniconda/Miniforge in a commercial environment, please check the license and the latest terms of service.
Run ``$ nix profile upgrade`` if you installed ARTIQ into your user profile. If you used a ``flake.nix`` shell environment, make a back-up copy of the ``flake.lock`` file to enable rollback, then run ``$ nix flake update`` and re-enter ``$ nix shell``.
When upgrading ARTIQ or when testing different versions it is recommended that new Conda environments are created instead of upgrading the packages in existing environments.
Switching between Conda environments using commands such as ``$ conda deactivate artiq-6`` and ``$ conda activate artiq-5`` is the recommended way to roll back to previous versions of ARTIQ.
You may need to reflash the gateware and firmware of the core device to keep it synchronized with the software.
If you have purchased a pre-assembled system from M-Labs or QUARTIQ, the gateware and firmware are already flashed and you can skip those steps, unless you want to replace them with a different version of ARTIQ.
With Nix, add ``aqmain.openocd-bscanspi`` to the shell packages. Be careful not to add ``pkgs.openocd`` instead - this would install OpenOCD from the NixOS package collection, which does not support ARTIQ boards.
On Linux, first ensure that the current user belongs to the ``plugdev`` group (i.e. ``plugdev`` shown when you run ``$ groups``). If it does not, run ``$ sudo adduser $USER plugdev`` and re-login.
If you installed OpenOCD on Linux using Conda and are using the Conda environment ``artiq``, then execute the statements below. If you are using a different environment, you will have to replace ``artiq`` with the name of your environment::
If you have an active firmware subscription with M-Labs or QUARTIQ, you can obtain firmware that corresponds to the currently installed version of ARTIQ using AFWS (ARTIQ firmware service). One year of subscription is included with most hardware purchases. You may purchase or extend firmware subscriptions by writing to the sales@ email.
Replace ``[username]`` with the login name that was given to you with the subscription, ``[variant]`` with the name of your system variant, and ``[afws_directory]`` with the name of an empty directory, which will be created by the command if it does not exist. Enter your password when prompted and wait for the build (if applicable) and download to finish. If you experience issues with the AFWS client, write to the helpdesk@ email.
The JTAG adapter is integrated into the Kasli board; for flashing (and debugging) you simply need to connect your computer to the micro-USB connector on the Kasli front panel.
For Kasli, insert a SFP/RJ45 transceiver (normally included with purchases from M-Labs and QUARTIQ) into the SFP0 port and connect it to an Ethernet port in your network. If the port is 10Mbps or 100Mbps and not 1000Mbps, make sure that the SFP/RJ45 transceiver supports the lower rate. Many SFP/RJ45 transceivers only support the 1000Mbps rate. If you do not have a SFP/RJ45 transceiver that supports 10Mbps and 100Mbps rates, you may instead use a gigabit Ethernet switch in the middle to perform rate conversion.
If you purchased a Kasli device from M-Labs, it usually comes with the IP address ``192.168.1.75``. Once you can reach this IP, it can be changed with: ::
Check that you can ping the device. If ping fails, check that the Ethernet link LED is ON - on Kasli, it is the LED next to the SFP0 connector. As a next step, look at the messages emitted on the UART during boot. Use a program such as flterm or PuTTY to connect to the device's serial port at 115200bps 8-N-1 and reboot the device. On Kasli, the serial port is on FTDI channel 2 with v1.1 hardware (with channel 0 being JTAG) and on FTDI channel 1 with v1.0 hardware.
If you want to use IPv6, the device also has a link-local address that corresponds to its EUI-64, and an additional arbitrary IPv6 address can be defined by using the ``ip6`` configuration key. All IPv4 and IPv6 addresses can be used at the same time.
The idle kernel is the kernel (some piece of code running on the core device) which the core device runs whenever it is not connected to a PC via Ethernet.
This kernel is therefore stored in the :ref:`core device configuration flash storage <core-device-flash-storage>`.
To flash the idle kernel, first compile the idle experiment. The idle experiment's ``run()`` method must be a kernel: it must be decorated with the ``@kernel`` decorator (see :ref:`next topic <connecting-to-the-core-device>` for more information about kernels). Since the core device is not connected to the PC, RPCs (calling Python code running on the PC from the kernel) are forbidden in the idle experiment. Then write it into the core device configuration flash storage: ::
The startup kernel is executed once when the core device powers up. It should initialize DDSes, set up TTL directions, etc. Proceed as with the idle kernel, but using the ``startup_kernel`` key in the ``artiq_coremgmt`` command.
For DRTIO systems, the startup kernel should wait until the desired destinations (including local RTIO) are up, using :meth:`artiq.coredevice.Core.get_rtio_destination_status`.
If you are using DRTIO and the default routing table (for a star topology) is not suitable to your needs, prepare and load a different routing table. See :ref:`Using DRTIO <using-drtio>`.
The KC705 may use either an external clock signal, or its internal clock with external frequency or internal crystal reference. The clock is selected at power-up. Setting the RTIO clock source to "ext0_bypass" would bypass the Si5324 synthesiser, requiring that an input clock be present. To select the source, use one of these commands: ::
