[Ques] How to check if a FPGA lvbitx File has been Downloaded?

[ChristopherPovey]

We have a PXI Rack which has an FPGA connected to it.  We also have a compiled lvbitx file for this FPGA.  Currently there is an Initialisation VI for the FPGA which does the following:

Get the FPGA VI Reference.

Calls Invoke Node with "Get FPGA VI Execution Mode" and checks it returns "FPGA Target".

Calls Invoke Node "Download".

Calls Invoke Node "Run".

Now the lvbitx file will not change and the Initialisation VI has the potential to be called thousands of times over project's live.  I have a concern that we might life the EPROMS on the FPGA card.  So is there a nice way to check if the FPGA has already got the lvbitx file, i.e. only download it if the FPGA module is new (and blank)?

Thanks.

[thoult]

Don't think there's any easy way of checking the state of the bitfile once it's flashed.

But you can check the version of the new bitfile and compare it to some value - the bitfile is simply an XML file, and the first field is BitfileVersion. If you could access an INI file with the latest uploaded version in it, you could compare the versions and only download if it's newer.