Configuring firmware & software into EPCS

[Altera_Forum]

Hello all, 

 Until now, using the Nios development board I was working as follows: download the firmware (.sof) into the FPGA using Quartus Programmer, and then using the Nios IDE to run my software on top of the firmware.  Soon, my card will be arrived, and I start to think how to store the whole firmware + software on the EPCS device. The board contains a Stratix II + a EPCS16, and the FPGA loads itself from the EPCS on powerup using AS configuration. I want to create firmware for the Stratix, which includes the Nios processor, plus my software built in the Nios IDE and configure it all into the EPCS device, so that the card will operate independently of any download cable and / or IDE.  How is it done ? I know that the Nios IDE build process creates and ELF file that contains the software compiled into binary code. How is this linked with the SOF of the compliled VHDL to create a single programming file for the EPCS, and how is that programming file loaded into the device?  Thanks in advance

[Altera_Forum]

If you use the generated linker file for your nios software only thing you need to do is to compile your nios code before compiling your core. Generated linker file produces initialization files for the memories that you have designed. Files are named <memory name>.hex and they contain initial values that are compiled into your core. If you want to separate your software from core then you need to configure your nios to boot from EPCS controller or write your own bootloader which loads the software from EPCS. 

 If you don&#39;t have direct access to your EPCS device you can use jtag indirect configuration (.jic files) to program your EPCS.