Retrieve the Signature of a Loaded Bitfile on an NI FPGA Device

Updated Jun 11, 2023

Reported In

Hardware

  • PXIe-5774

Software

  • LabVIEW FPGA Module
  • LabVIEW

Issue Details

Because of security concerns, I need to know if it is possible to retrieve a signature or checksum of a bitfile that has been loaded to the FPGA of an NI device. Is this possible?

Solution

Unfortunately, it is not. The LabVIEW FPGA Module does not have the capability to retrieve a signature or checksum of a loaded bitfile. 

The workaround NI recommends is to write a constant to the front panel of your FPGA VIs using an indicator. Then, from the host VI, you can read the constant on your bitfiles and compare it to the expected constant of a given bitfile. If they match, you know you have the correct bitfile loaded. If they don't, you can make the appropriate decisions given your application.

To read indicators of an FPGA VI, see the following article: Reading FPGA VI Indicators (FPGA Interface).

Additional Information

If you have further security concerns, you can also check the Letter of Volatility of your NI device to understand how the information is managed inside the hardware.