release-7/artiq/coredevice/coredevice_generic.schema.json lists the following keys (among others) without defining them well:

  1. "variant": Does this have any sort of effect (aside from informing people)?
  2. "min_artiq_version": Does this have any sort of effect (aside from informing people)?
  3. "ext_ref_frequency": Can I omit this from my system description file and still switch to an external frequency reference at run-time via artiq_coremgmt config write -s rtio_clock ext0_synth0_10to125 (for example)? Useful links: (A) release-7/artiq/firmware/runtime/rtio_clocking.rs#L48 says warn!("si5324_ext_ref and ext_ref_frequency compile-time options are deprecated. Please use the rtio_clock coreconfig settings instead.");, (B) Artiq manual (legacy): Core device: Clocking and (C) Artiq manual (legacy): Utilities: artiq_coremgmt.
  4. "rtio_frequency": Can I omit this from my system description file and still change the RTIO frequency at run-time via artiq_coremgmt config write -s rtio_clock int_100 (for example)? See same links as point 3 above.
  5. "enable_sata_drtio": Can I omit this from my system description file if I use the master's SFP ports to connect it to the satellites? Or is the SATA port better for this than the SFP ports? Why does the SATA option exist? The entire Artiq legacy manual only mentions SATA twice in Core device: DRTIO master variants / DRTIO satellite/repeater variants and the Artiq beta manual does not mention SATA at all.
  6. "core_addr": No question here, just helpful link for readers: "core_addr" in system desc. file vs. ip-key in "config.txt"?
dtsevas changed the title to keys in system description file for Artiq 7? .
  1. "enable_sata_drtio": I will answer myself that the "if"-statement in release-7/artiq/coredevice/coredevice_generic.schema.json#L81 enforces "enable_sata_drtio" : false and makes clear that this key was only relevant for Kasli v1.0 and v1.1. We can omit this key from our system description files.

I would still appreciate help with points 1. - 4. !

  1. It is used in the gateware to add an identifier string, together with the ARTIQ version. If not supplied, the identifier will be based on the python class name AFAICT.
  2. "min_artiq_version" is checked while building the gateware to ensure compatibility.
  3. Yes, it can be omitted.

    srenblad Thanks a lot! So 4. can be omitted as well and changed later via artiq_coremgmt?

      Regarding point 4., "rtio_frequency":

      1. To myself and other readers, check out the clocking part of this discussion: "core_addr" in system description file of satellite?
      2. Creotech put "rtio_frequency" : 125e6 into the system description files of both the master and the two satellites (Artiq release-7, three Kasli v2.0).
      3. Based on everything I have seen so far, I expect that "rtio_frequency" can be completely omitted from the system description files of the satellites, but I haven't gotten a guarantee yet, so I left it in for both of my Kasli SoC v1.1 satellites now.