Skip to content

WindowsDocker.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
181 lines (136 loc) · 5.22 KB

WindowsDocker.md

File metadata and controls

181 lines (136 loc) · 5.22 KB
Raw

Build OpenROAD on Windows Using Docker

This guide walks you through installing and running OpenROAD on Windows using Docker Desktop with an Ubuntu 22.04 container.

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10 (version 2004+) or Windows 11
  • Docker Desktop (WSL2 backend enabled)
  • At least 16GB RAM (8GB minimum usable)
  • At least 50GB free disk space

Step 1 — Install and Configure Docker Desktop

  1. Download and install [Docker Desktop for Windows] (https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/)
  2. During setup, enable WSL 2 backend
  3. After installation, open Docker Desktop -> Settings -> Resources:
    • Memory: ≥ 8GB
    • CPUs: ≥ 4
  4. Go to the Settings -> Resources -> WSL Integration -> Enable for Ubuntu-22.04

Verify installation (run in PowerShell):

docker run -rm hello-world

Step 2 — Start an Ubuntu 22.04 Container

Run in PowerShell:

docker run -it ubuntu:22.04

This opens an interactive Ubuntu terminal inside Docker.

Note: All following commands run inside this Docker container unless stated otherwise.

Step 3 — Avoid Timezone Prompt

Before running any apt-get command, set this to avoid interactive prompts:

export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
export TZ=UTC

apt-get update
apt-get install -y tzdata

Step 4 — Download and Install OpenROAD Binary

Download the prebuilt .deb file for Ubuntu 22.04 from Precision Innovations releases.

Copy it from Windows into the running container (run in PowerShell):

# First get your container ID
docker ps

# Copy the file into the container
docker cp "C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Downloads\openroad_<version>_amd64-ubuntu-22.04.deb" <container_id>:/root/

Install it inside the container:

cd /root
apt-get install -y ./openroad_<version>_amd64-ubuntu-22.04.deb.deb

Verify:

openroad -version

Step 5 — Install Correct Yosys Version

The default apt version of Yosys is too old (0.9). ORFS requires Yosys >= 0.58. Install OSS CAD Suite which includes a compatible version:

apt-get install -y wget
cd /root

wget https://github.com/YosysHQ/oss-cad-suite-build/releases/download/2025-03-01/oss-cad-suite-linux-x64-20250301.tgz
tar -xzf oss-cad-suite-linux-x64-20250301.tgz

source /root/oss-cad-suite/environment
yosys --version

To make yosys available permanently across sessions:

echo 'source /root/oss-cad-suite/environment' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Important: Always use a pinned version of OSS CAD Suite. ORFS does not guarantee compatibility with latest.

Step 6 — Fix Line Endings (CRLF Issue)

Run in PowerShell before cloning:

git config --global core.autocrlf false
git config --global core.eol lf

Step 7 - Clone OpenROAD Flow Scripts

Run inside the container:

apt-get install -y git
git clone https://github.com/The-OpenROAD-Project/OpenROAD-flow-scripts.git
cd OpenROAD-flow-scripts

Checkout the version matching your OpenROAD binary:

git checkout 26Q1

Important: Always match the ORFS version tag with your OpenROAD binary. Mismatched versions cause errors like: invalid command name "sta::endpoint_count"

Step 8 - Set Environment Variables

Run inside the container for every new session:

source /root/oss-cad-suite/environment
export OPENROAD_EXE=$(command -v openroad)
export YOSYS_EXE=$(command -v yosys)

Note: These variables reset every time you start a new container session. Use docker commit (Step 10) or add them to ~/.bashrc to make permanent.

Step 9 — Install Remaining Dependencies

apt-get install -y make time python3-pip
pip3 install pyyaml

Step 10 — Run Example Design

cd /OpenROAD-flow-scripts/flow
make DESIGN_CONFIG=./designs/nangate45/gcd/config.mk

This runs the full RTL-to-GDSII flow on the nangate45/gcd example. It will take 10-20 minutes. Output files will be in:

  • flow/logs/nangate45/gcd/base/ — log files for each stage
  • flow/reports/nangate45/gcd/base/ — timing and design reports
  • flow/results/nangate45/gcd/base/ — result files including 6_final.*

Step 11 — Persist Your Container (Optional)

To save your setup so you don't repeat installation next time (run in powershell):

docker commit  openroad-windows:latest

Next time, start directly with:

docker run -it openroad-windows:latest

Common Issues

  • Yosys version too old: Use OSS CAD Suite (Step 5)
  • apt-get timezone prompt: Set DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive (Step 3)
  • Environment variables lost: Re-run Step 8 every new session or add to ~/.bashrc
  • Version mismatch errors: Run git checkout 26Q1 after cloning (Step 7)
  • Slow Docker performance: Use WSL path \\wsl$\Ubuntu\ instead of C:\
  • Disk space full on C: drive: Move WSL to another drive using wsl --export / wsl --import
  • GUI not working: Use docker run -it -e DISPLAY=<YOUR_IP>:0.0 openroad/orfs
  • CRLF line ending errors: Run git config --global core.autocrlf false (Step 6)

Optional: WSL2 Native Build

For better performance, you can install OpenROAD natively on WSL2 without Docker. See: BuildWithWSL.md