Required tools
The EDK needs make, which must be called gmake. The easiest way is to install build essential and make a symlink from make to gmake. Futhermore fxload is needed for firmware upload and motif for the GUI.

sudo apt-get install fxload build-essential motif-clients
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/make /usr/bin/gmake

If you have purchased a development board from Xilinx, use the included DVD:

cd /media/cdrom
sudo ./xsetup

If not, follow the download link at the above URL, and download the ISE Design Suite: Full DVD, which is roughly 5.6 GB and untar it:

mkdir ise
cd ise
tar -cvf Xilinx_11.1_ISE_DS_SFD.tar
cd Xilinx_11.1_ISE_DS_SFD
sudo ./xsetup

You do not need to use sudo, but if all users on the system should use EDK, it will be installed in /opt/Xilinx/ using sudo. If sudo is not used, it will be installed in /home/username/.

The installation process is straight forward, and will guide you to setting up a license in the last step. If you choose to use the 30-day trial, a browser will open the Xilinx license system, which will generate the license, download it and install it.

Start up scripts

In order to start xps the environment variable $XILINX must hold the path to ISE. To start xps type

export XILINX=/opt/Xilinx/11.1/ISE/ && /opt/Xilinx/11.1/EDK/bin/lin/xps

• Xilinx XC3S400A-4FTG256C Spartan-3A FPGA
• Four LEDs
• Four CapSense™ switches
• I2C temperature sensor
• Two 6-pin expansion headers
• 20 x 2, 0.1-inch user I/O header
• 32 Mb Spansion® MirrorBit® NOR GL Parallel Flash
• 128 Mb Spansion MirrorBit SPI FL Serial Flash
• USB-UART bridge
• I2C port
• SPI and BPI configuration
• Xilinx JTAG interface
• FPGA configuration via PSoC®

The flash is not updated through a JTAG, but through the USB interface. On Windows the AVprog is used, which can run in Wine and therefore usable on Linux. It is however easier to use the tool called ASTriAEKiPro 1.2.1.

Download a newest .deb file from http://sourceforge.net/projects/fpgalibre/files/ASTriAEKiPro/ and install it with:
sudo dpkg -i astriaekipro_1.2.1-2_i386.deb

Using ASTriAEKiPro
Get a bit file for the kit, either from the CD in the package or from the Avnet Design Resource Center, go to the Avnet Spartan-3A page and click on "Support files and downloads", login and get the "Default Serial Flash Factory Image" file.

To write to the SPI flash use:
astriaekipro -w Spartan3AEval_FPGA_Firmware_V10.bit

To verify:
astriaekipro -y Spartan3AEval_FPGA_Firmware_V10.bit

ASTriAEKiPro can furthermore be used as a terminal, which makes it possible to use the USB as serial interface for a MicroBlace etc.:
astriaekipro -t

Which will give you something like:

*******************************************************************
*                    _____                                        *
*                   /     \                                       *
*                  /____   \____                                  *
*                 / \===\   \==/                                  *
*                /___\===\___\/  AVNET                            *
*                     \======/   ENGINEERING                      *
*                      \====/    SERVICES                         *
*                                                                 *
*******************************************************************
*              Spartan 3A Eval Demo V1.0 5/2008                   *
*******************************************************************
* Current Device Status:                                          *
*                                                                 *
*   EF1:  DEACTIVATED                                             *
*   EF2:  DEACTIVATED                                             *
*   EF3:  DEACTIVATED                                             *
*   EF4:  Connected To FPGA System Reset                          *
*   TMP:   29.1250 C                                              *
*   U22:  S29GL032N DETECTED                                      *
*******************************************************************
Type  for command options. 

ADS>

and install
sudo mkdir /home/Xilinx/
sudo chmod 777 /home/Xilinx/
cd Xilinx_11.1_WebPack_SFD
./xsetup

Set the installation path to /home/Xilinx/, and follow the installation process.

When the installation is done, you will be asked for a license. Select "Start ISE WebPack" and click next and follow the instructions on the website. When the license is installed, close the browser window and the Xilinx License Configuration Manager.

The installer will ask for installation of updates. This is advisable, but it is imo easier to download the update files from Xilinx homepage. Go to download and "Software Updates".

Untar the file
tar -xf Xilinx_11.4_ISE_DS_lin.tar

and install
cd Xilinx_11.4_ISE_DS_lin
./xsetup

You are now ready to go, by running
/home/Xilinx/11.1/ISE/bin/lin/ise

The FPGA is not programmed through a JTag, but through some "homemade" USB connection. Avnet has made a tool called AvProg for this connection, which is Windows only (shame on them!) :(

It is, however, fairly easy to get working under Linux using Wine.

Start by downloading AvProg from avnet.com, which requires you to register.

Next unzip the archive and install it into Wine

mkdir AvProg
cd AvProg
unzip AvProg_v340i.1_setup.zip
wine setup.exe
cd ..
rm AvProg -r

When the eval board is connected it will be attached to /dev/ttyACM0 (or another number). This device has to be made to comx inside Wine. This is done like this

cd ~/.wine/dosdevice
ln -s /dev/ttyACM0 com1

Removing the Skins directory will disable the fancy coloured GUI and make the application much better under wine (explanation):

cd ~/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Avnet/AvProg/
rm -rdf Skins

That's it, write some VHDL/Verilog, make a bit file and run AvProg

wine ~/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Avnet/AvProg/AvProg.exe

and have fun :)

1) Add /opt/Xilinx92i/bin/lin to /etc/ld.so.conf, and execute sudo ldconfig
2) Execute export XILINX="/opt/Xilinx92i/"
3) Execute export DISPLAY=":0"

Errors
If you get an error like this:
error while loading shared libraries: libXm.so.3
Install libmotif3
sudo apt-get install libmotif3