Multi-core Compiling

Question

Even though ibberger touched the concept in the idea , I do think that most o people uses LabVIEW under Windows environment. Compiling a FPGA VI happens all in the PC under Windows. I noticed that during this process the compiler uses only one core. Since I'm using a machine with a 4 core processor, the CPU use rarely goes above 25%.  My idea is to update the compiler allowing it to be multicore. The user should have the option to limit the maximum number of cores available to the compiler. This is necessary because the user may want to continue working, while the compiling process is being done in background.

Answer 1

Here's shortcuts for speeding up single FPGA compiles on both Windows 7 and XP for i7 and i5 systems with Turbo Boost. This only applies to a workstation, not a compile farm.  In my case I was able to reduce the compile time 40-50%. It will at least shave several minutes off the compile.
Make sure Turbo Boost is enabled in the BIOS if the option is there.
Windows 7:
Find the Compile Worker shortcut in the start menu and copy it to the desktop.
Modify the compile worker target command to add CMD and START commands (spaces and quotes are important):
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C START " " /HIGH /AFFINITY 0X01   "C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\FPGA\CompileWorker\CompileWorker.exe"
Windows XP:
Download PsExec from the Microsoft website. It will be part of a suite of commands. I used version 1.98. Unzip the directory, then copy PsExec to C:\Windows\System32.
As above, find the Compile Worker shortcut in the start menu and copy it to the desktop.
Modify the compile worker target to add the PsExec command:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\PsExec -high -a 0 -d  "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\FPGA\CompileWorker\CompileWorker.exe"
If your original Compile Worker command is different, use that. Make sure it is enclosed in quotes.
To use: double click on the modified shortcut to start the Compile Worker. It will start and remain dormant in the background. Open a project and perform an FPGA build. The compile will be queued to the Compile Worker as normal. CPU usage can be monitored in Task Manager. As the compile progresses, the first core usage should eventually peg at 100%. The synthesis phase should be noticeably faster.
For Windows 7, Intel has a Turbo Boost monitor tool.
Why it works: The compiler seems to benefit from higher CPU clock speeds rather than more cores. The scheduler tends to move the process among the different CPU cores, and so the CPU isn't loaded down enough for Turbo Boost to stay on. The above commands force the compile to stay on one core, encouraging Turbo Boost to stay on for the duration of the compile.