Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing

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ID 683472
Date 1/31/2023
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Answers to Top FAQs 2. Introduction to Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing 3. System Requirements and Prerequisites 4. Downloading and Installing Intel FPGA Software 5. Licensing Intel® FPGA Software 6. About Intel® FPGA Software License Files A. Getting Hardware Information for License B. Using the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center C. Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Archives D. Document Revision History for Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing
2. Introduction to Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing x
2.1. Intel® FPGA Download Center 2.2. Intel® FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center
3. System Requirements and Prerequisites x
3.1. Minimum Hardware Requirements 3.2. Cable and Port Requirements 3.3. Software Requirements 3.4. Interaction with Third-party Software
3.3. Software Requirements x
3.3.1. Installing Windows* Subsystem for Linux* (WSL) on Windows* 3.3.2. Intel® High Level Synthesis Compiler Software Requirements 3.3.3. Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition Software Requirements
4. Downloading and Installing Intel FPGA Software x
4.1. Software Available in the FPGA Software Download Center 4.2. Installation Path 4.3. Downloading and Installing with Individual Executable Files 4.4. Downloading and Installing Using .tar Files 4.5. Setting Intel® Quartus® Prime Environment Variables 4.6. Starting the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software 4.7. Installing Programming Cable Drivers 4.8. Installing and Configuring a JTAG Server 4.9. Adding Device Support and Other Intel FPGA Software to Existing Installation 4.10. Managing Multiple Versions and Copies of Intel FPGA Software 4.11. Updating Intel FPGA Software 4.12. Uninstalling Intel FPGA Software
4.3. Downloading and Installing with Individual Executable Files x
4.3.1. Downloading Individual Executable Files 4.3.2. Installing Intel FPGA Software at the Command Prompt
4.3.2. Installing Intel FPGA Software at the Command Prompt x
4.3.2.1. Command-Line Options
4.4. Downloading and Installing Using .tar Files x
4.4.1. Downloading .tar Files 4.4.2. Installing from .tar Files 4.4.3. Using the Same Installation Files on Multiple Systems
4.7. Installing Programming Cable Drivers x
4.7.1. Installing Drivers on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 or Above and Ubuntu Versions 18 and 20 OS
4.8. Installing and Configuring a JTAG Server x
4.8.1. Installing and Configuring jtagserver on Windows 4.8.2. Installing and Configuring a Local JTAG Server (jtagd) on Linux
4.12. Uninstalling Intel FPGA Software x
4.12.1. Uninstalling on Windows* 4.12.2. Uninstalling on Linux
5. Licensing Intel® FPGA Software x
5.1. Types of Intel FPGA Software Licenses 5.2. Evaluating the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software 5.3. Checking the IP License Status 5.4. Licensing Intel® FPGA Software Walkthrough 5.5. Configuring the License Manager Server 5.6. Syntax of license.dat License File
5.1. Types of Intel FPGA Software Licenses x
5.1.1. Intel® Quartus® Prime Software License 5.1.2. Intel® Quartus® Prime Lite Edition Software License 5.1.3. Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition and Questa*-Intel® FPGA Starter Edition Software License 5.1.4. Intellectual Property (IP) Cores Licenses 5.1.5. Development Kits Containing the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software 5.1.6. Nios® II Embedded Design Suite License 5.1.7. Siemens EDA* AXI Verification IP Suite License (Intel FPGA Edition) 5.1.8. University Program Software Licenses
5.4. Licensing Intel® FPGA Software Walkthrough x
5.4.1. Obtain Necessary Hardware Information 5.4.2. Request a License File from the Self-Service Licensing Center 5.4.3. Set Up a Fixed License 5.4.4. Set Up a License in a Network License Server
5.4.4. Set Up a License in a Network License Server x
5.4.4.1. Set Up a License File in the License Server 5.4.4.2. Launch the Licensing Server 5.4.4.3. Specify a Network License Server in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software
5.5. Configuring the License Manager Server x
5.5.1. Installing the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software on Another License Server 5.5.2. Upgrading the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software 5.5.3. (Windows Only) Starting and Stopping the License Server 5.5.4. (Windows Only) Starting the License Server Automatically 5.5.5. Rereading an Existing License File on a License Server
6. About Intel® FPGA Software License Files x
6.1. License File Troubleshooting 6.2. License File Components 6.3. Using a FLEXlm Options File 6.4. License.dat Example Files
6.2. License File Components x
6.2.1. License File Header 6.2.2. SERVER, VENDOR, and USE_SERVER Lines 6.2.3. FEATURE and INCREMENT Lines
6.4. License.dat Example Files x
6.4.1. Fixed PC Software Guard License Example 6.4.2. Floating Network License Example
A. Getting Hardware Information for License x
A.1. Identifying Host's NIC ID A.2. UNIX Host ID A.3. Locating Your Hard-Disk Serial Number A.4. Identifying the USB Software Guard ID
A.1. Identifying Host's NIC ID x
A.1.1. Finding the NIC ID for Windows A.1.2. Finding the NIC ID on Linux A.1.3. Finding the NIC ID in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software A.1.4. Find NIC ID on Windows* Using FLEXlm Utilities
A.3. Locating Your Hard-Disk Serial Number x
A.3.1. To find the hard-disk serial number on a Windows* PC A.3.2. To find the hard-disk serial number if the Intel® Quartus® Prime software is installed on your computer
B. Using the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center x
B.1. Using the License Assistant B.2. Getting a License File with Your New Purchase B.3. Viewing Licenses B.4. Filtering Your Licenses B.5. Viewing and Generating a Legacy License B.6. Viewing Licenses or License Files Associated to a Computer B.7. Regenerating a License File B.8. Generating a Temporary Checkout License B.9. Generating a Companion License B.10. Renewing Your License B.11. Managing a Computer Profile B.12. Rehosting a License on a Different Computer B.13. Rehosting All Licenses from Current Computer to a Different Computer B.14. Rehosting Multiple/Partial Licenses from Current Computer to a Different Computer B.15. Sharing a License with Another User B.16. Adding Delegate Administrators to Your Licenses and Computers B.17. Splitting Seats on Your License and Generating Licenses B.18. Merging or Adding Seats on Your License and Generating License B.19. Adding Floating Seats B.20. Signing Up for an Evaluation or Free License B.21. Signing Up For an Employee License
B.2. Getting a License File with Your New Purchase x
B.2.1. Finding Your License by Activation Code and Generating License B.2.2. Viewing Your New Licenses and Generating Licenses
1. Answers to Top FAQs
2. Introduction to Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing
3. System Requirements and Prerequisites
4. Downloading and Installing Intel FPGA Software
5. Licensing Intel® FPGA Software
6. About Intel® FPGA Software License Files
A. Getting Hardware Information for License
B. Using the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center
C. Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Archives
D. Document Revision History for Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing

D. Document Revision History for Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing

Document Version Intel® Quartus® Prime Version Changes
2023.01.31 22.4
  • Added a new appendix to provide detailed instructions for using the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center.
  • Moved few licensing center related topics from the Licensing FPGA Software chapter to the Using the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center appendix.
  • Reorganized few topics within the Licensing FPGA Software chapter to improve the logical flow.
2022.12.19 22.4
  • Maintenance release.
2022.09.26 22.3
  • Added Ashling RiscFree* IDE for Intel® FPGAs in Software Available in the FPGA Software Download Center.
  • Added frequently asked questions on the front page of this guide.
  • Revised the requirements in Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition Software Requirements.
2022.06.21 22.2
  • Added a note about upgrading the daemon software for floating license server in Obtain Necessary Hardware Information.
  • Updated an image in the Request a License File from the Self Service Licensing Center.
  • Updated the FLEXlm license manager server software version to 11.18.2.0 in Upgrading the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software.
  • Removed Microsoft Internet Explorer browser and updated its deprecation notice in Software Requirements.
  • Merged the topics Installing Drivers on Red Hat Enterprise Linux Systems and Installing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or Above and updated the topic title.
  • Updated the instructions in Installing on RHEL 7 or Above and Ubuntu Versions 18 and 20 OS.
  • Removed the lib32ncurses5 software prerequisite package for Ubuntu and replaced it with libncurses5-dev:i386 in Software Requirements.
  • Added information about specifying Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition software license using the mgcld license daemon and included a note about using Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition software license with Remote Desktop in Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition and Questa*-Intel® FPGA Starter Edition Software License.
2022.03.28 22.1
  • Updated the instructions to access memory recommendations in Minimum Hardware Requirements.
  • Added a deprecation notice for Microsoft Internet Explorer version 11.0 in Software Requirements.
  • Updated the instructions to download software from the FPGA Software Download Center in the following topics:
    • Downloading and Installing Intel FPGA Software
    • Downloading Individual Executable Files
    • Downloading .tar Files
    • Adding Device Support and Other Intel FPGA Software to Existing Installation
    • Updating Intel FPGA Software
  • Made minor command syntax change in the file names in Installing Intel FPGA Software at the Command Prompt.
  • Updated the image of FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center page in Request a License File from the Self Service Licensing Center.
  • Added instructions to generate the license and set up the license in Questa*-Intel FPGA Edition and Questa*-Intel FPGA Starter Edition Software License.
  • Updated the following topics entirely:
    • Managing Licensed Users
    • Renewing a License
    • Managing a Computer Profile
    • Transferring a License File to Another Computer
    • Adding Floating Seats
  • Updated the license setup image in Finding the NIC ID in the Intel Quartus Prime Software.
  • Updated the software requirements for RHEL 8 in Software Requirements.
2021.12.13 21.4
  • Modified the topic titles from Questa*-Intel FPGA Edition Software License and Intel Quartus Prime Lite Edition and Questa*-Intel FPGA Starter Edition Software License to Questa*-Intel FPGA Edition and Questa*-Intel FPGA Starter Edition Software License and Intel Quartus Prime Lite Edition Software License, and merged some of their information.
  • Updated Software Requirements and Installing Intel FPGA Software at the Command Prompt topics to suggest that the Intel Quartus Prime software needs administrator privileges on Windows for installation.
2021.10.04 21.3
  • Added a note about additional information available for setting up JTAG server connection over SSH in Installing and Configuring jtagserver on Windows and Installing and Configuring a Local JTAG Server (jtagd) on Linux.
  • Changed all occurrences of "ModelSim - Intel FPGA Edition" to "Questa - Intel FPGA Edition".
  • Changed all occurrences of Mentor Graphics to Siemens EDA.
  • Renamed "Mentor Graphics AXI Verification IP Suite (Intel FPGA Edition)" to "Siemens EDA AXI Verification IP Suite (Intel FPGA Edition)".
  • Renamed all occurrences of "ModelSim - Intel FPGA Starter Edition" to "Questa*-Intel FPGA Starter Edition".
  • In Software Available in the Download Center, changed MD5 Message Digest Algorithm to SHA-1.
  • Updated Intel Quartus Prime Environment Variables topic with additional information for PATH variable and added a sample script to setup the environment.
  • In Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition Software Requirements, updated the OS requirements.
  • Updated the licensing details in Licensing Intel® FPGA Software.
  • UnderChapter 4, Licensing FPGA Software Walkthrough section, removed Activate Product topic and updated the instructions in Request a License File from the Self-service Licensing Center.
  • Updated the Ubuntu OS prerequisites in Software Requirements.
  • Updated the details for Questa in Specifying the License for the Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition Software.
  • Changed alteramtivsim and alteramtivlog to intelqsim and intelqsimstarter and removed a note about alteramtivsim and alteramtivlog license subscriptions in FEATURE and INCREMENT Lines.
2021.06.21 21.2
  • Updated the Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions to 7 and 8 in Software Requirements and ModelSim* - Intel® FPGA Edition Software Requirements.
  • Added Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition to the list in Software Available in the Download Center.
  • Added a note about the Intel® Quartus® Prime software installer in Installing Intel FPGA Software at the Command Prompt.
  • Added a note about the --install-lic option for --accept_eula in Command-Line Options.
  • Added Windows 10 method of starting the Intel® FPGA software in Starting the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software.
  • Removed the topic Installing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as RHEL 6 is no longer supported.
  • Added Windows 10 method of adding device support in Adding Device Support and Other Intel FPGA Software to Existing Installation.
  • Added Windows 10-specific instruction to Uninstalling on Windows* .
  • Made minor updates to requirements in Intel® High Level Synthesis Compiler Software Requirements.
  • Updated the license sample in FEATURE and INCREMENT Lines.
  • Updated the license sample in Floating Network License Example.
  • Updated the license sample in Fixed PC Software Guard License Example.
  • Removed Windows 7 support.
2021.03.29 21.1
  • Updated Installing Windows* Subsystem for Linux* (WSL) on Windows* to include an additional package that is necessary when building a custom library with Nios® II EDS.
  • Updated the requirements in Minimum Hardware Requirements and Software Requirements topics.
2020.12.14 20.4
  • Updated the list of Ubuntu prerequisite packages in Software Requirements.
  • Renamed the topic Installing and Configuring a JTAG Server and its subtopics.
  • Updated the topics Installing and Configuring jtagserver on Windows and Installing and Configuring a Local JTAG Server on Linux completely.
  • Document maintenance updates.
2020.09.28 20.3
  • Removed the occurrences of SoC EDS from the guide.
  • Added additional instructions in Installing Windows* Subsystem for Linux* (WSL) on Windows* .
  • Made the following updates in Software Available in the Download Center:
    • Added Intel® High Level Synthesis Compiler and Intel® FPGA Power and Thermal Calculator to the software list.
    • Included Agilex™ and Intel® eASIC™ N5X devices.
    • Added a note about discontinuation of older releases.
  • Removed the topic Installing on Red Hat Enterprise 4 or Earlier Versions.
  • Changed the topic title Installing on Red Hat Enterprise 5 and 6 to Installing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 since Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 version is no longer supported.
  • Modified description about the license entitlements and removed the mention of Intel® FPGA SDK for OpenCL™ in the additional software list in Licensing Intel® FPGA Software.
  • Updated the HLS requirements in Intel® High Level Synthesis Compiler Software Requirements.
  • Added SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 to the list in ModelSim* - Intel® FPGA Edition Software Requirements.
  • Updated the $QSYS_ROOTDIR directory to ${installdir}/qsys/bin in Intel® Quartus® Prime Environment Variables.
  • Removed Red Hat Linux Enterprise 5 in ModelSim* - Intel® FPGA Edition Software Requirements and Software Requirements topics.
  • Added an entry for Windows in Software Requirements.
2020.07.13 20.2
  • Added a note about having multiple license versions running on a system in Upgrading the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software.
  • Removed all occurrences of the ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE environment variable since it is deprecated and should no longer be used.
2020.06.22 20.2
  • Updated the processor requirements in Minimum Hardware Requirements.
2020.04.13 20.1
  • Added CPU requirements to Minimum Hardware Requirements.
  • Removed a step about Akamai DLM3 in Downloading Individual Executable Files since it is no longer supported.
  • Updated step 6 (which described download options) completely in Downloading .tar Files.
  • Updated step 5 (which described download options) completely in Adding Device Support and Other Intel FPGA Software to Existing Installation.
  • Updated step 5 (which described download options) completely in Updating Intel FPGA Software.
2019.12.16 19.4
  • Updated the Upgrading the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software topic completely.
  • Corrected typo in Installing Windows* Subsystem for Linux* (WSL) on Windows*.
  • Minor correction in the title of Installing Programming Cable Drivers .
  • Removed some repetitive topics under Starting the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software.
2019.09.30 19.3
  • Added "Checking the IP License Status" topic.
  • Added footnote for Nios II EDS changes in Software Available in the Download Center and added cross-reference links. Added the same information in Nios® II Embedded Design Suite License topic.
  • In Environment Variables topic, added PATH variable section and moved text related to $QSYS_ROOTDIR beneath this section.
  • Updated a note in FEATURE and INCREMENT lines about mixed language support.
  • In Upgrading the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software topic, added a link to the License Daemon Downloads page and updated the FLEXlm software version to 11.16.1.0.
  • Added a new topic Installing Windows* Subsystem for Linux* (WSL) on Windows*.
2019.06.27 19.1
  • Removed the topic Set Up a Floating Network License on a Local Computer since it was outdated.
  • Renamed "Mentor Graphics* Verification IP (VIP) Altera Edition" to "Mentor Graphics AXI Verification IP Suite (Intel FPGA Edition)".
  • In License File Header topic, updated the license header sample to remove references to Altera.
  • In Obtain Necessary Hardware Information, added Linux OS support for fixed licenses.
  • Added footnote about Remote Desktop limits to "Specifying the License for the ModelSim* - Intel® FPGA Edition Software."
2019.04.01 19.1
  • In Intel® Quartus® Prime Environment Variables, added LC_ALL variable to the list to explain the Perl warning observed if there is a mismatch in the locale setting.
  • In Software Available in the Download Center, added footnote about RSA Data Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm.
  • In Software Requirements topic, updated RHEL, Ubuntu, and SUSE package details.
  • Global changes:
    • Rebranded Altera URLs to Intel URLs.
    • Rebranded myAltera to My Intel along with the related screenshots.
2018.09.24 18.1.0
  • Added statement that the Intel® Quartus® Prime software installer does not support spaces in the installation path.
  • Renamed Installation Directory topic to Installation Path.
2018.05.07 18.0.0
  • Reorganized content.
  • Moved content about getting hardware information to Appendix.
  • Added how to install USB drivers for Red Hat Enterprise systems.
  • Added software requirements for Intel® High Level Synthesis (HLS) Compiler.
  • Added information about specifying more than one licensing server.
  • Removed references to automatic web license retrieval.
  • Removed instructions to set environment variables on Linux and Windows.
  • Created a Licensing Intel FPGA Software Walkthrough topic.
  • Updated the supported Red Hat Linux version number (5, 6 and 7 instead of 5 and 6).
2018.04.16 17.1.0 Updated licensing information for ModelSim - Intel FPGA Edition software
2017.11.06 17.1.0
  • Fixed outdated links from topic: "Using the Self-Service Licensing Center"
  • Added topics: "Installing Intel FPGA Software at the Command Prompt" and "Downloading and Installing Intel FPGA Software on Multiple Systems"
  • Removed command-line information from "Additional Installation Procedures"
2017.07.19 17.0.0
  • Removed "How to Contact Us" topic
2017.05.08 17.0.0
  • Included new free licensing mode for Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition software, which supports Intel Cyclone 10 GX devices only.
  • Removed all references to Solaris, which is no longer supported.
  • Added make as a required Linux library.
2016.10.31 16.1.0
  • Removed all references to Talkback feature.
  • Changed instances of Altera to Intel FPGA.
2016.05.02 16.0.0 Removed instructions on downloading .iso files, which are no longer supported.
2015.11.02 15.1.0 Updated to reflect the new Quartus Prime Lite, Standard, and Pro Edition software.
2015.05.04 15.0.0
  • Reorganized the document.
  • Added a quick start for fixed, single user licenses.
2015.03.09 14.1.1
  • Updated the supported Red Hat Linux version number (5 and 6 instead of 6 and 7)
  • Changed recommended screen resolution from 768 x 1024 to 1024 x 768
2014.12.15 14.1.0
  • Updated RPM package prerequisite information for Red Hat Linux Enterprise 7 and ModelSim-Altera Edition software and SoC EDS on systems running Red Hat Linux Enterprise 7
  • Added Microsoft redistributable package requirements for ModelSim-Altera Edition
  • Updated FLEXlm license server version to 11.11.1
  • Updated available software in the "Altera Software" topic
  • Removed references to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
  • Updated terminology in the "Adding Floating Seats" topic
  • Updated instructions for the "Setting Windows Environment Variables" topic
  • Added a firewall example to the "Modifying the Network License File" topic
2014.18.08 14.0a10.0
  • Updated RPM package prerequisite information for Red Hat Linux Enterprise 6 and ModelSim-Altera Edition software and SoC EDS on systems running Red Hat Linux Enterprise 6
June, 2014 14.0.0
  • Updated "Cables and Ports" topic.
  • Updated "Upgrading or Setting Up a License Manager Server" topic.
  • Updated "Quartus II General Environment Variables" topic.
  • Updated "Download and Installation Prerequisites" topic.
  • Removed references to 32-bit Quartus II software.
  • Added "Downloading and Installing Altera Software Updates" topic.
  • Updated "Rehosting a License" topic.
  • Updated 32-bit libraries in "Download and Installation Prerequisites" topic.
  • Updated "Modifying the Network License File" topic.
Nov, 2013 13.1.0
  • Added references to Altera SDK for OpenCL in "Altera Software" topic.
  • Updated information about downloading .tar files in "Installation Options" topic.
  • Removed note about installing software separately from "Installing Device Family Support" topic.
May, 2013 13.0.0
  • Removed references to the TCP/IP protocol in "More Download, Installation, and Setup Procedures" topic.
  • Removed references to SOPC Builder in "Supported Software Subscriptions" topic.
  • Removed the "Individual Software Files" topic, and "Using the 64-Bit Version of the Quartus II Software for Linux" topic.
  • Updated Altera Complete Design Suite DVD information in "Altera Software" topic.
  • Removed reference to Windows Vista in "Cables and Ports" topic.
  • Updated downloading, installing, and uninstalling Altera software information in "Altera Download Center" topic.
  • Updated information about installing the FLEXlm software in "Upgrading the FLEXlm License Manager Server Software" topic.
Level Two Title