Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs: User Guide

ID 784383
Date 9/29/2025
Public
Document Table of Contents

4.2. Installing the Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs on Microsoft Windows* Systems

On Microsoft* Windows* systems, Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs is supported only in a Windows* Subsystem for Linux* 2 (WSL 2 ) environment. Follow the instructions in Installing the Intel Simics Simulator for Altera FPGAs on Linux* Systems to install Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs in your WSL 2 environment.

Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs has been evaluated in the following WSL 2 environment:
  • Microsoft* Windows* 11
  • WSL 2 Version 2.1.5.0
  • Ubuntu* 20.04
  • Linux* kernel 5.1.15.146
You can run your Intel® Simics® simulations in a WSL environment in the following ways, depending on you WSL configuration:

WSL Linux GUI Applications

Run the Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs in the same way as any other Linux GUI application. In this case, the Intel® Simics® GUI and the Simics Serial Console display as new windows on your Windows* desktop when you launch a simulation (whenever this applies). Also, you can install and connect the simulator other support tools (for example, Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs and GDB) in the same way as is described in this user guide.

WSL Command-Line Only

Run the Intel® Simics® Simulator for Altera® FPGAs as command-line only from a WSL command line interface (CLI) as follows:
  1. In one WSL CLI, start the simulation with the simics command as shown in Starting a Simulation from a Command Prompt. This WSL CLI becomes your Simics CLI.
  2. Start a second WSL CLI to use as a serial console. This second WSL CLI uses a remote telnet connection to the simulation in the first CLI. For instructions on setting up the telnet connection, refer to Remote Access to the Target System Serial Console.
  3. If you want to have the simulation running along with an Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs installed on your Windows* system (or any other remote Linux* or Windows* system), set up a remote connection to your simulation running in the first CLI following the instructions in Remote Debugging With Intel Simics Simulation and RiscFree* IDE on Different Systems.

You can run the Intel® Simics® Simulator through WSL 2 showing the Simics GUI and serial console without needing the full installation of a graphical desktop interface. You must have the Linux* gtk+2.0 and the libxxf86vm1 libraries installed in your WSL 2 environment. In this case, run your Simics simulation as usual.