Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Quick Start

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MNL-1087 | 2018.11.26

Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Quick Start

This quick start provides streamlined instructions for downloading, installing, and licensing Intel^® FPGA software using typical single-user license configuration.

This quick start covers the following installation and licensing steps:

Step 1: Download Intel FPGA Software
Step 2: Install Intel FPGA Software
Step 3: Install Programming Cable Drivers
Step 4: Configure the Linux User Environment (Linux Only)
Step 5: Start the Intel FPGA Software
Step 6: Specify the Intel FPGA Software License

For multi-user, Linux, or other alternative installation configurations, refer to Intel^® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing.

Step 1: Download Intel FPGA Software

Follow these steps to download Intel^® FPGA software:

Navigate to the Intel^® FPGA development tools web page at:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/software/programmable/quartus-prime/download.html
Click the Download button for the tool you want to install. Additional Intel^® FPGA software tools are listed at the bottom of the page.
On the Download Center for FPGA's web page, specify options for the tool version, edition, and operating system.
For Download Method, select the Akamai DLM3 Download Manager. The download manager controls the download of the files you select, and allows you to pause and restart the download at any time. Linux does not support this option.
Click the Combined Files tab.
Select the files to download. You can download the complete set of software and device files in a single .tar file, or download individual .tar files for specific software and device support. Consider download speed, design requirements, and method of installation when determining download method.
Complete download of all files before starting installation.

Step 2: Install Intel FPGA Software

Follow these steps to install Intel^® software:

Complete download of all installation files, as Step 1: Download Intel FPGA Software describes.
Extract the installation files into the same directory. If using Windows OS, extract the installation files by unzipping the .tar files.
The components subdirectory stores software and device installation files.

To begin the installation, run one of the following:

Table 1. Installation Scripts
Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Edition	Operating System
	Linux	Windows
Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Lite and Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Standard Editions	setup.sh	setup.bat
Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Pro Edition	setup_pro.sh	setup_pro.bat

The wizard appears, and guides you through the installation process.

Step 3: Install Programming Cable Drivers

After installing the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software, you must also install the provided programming cable driver for any Intel^® FPGA download cable or programming unit that you plan to use.

Locate the appropriate drivers in the following location and install the driver according to you operating system:

Windows:

<installation-directory>\quartus\drivers

Linux:

<installation-directory>/quartus/drivers

For detailed information on installing drivers and setting up cables, refer to the corresponding cable user guide.

Step 4: Configure the Linux User Environment (Linux Only)

Before starting the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software for Linux for the first time, you must set up the user environment. These steps do not apply to Windows.

Update each user’s PATH environment variable to include the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime bin directory.
The bin directory is usually located at $QUARTUS_ROOTDIR/quartus/bin.
Review (and update as appropriate), each user’s Intel^® Quartus^® Prime general environment variables.
If you use a version of Intel FPGA software that requires a license, set the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE environment variable to point to the license.dat file or license server address.
Save the changes to the .cshrc file or .bashrc file
At the command prompt, type:
- C shell:
```
cd
source .cshrc
```
- Bash shell:
```
cd
~/.bashrc
```

After setting the environment variables, you are ready to start the software.

Step 5: Start the Intel FPGA Software

Starting the Intel^® FPGA Software on Windows

Use any of the following methods to start Intel^® FPGA software on Windows:

On the desktop, double-click the Intel^® FPGA software icon.
On the Windows Start menu, click All Programs > intelFPGA[_lite|_pro] > <version> > quartus.
At a command prompt, type:
```
<installation-directory>\bin64\quartus
```

Starting the Intel^® FPGA Software on Linux

Use the following method to start Intel^® FPGA software on Linux:

Type the following at the command prompt:
```
<installation-directory>/quartus/bin/quartus
```

Note: Starting the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software in a platform-specific directory (for example, <installation-directory>/linux64/quartus/), can cause problems running the software.

Step 6: Specify the Intel FPGA Software License

The Intel^® FPGA software that you purchase requires a license file to enable full use of the software. The license enables the software version that you purchase, as well as all previous versions, and all versions that are within one year of the purchase date. A license for the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software also enables the IP library. This step summarizes the licensing process only for a single user on one computer. For other licensing options, refer to Intel^® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing

The ModelSim* - Intel^® FPGA Edition software also requires a valid license. This license expires 12 months after the date of purchase. Every 12 months you must regenerate your license file from the Intel FPGA Licensing Center to renew your license for the specific ModelSim* - Intel^® FPGA Edition software version that you purchase.

Note: The Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Lite Edition and ModelSim* - Intel^® FPGA Starter Edition do NOT require a license. If you are using this software, you can skip the licensing step and begin using the software.

Note: Development kits that include the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software include instructions for obtaining a license for that software.

Refer to the following information to complete the licensing process:

Specifying a Single User License
Setting Up a Fixed License

Specifying a Single User License

To license the Intel^® FPGA software, you can direct the software to retrieve a license file automatically, or you can manually request a license file from the Intel FPGA Licensing Center

To obtain and specify a license file, follow these steps:

Start the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software. If the software does not detect a license, you are prompted to evaluate, license, or buy the software.
Request a license file using one of the following methods:
- Select Perform automatic web license retrieval. The software attempts to retrieve the license automatically from www.altera.com.
- Request a license file from the Intel FPGA Licensing Center located at:https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/programmable/support/support-resources/support-centers/licensing.html
  Note: The license request requires your computer network interface card (NIC) ID number.
If the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software retrieves a fixed license file successfully, skip the remaining licensing steps and begin using the software.
If you request a license file from the Intel FPGA Licensing Center, Intel^® emails you the license file text and an attached file. After obtaining the license email, use the attached license file to specify licensing settings in the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime License Setup (Tools > License Setup).
In the License file box, specify the full path name of the license.dat file.
Specify the host NIC ID, as Identifying Host's NIC ID describes.
Click OK. You can begin using the software.

Figure 1. License Setup Tab

Note: If you do not receive a license email within 12 hours of the request, or if you require additional information to complete the process, login or register for a My-Intel account, and then submit a Support case requesting license support.

Identifying Host's NIC ID

A network interface card (NIC) ID is a 12‑digit hexadecimal string embedded in the network card that uniquely identifies a computer. You must identify the NIC ID of the computer that hosts the software installation or the license server.

Note: If you have a triple redundant license server for floating licenses, the first server that you specify is the master. Use the master server’s NIC ID or host ID.

Finding the NIC ID for Windows

Use the ipconfig utility to find the NIC ID on Windows.

At a command prompt, type:

ipconfig /all

The command prints network information. The NIC Address appears as Physical Address.

Figure 2. NIC ID in Output of ipconfig Command

If the system has more than one network card, you can use the NIC ID of any network card connected to the computer.

Finding the NIC ID on Linux

Use the ifconfig utility to find the NIC ID on Linux.

At a command prompt, type:
```
/sbin/ifconfig eth0
```

The command prints network information. The NIC Address appears as HWaddr.

Figure 3. NIC ID in the Output of ifconfig Command

Finding the NIC ID in the Intel Quartus Prime Software

Use the following method to find the NIC ID in the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software:

Display the License Setup settings by clicking Tools > License Setup.

Figure 4. NIC ID in License Setup Settings

The computer's NIC ID appears under Local System info in the Network Interface Card (NIC) ID field.

Setting Up a Fixed License

To set up a fixed license file (single user, single computer):

Create a security copy of any existing license.dat file.
Save the license.dat file on your local hard drive. The preferred location is:
- Linux:
```
/usr/local/flexlm/licenses
```
- Windows:
```
C:\licenses\flexlm
```
Note: If you save the file in other location, make sure that the path contains only alphanumeric characters, and do not type any special characters or symbols, such as !$%^&*<>, empty spaces, or non-English characters.
Start the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software.
If the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software cannot detect a valid license file, the License Setup Required dialog box prompts you to license, evaluate, or buy the software.
Figure 5. License Setup Required Dialog Box
Select If you have a valid license file, specify the location of your license file, and click OK.
The License Setup page on the Options dialog box appears.
In the License file box, specify the full path name of the license.dat file, and click OK.

Alternatively, you can specify the license file location by using the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE environment variables. However, the location that you specify in the License Setup dialog box supersedes LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE.

Specifying the License File with the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE Environment Variable

You can specify the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software license location with the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE environment variable.

To specify the license file:

Close the software if it is open.
Set the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE environment variable using the Control Panel (Windows) or by editing your .cshrc or .bashrc file (Linux).
Note: Linux: You must source your .cshrc or .bashrc file before restarting the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software. See the topic on setting up the Linux environment for more details.
Start the Intel^® Quartus^® Prime software.

Note: The license file setting in the License Setup dialog box supersedes the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE environment variable setting.

Setting Environment Variables for Windows Systems

To set environment variables in Windows systems:

Click Windows Start menu > Control Panel or open the Control Panel application.
Click System and Security > System > Advanced system settings to open the System Properties dialog box.
In the System Properties dialog box, select the Advanced tab, and click Environment Variables.
The Environment Variables dialog box opens.
Select a variable in the Environment Variables dialog box, and click Edit.
Type a value in the Variable value box in the Edit Variable dialog box, and click OK.

The updated value appears in the Environment Variables dialog box.

Document Revision History for Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Quick Start

Document Version	Intel^® Quartus^® Prime Version	Changes
2018.11.26	18.1.0	Reorganized, consolidated, and simplified information into procedural steps. Updated links for Intel FPGA Licensing Support Center, Download Center for FPGAs, and My-Intel. Added information about starting Intel FPGA software on Windows. Added linking between topics in flow. Added License Setup tab screenshot.
2018.04.16	17.1.0	Updated licensing information for ModelSim* - Intel^® FPGA Edition software
2017.03.03	17.1.0	Initial release.

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Starting the Intel® FPGA Software on Windows

Starting the Intel® FPGA Software on Linux

Starting the Intel^® FPGA Software on Windows

Starting the Intel^® FPGA Software on Linux