Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Quick Start
Intel FPGA Software Installation and Licensing Quick Start
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
- Navigate to the Intel® FPGA development tools web page at:
- 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
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)
-
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
- C shell:
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
Step 6: Specify the Intel FPGA Software License
Refer to the following information to complete the licensing process:
Specifying a Single User License
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 TabNote: 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
Finding the NIC ID for Windows
Use the ipconfig utility to find the NIC ID on Windows.
ipconfig /all
The command prints network information. The NIC Address appears as Physical Address.
Finding the NIC ID on Linux
- At a command prompt,
type:
/sbin/ifconfig eth0
The command prints network information. The NIC Address appears as HWaddr.
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.
The computer's NIC ID appears under Local System info in the Network Interface Card (NIC) ID field.
Setting Up a Fixed License
- 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. - Linux:
-
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.
Specifying the License File with the LM_LICENSE_FILE or ALTERAD_LICENSE_FILE Environment Variable
- 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.
Setting Environment Variables for 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.
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 |
|
2018.04.16 | 17.1.0 |
Updated licensing information for ModelSim* - Intel® FPGA Edition software |
2017.03.03 | 17.1.0 | Initial release. |