Univ. of Hartford  - CETA - Preparing to use ISE

The following notes will help you to install and prepare to use Xilinx Webpack at home or at school.

Installing and Using at Home

You may download the Webpack/ISE software for home use from the Xilinx website, or obtain CD of Webpack/ISE software. 

 

  • To download the software, first go to the Xilinx website and locate the software.  Click the download tab and in the pop-up window click the Free ISE Webpack link.

 

  • You will want to click the register link to open an account with Xilinx.  Registration is required not only to download software, but also to obtain the free license for the simulator.  If you have a CD with Webpack/ISE software, you will asked later to register with Xilinx.

 

  • Download the Webpack/ISE and MXE simulator self-installer files.  To avoid confusion, it is recommended that installing the software, insert the name of a parent directory, so the install directory for each application is like the following, assuming ISE version 7.1.

 

C:\XilinxISE7.1i\The_rest_reccomended_by_Xilinx_if_any

 

Double-click to run the Webpack/ISE installer.  Double-click to run the MXE simulator installer.

 

  • If you have not already obtained a license and use Internet Explorer as your default browser, then from the start menu select the following:

 

Start => Programs => ModelSim => Submit License Request

 

If your browser fails to start or you receive an odd error, then right click on the last choice given above and select properties.  In the pop-up window click the Shortcut tab, examine the target field, and identify the URL which looks similar to the following.  Highlight and copy this URL, open your favorite browser, and paste to open the license request webpage.

 

http://www.xilinx.com/cgi-bin...ModelSim XE III 6.0a Starter

 

·        Login and follow the given outline to obtain the license, which will be e-mailed to you.  Save the license.dat file in the Xilinx install folder. Directory

 

·        Use the license wizard to install the license.  In running the wizard a second time, it should find a "perpetual license."

 

Start => Programs => ModelSim => Licensing Wizard

 

Before trying an example it is a good idea to reboot your computer.  If the simulator won't appear as an option, then fix the link to the simulator.  In the ISE navigator window, select:

 

Edit => Preferences

 

Next, click the 'Integrated Tools' tab and in the 'Model Tech Simulator' field stores the path to the simulator executable.  Click the ... button to browse to find the file.  The path may be like the following

 

c:\XilinxISE7.1i\modeltech_xe_starter\win32xoem\modelsim.exe

 

The Xilinx tools have been known in the past to have trouble with file names containing spaces, so avoid using such folders as ‘My Documents’. At home use a directory with a name like ‘c:\work\proj’.

 

Using ISE Installed on Campus

If you are working on campus and don't already have an account, please ask the CETA system administrator for one.  You will need an account to login to computers located in the CETA computer laboratories.  Naturally, students enrolled in courses in the CETA are entitled to an account and space on our file server.  You will also want to develop a plan in how you store your project work.

 

Consider using a flash drive
USB flash memory devices are very affordable, very convenient, and serve as wonderful replacement for floppy disks.  USB flash memory is faster than a floppy disk, with only a modest speed penalty so you can work a project right off the USB flash drive.  In regards to academic honesty, do not leave copies of your projects on the local C: drive. We suggest that you purchase a USB flash drive if you have not done so already.

 

Before leaving lab, it helps to delete the working files, so your home computer will less likely be confused when you reopen the project.

 

Project => Cleanup project files

 

Use floppy disks only to transport a project
It is reasonable to use a floppy disk to transport a project between school and home, but do NOT ATTEMPT to work on an ISE project actually on a floppy disk.  You will only discover that floppy disk drives are painfully slow and that ISE makes HEAVY use of storage media.  If you use the local C: drive, make sure to copy your project to floppy disk before leaving the lab and to protect yourself, delete the project file from the C: drive.  All computers in our lab will otherwise clean themselves upon reboot.  For simple projects the following seems to work.

 

1.      Insert a floppy disk into the drive

 

2.      Remove the temporary work files to save space

 

Project => Cleanup project files

 

3.      Save the project elsewhere; the save-as command makes sure all files are in a safe state for copying.  In the project navigator window, select:


File => Save Project as

 

Use the 'Create New Folder' button in the file navigation window to create and name a folder for your project and then save your project in the new folder.

 

4.      If a dialog box appears asking to close all tools, click YES.

 

5.      The project on the floppy is now in use, we don't want that.  Either close it or switch to a previous project


File => Close Project
or
File => Recent Projects

 

To copy the project off the floppy disk, just use the Windows file navigator to copy the project folder to a convenient destination, start ISE and open the project as you would any other.  For larger projects you can have the Xilinx tools compress the project directly to a zip file, so rather than using the file save-as command:

Project => Archive

 

This will not change your project.  When you later decompress your program with a program like WinZip, make sure to extract the files to a subdirectory in the destination drive.

 

Consider using the file server
In some ways, using the CETA file server is better than saving files locally.  Here are some key points to remember:

 

  • You can access the file server from any machine in the department or any machine on campus
  • The file server is based on a redundant RAID array, more reliable than most single disk systems
  • COE computers are periodically cleaned, so don't expect your files to remain on a given computer.  The cleaning process is automatically performed each time the computer reboots.
  • But the file server is accessed through the University Intranet and causes a slight penalty in speed
  • Also be safe in regards to academic honesty, be sure to log-out after you finish your work

 

In logging into a COE computer, your file share on our file server should be automatically mounted for you as the Z: drive.  Set up a directory Z:\EE534\proj to store your projects.  To otherwise map a folder to a drive letter, double click on my computer and with the mouse, select:

 

Tools => Map Network Drive

 

In the folder field, enter the path to the space on the server.  Your path will probably be like the following.  Make sure the Reconnect at login box is NOT checked.  I'll use the drive letter F: to refer to my server file space.

 

\\uhacoent_2\Students\my_user_name

 

If you live on campus and are Windows savvy, consider doing a file share with your own computer.  Make sure to password project your fileshares to protect yourself from trouble-makers.  Finally, Xilinx projects can be quite large.  Because the file server is only so big and your allotted space is modest, be sure to conserve space and periodically delete project temporary files.

  • ISE generates work files as needed.  If you don't plan on opening a project in a day or so, remove the work files.  In the project navigator select:

Project => Cleanup Project Files

  • If you don't plan on opening a project in a long while, then compress it.  ISE can archive a project, producing a zip file.  Once compressed, delete the project file.  In the project navigator select:

Project => Cleanup Project Files
Project => Archive

Copyright Notice

This tutorial is written for students in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), at the University of Hartford.  Copyright is reserved by the author, but copies of this document may be made for educational use as-is, provided that this statement remains attached.  The original version of this tutorial was written in great haste.  Later versions result from periodic improvement.  Constructive criticism is welcome and may be credited. 

Original Author: Jonathan Hill ( jmhill at Hartford dot edu )
Original Copyright Date: Thu Oct  6 00:20:17 EDT 2005
Last Modified By: Jonathan Hill ( jmhill at hartford dot edu )
Last Modified Date: Thu Oct  6 00:20:17 EDT 2005