Answers Database

Can I run M1 and XACTstep 6.0 software on the same machine?


Record #2648

Product Family:  Software

Product Line:  FPGA Core

Problem Title:
Can I run M1 and XACTstep 6.0 software on the same machine?


Problem Description:
Keywords:  XACT6, M1, run, concurrent, Workview Office

Urgency: HOT

Is it possible to run both M1 and XACTstep 6.0 software on the same PC or
workstation?  Are there any conflicts?


Solution 1:

Core Technology:

Because the M1.3 release does not support the XC3000 and XC5200 families,
users may be required to maintain two sets of Xilinx software on one system.

This can be done on Windows 95 and workstation platforms that support both of
these versions of software.  XACTstep 6.0 does not support Windows NT.

Because the environment variables (XILINX vs XACT), program groups, and
directory structures are different, there are no conflicts between these
software releases.  Some executables share the same name (dsgnmgr.exe,
floweng.exe, etc.), but since they are called from icons or other programs,
there is no confusion.

It is extremely important that these two software systems are installed to
separate diretories (i.e. C:\XILINX for M1, C:\XACT for XACTstep 6.0), as
they are completely unique systems.



Solution 2:

Viewlogic (PC):

Under Windows 95, it is not possible to have more than one version of Workview
Office due to the registry entries that this software uses.  You can, however,
use this one version to work on designs for both M1 and XACTstep 6.  We highly
recommend using Workview Office 7.31.

The only thing to be careful of is the library setup for the Viewlogic
projects.  Both M1 and XACTstep 6 use the Unified Libraries, but the locations
and descriptions are different.  For M1, the Viewlogic libraries are located
in C:\XILINX\VIEWLOG\DATA, and for XACTstep 6, they are found in
C:\WVOFFICE\UNIFIED (assuming default locations).

The file LIBS.LST in \WVOFFICE\STANDARD is used to define the library setup.
You can merge the LIBS.LST found on the M1 CD (in VIEWLOG\DATA) with the one
included with Workview Office by cutting and pasting this text file in a text
editor.  Or you can download the file M1LIBS.ZIP from the FTP site at
ftp://ftp.xilinx.com/pub/swhelp/viewlogic/m1libs.zip.

For more information on M1 library setup, consult the Viewlogic Interface and
Tutorial Guide, found in the M1 online documentation.

For more information on XACTstep 6 library setup and usage with the Workview
Office toolset, check the Software Setup chapter of the Viewlogic Expert
Journal at http://www.xilinx.com/support/techsup/journals/viewlogc/index.htm.



Solution 3:

Workstation Alliance:

Synopsys:  The synlibs program is common to both environments, so it is
recommended that M1 and XACTstep be run in unique shells.

Viewlogic Powerview:  As with Workview Office, you will simply need to be
careful with the library setup for each project.

Mentor Graphics:  no issues.



Solution 4:

Workstation Licensing:

In order to license the M1 software, FLEXLM version 5.0 (included with M1)
or greater must be used.  Since the XACT software contains an older version
of FLEXLM, it is suggested that the license server from the M1 installation
be used.  The easiest way to ensure this is to place the $XILINX/bin/<platform>

in front of the $XACT/bin/<platform> in the path variable.  This will refernce
the M1 license manager instead of the one included in the XACT install.

It is also suggested to keep the XACT license file and the M1 license file
seperate and place them is seperate directories.

The XACT license file should be called license.dat be placed in the
$XACT/license directory on the system.	When the XACT software is executed,
it defaultly looks for the license file at $XACT/license/license.dat.  If
the file is placed here, nothing more needs to be done for the XACT licensing.
Test the license file by tying :

xlmcon -quick -a

If any problems are found, please consult (Xilinx Solution 1222) or
(Xilinx Solution 1223) for assistance on debugging.

The M1 license should be placed elsewhere on the system (preferably in the M1
directory tree but this is not required).  The $LM_LICENCE_FILE should be
modified to point to this file.  Next, the license server should be verified
that it is the correct version by typing at the prompt:

lmgrd -v

The response given should be :

lmgrd v5.0a - Copyright 1988-1996, Globetrotter Software, Inc.

If this version is correct, start the license server from the license server
machine by typing the lmgrd command.  Verify that the license may be checked
out by typing :

lmutil lmdiag

If any errors are encountered, see (Xilinx Solution 2547) for debugging the
license.

If no errors were encountered in the above steps, the syem should be setup to
license both versions of the Xilinx Software.



End of Record #2648