Xilinx ISE 7.1i for Windows XP

General Information

The overall installation approach is to install the application onto your local drive using a copy of the CD's on the San drives, using the Xweb interface. The "viewlog" directory created during the installation turns out to be incomplete. The complete contents have to be copied to your local installation directory by hand from a location on the V-drive, as descibed below.

This version runs on a Windows 2000/SP3 or XP machine.

To install the application to your local disk requires about 1.9 GB of diskspace, including documentation, SP3 and the optional ModelSim application.
Three CD images are required, which are available through the Xweb interface. It is also recommend that you install Service Pack 3 (SP3), which is available through the Xweb.

• Before beginning the local installation, 'delete' environment variable XILINX, if it has already been set.

• Begin by going to the Xweb application installation webpage:

  http:\\xweb.slac.stanford.edu

• In the list of applications that appears, find "ISE 7.1i" and click on the "Multiple Step Install" button to its right.

• In the following menu, click near the bottom on "Install 1st", associated with "Step 1".

• You are returned to a similar Xweb page prompting for Step 1-3. If the download window does not appear within a few minutes, click on Step 1 again, even though it would seem redundant.

• On the next "File Download" page, you can choose either "Run" or "Save". The first choice might be easiest. It will download the installation files (after some minutes of waiting for the download-indicator window to appear). and then automatically proceed to install the application. The "Save" option only downloads the installation files. You would then have to go to the location where you saved the downloaded files and doubleclick on the *.exe file, which would initiate the install.

• On the next security warning page, click again on "Run", in case that is what you chose in the previous step.

• After some waiting where nothing seems to happen, the self-extractor window appears, ending in the appearance of the actual Xilinx installer.

• Click on 'Next', since you already have the Registration ID (in the next step).

• In the next several windows check the "I accept ... " checkbox for the license.

• In the next window "Enter Your Registration ID" enter the following four sets of digits:
  5829-2274-8454-4097

• In the next window "Select Destination Directory" specify a local dir that has no spaces in the pathname; also specify here the Programs Folder entry you would like, for example "Xilinx ISE 7.1i".

• In the next window "Select Software Modules to Install", you can leave the default selected. (about 1 GB total space required for both CD's.)

• In the next "Update Environment" screen, you can choose to update your XILINX and PATH environment variables, which is a good idea.

• After a review of what will be done, the installation then begins.

• After the installation completes, you now have to repeat the same procedure with the 'Install 2nd' followed by the 'Install 3rd' choices in the Xweb page you are returned to.

• This completes the main installation. You can now copy a complete version of the viewlog libraries from the V-drive. There is also a Service Pack, SP3 that is recommended to install.

• Copy the "data" Folder in directory:

  V:\CAE\xact\ISE7.1i\viewlog

  to your local installation Folder:

  (install Folder)\viewlog

  replacing the (incomplete) "data" folder that is currently there.

• If you haven't already done so for an earlier version set up the license file variable

• When you first call up ISE 7.1i, you will be informed that a Service Pack is available for downloading. I would recommend going ahead with the service pack installation.

• There is an optional additional install button for the Mentor Graphics Starter Version of ModelSim Xilinx Edition III (MXE III 6.0a). You can use use this application if you want to try out the MXE Starter, a free, limited version of MXE, which is supposed to be seamlessly integrated with Xilinx ISE. Here is the procedure for installing it:

• Go to the same initial Xweb page as for the main installation. This time select "Starter Mentor Modelsim XE III 6.0a (optional)", and agree to the usual license requirements.

• As with the previous components, you are presented with the choice of 'Running the installation, which automatically downloads the installation files, uzips and installs them. Or, you can 'Save' the installation files to a local location of your choice and do the rest of the installation from there.

• As with the previous components, you are presented with the choice of which Step to pursue. Select again, although apparently redundant, Step 5.

• The security-warning window prompts you whether you want to 'Run' the installation script, to which you respond by selecting 'Run'. After some delay, the WinZip Self-Extractor window pops up, indicating that the unzipping of the installation files is occurring. Finally, the actual Mentor installer appears.

• You are prompted in the 'Select Components' window to specify what type of installation you would like. Select the "MXE Starter" (Limited)

• In the "Software License Agreement" window, click on 'Yes' to accept the license agreement.

• In the "Choose Destination Location" window, specify the local folder in which you would like to install ModelSim Starter.

• In the "Select Library Installation Option" window, select the installation type you would like.

• In the "Select Program Folder", select either the default presented, within an existing Folder such as the one you just created for the main application, or a Folder or your own choice.

• The installation then proceeds.

• Responses to a few questions are prompted for after the installation, which you can answer as you wish, except in the "License Request" window, click on 'Yes', since you will need a (free) license to run MXE Starter.

• After clicking on 'Finish', you then presented with a webpage for logging in to the Xilinx website, either with an existing account, or one that you can create on the fly. Follow the remaining instructions presented for having an MXE Starter license file emailed to you. It is unfortunately not possible to share a single license. Rather, each license is tied to your local PC, necessitating a separate MXE Starter license for each machine.

• You will be returned to the Xweb installation page, which you can now exit from.

• There is a Service Pack 3 that can be installed, which is recommendable.

• When you first call up ISE 7.1i, you will be informed that a Service Pack is available for downloading. I would recommend going ahead with the service pack installation.

• Continuing with the MXE Starter license setup, as indicated in the license request instructions two steps ago, when you first intend to invoke MXE, set up the license you were emailed as follows:

• Copy the license.dat file you were sent, to any directory of your choice
  

• Call up ModelSim XE, select "Licensing Wizard", click on 'Continue' in the menu that appears.

• You are prompted for the location of your emailed license file, which you can Browse to.

• In the next "License Wizard" popup window you are prompted whether you would like your LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable augmented with the location of your MXE license.dat file. You also have the option, instead, of adding the path yourself.

• Finally, you are prompted to rerun the License Wizard to run a test of of the newly-installed license, which is straightforward.
  When you use ModelSim, there will an initial message to the effect that you are using a Starter version only, etc. These messages can be ignored.

• This completes all installations. In case you need to set up the LM_LICENSE_FILE variable manually, then:

• In the /Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/('Advanced', if WinXP) environment/ menu, set the following three (system) environment variables, in case they are not yet set appropriately:

  XILINX= (your local top-level Xilinx installation directory)

  PATH should include: $XILINX\bin\nt

  LM_LICENSE_FILE should include, at the beginning of the (possible) list,
  the entry: 1700@sunlics1; 1700@sunlics2; 1700@sunlics3
  followed by ';' and any other entries you may have. There may also be the local license for running ModelSim, in case you installed that optional application as well.

• Naturally, you need to have an existing installation of ISE 7.1i on your PC before you install SP3, and your XILINX environment variable must be pointing to that local installation directory. This environment variable will be set correctly after you install the main ISE 7.1i application.

• You can install, optionally, Service Pack 3, by going to the same initial "Multiple Step Install" window for ISE7.1i. This time, select "SP3".

• After agreeing to the license conditions, you are presented with a similar menu to the initial one, in which you again click, near the top, on 'SP3'.

• As before, you can choose between 'Run', or 'Save'. The Run option handles the installation file download, unzipping and installation automatically, whereas the 'Save' option downloads the files to a location you choose. You then go to that location and double-click on the downloaded .exe file to begin the actual installation. In some cases, you may have to click on the 'Run' or 'Save' option a second time, if the download pop-up window does not appear.

• After the download has complete, you are prompted whether you want to 'Run' the file downloaded file, to which you respond by clicking on 'Run'.

• After the initial license agreement signoff, you are presented with menu "Select Destination Directory", which should display as the default, the Folder of your current installation Folder.

• The installation commences, possibly with an initial backup of your existing files, and completes without further ado.

• You can then exit the Xweb webpage, or reboot immediately in order to have the SP3 take effect.

• This completes the installation of Service Pack 3.

CAE homepage

---

[Disclaimers, Copyright, and Other Fine Print ]

Bob Boeninger
Last updated: July 6, 2004