Is Nios II free?

The NIOS II processor is free to the extent that once you purchase a license to compile the NIOS II code through your tools, then you do not have to pay any royalities for inclusion in any of your designs.

The NIOS II IP is delivered with the basic Altera software IP release, but until it is licensed it will only allow "teathered" usage in your designs. (Via open core plus and the JTAG cable).

If you purchase it with a Kit then the license is good for one year, after which it will no longer compile. If you purchase it as a full subscription then it will compile forever, but after one year, if you do not renew your maintainance, then you cannot update to the then latest version of Altera tools (but the latest one you get just before your license expires will work perpetually).

I hope this clears things up.

Avatar

To add to what Avatar said...

The license Avatar talks about is pretty cheap: $495 a seat.

If that's too much, Altera does offer a free (as in $0) time limited license too, which you mentioned in your question. They call this "OpenCore Plus". Great for evaluating with having to pony up the 500 bucks.

The way the OC+ license works is that the Nios core will run forever as long as a Blaster programming cable is connected to the board. Once the programming cable is disconnected the Nios core will time out after a certain amount of time (not sure exactly how long, I think it depends on clock speed.)

C2H has an additional cost.

MicroC/OS II is provided in such a way that you can play with it, and once you decide you want to sell something with it in the offering, then they work out the costs with you.

Very easy, not real costly.

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If you purchase it with a Kit then the license is good for one year

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I don't understand, the pricing doesn't make any sense to me. According to Altera web site, a Quartus subscription has a yearly cost of $2.495. Add the NIOS subscription and the yearly cost is almost $3.000. OTOH, the Nios Kit costs $995.

Why would you pay $3.000 per year when you can get the same by buying one NIOS Kit every year, at less than $1.000? Plus you have a new hardware kit every year, which I guess you eventually could use for decoration purposes :)

Of course that there is a difference, the subscription doesn't expire as the kit license. That would make a difference if you want to purchase the license one. But if you plan to mantain a subscription, then it doesn't make any sense to me.

Nios was part of the IP that came with my Quartus subscription last year.

If you want to add Nios to a free web license I think that is $499

That seems to be what you also get with a Nios kit. IIRC the Nios subscription never runs out but only works with Nios updates up to 1 year from the Nios kit or Nios license purchase. IOW you can keep using the original Nios and some later updates forever but after a year newer versions will not compile without timeout.

This is all consistent with 3 yrs Nios experience but may be inaccurate in some detail.

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Nios was part of the IP that came with my Quartus subscription last year. If you want to add Nios to a free web license I think that is $499

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So the Quartus subscription includes an updated license of the Nios IP? I stand corrected.

But this doesn't chage the equation too much. It is now approx. $2.500 yearly vs. $1.000. It still doesn't make sense. It is still much cheaper to purchase a new Nios kit every year instead of mantaining a subscription.

OK, OK.

Altera offers 3 type of tools. (plus extensions)

Quartus II - Free WEB version (has less parts coverage and limited IP)

- Full Subscription bundled with Kits - dies after 1 year.

- Full Subscription - after 1 year, updates will not be licensed, but tool will work ~forever - full tool comes with something called the Base IP Suite - things like Memory controllers, etc.

After too many years of people installing Quartus II and forgetting to also install the MegaWizard IP (of the same revision) - the current installation of the Quartus II tools (8.0) automatically installs the Altera IP (MegaWizard IP library) at the same time.

This is where it gets confusing. - The hardware that make up the NIOS II processor is considered IP, so it gets loaded along with all the other IP (but it is not fully functional - OpenCorePlus) unless you also have a NIOS II IP feature line in your License file.

When you purchase the NIOS II IDE (Software tools GUI) you get the license feature line that allows the hardware to execute without being OpenCorePlus.

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Having said all that, I lucked out one year at a seminar and asked a question from just the right person as to what was the thinking behind the KITs and the 1 year Full version of the tools. The reply was that the price of the Kits is set to cover the costs of the hardware in the kit and production costs assiciated with putting the kit together - the Software tools are just included in case a customer does not already have their own tools - sort of....

The reference designs that come with a kit currently are designed with a particular release of a kit, syncronized to that kit release time (tools version). Altera is working on a method to release example designs that will stay current with each tool release (and SP) as they are released.

Having said all that, yes, one can certainly figure out ways to purchase kits every year or so and will in fact get their tools at a considerably lower price then if they just buy the tool only as you have determined. And you get some form of download cable as well!

Happy shopping!

Avatar

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- Full Subscription - after 1 year, updates will not be licensed, but tool will work ~forever - full tool comes with something called the Base IP Suite - things like Memory controllers, etc.

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Now that you mention, I realize there is an important difference with the license provided in the Nios Kit.

I understand the Nios Kit includes licenses for Quartus and Nios only. It doesn't include licenses for the Base IP and ModelSim-Altera. This is a significant difference.