Forum Discussion

Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
17 years ago

Error: SignalTap and incremental compilation

Hello

I have a problem with SignalTap. When I want to compile, I get this error message

--- Quote Start ---

Error: Current license file does not support incremental compilation

--- Quote End ---

Where can I disable incremental compilation for SignalTap? In some tutorials I saw a column where incremental compilation could be disabled. I have Quartus II 8.0 Web Edition and can't see something similar....

thanks for help

14 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    The incremental compilation has nothing to do with signal tap, it's a compiler setting in quartus. You find it under assignments -> device -> compilation process settings -> incremental compilation

    //Ola
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    Alex,

    The Quartus II Web Edition doesn't support the full set of features (and devices) that the subscription version supports. Incremental compilation is one of the features that isn't supported by the Web Edition.

    - Mark
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    Hi

    @Bango

    since I have the Web Edition it isn't available. You say it has nothing to do with signal tap, but since I wanted to use it, I get the error message. And in some tutorials I saw a check button in the instance manager of signalTap, where incremental compilation could be disabled. But I think the tutorials are for v7.2.

    @Mark

    That is clear for me. I don't need incremental compilation. But for any reason SignalTap enabled it and quartus didn't compile...

    alex
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    What I meant was that incremental compilation is a feature for making the compilation quicker not something for signal tap, so why not just disable incremental compilation in quartus, under assignments -> device -> compilation process settings -> incremental compilation, while you debug

    //Ola
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    SignalTap can tap two different types of signals, post-fitting and pre-shynthesis. Tapping post-fitting signals requires incremental compilation, which is not available in the Web edition.

    Make sure the nodes you add to your STP file are pre-synthesis signals. You use the Node Finder filter to select "Signal Tap II: pre-synthesis".
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    @Bango

    I can't do that, because I have the Web edition. text and checkboxes are grey.

    @vjAlter

    Sounds interesting. I added signals from some pins, so they must be pre-synthesis. But I will check this on monday :rolleyes:
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    Hi,

    in the meantime I had several other error messages (internal error...) on the same topic. Altera helped me to solve the problem. I had a bidirectional port, which can't be captured by SignalTap when incremental compilation is not disabled. As I can't disable or enable incremental compilation in my Web Edition, I have to add the statement >>set_global_assignment -name INCREMENTAL_COMPILATION OFF<< in the .QSF file. Now it works :)

    Greetings,

    alex
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    --- Quote Start ---

    in the meantime I had several other error messages (internal error...) on the same topic. Altera helped me to solve the problem. I had a bidirectional port, which can't be captured by SignalTap when incremental compilation is not disabled. As I can't disable or enable incremental compilation in my Web Edition, I have to add the statement >>set_global_assignment -name INCREMENTAL_COMPILATION OFF<< in the .QSF file. Now it works :)

    --- Quote End ---

    You probably made something unusual that exposes a bug in Quartus.

    I can tap bidirectional pins on the Web Edition without any need to add that assignment.
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    17 years ago

    I am using 8.0 SP1 web edition and I ran into this bug today after specifying a new Signal Tap file. This bug definitely has something to do with Signal Tap as it did not appear until after I added the new Signal Tap file today. I have been successfully using Signal Tap with this project for some time.

    I removed the offending Signal Tap file from the project and disabled Signal Tap, but Quartus still refused to compile. Since you cannot access the incremental compilation settings in the web edition, setting incremental_compilation to off in the QSF file was the only way I could get Quartus working again.

    I've read somewhere that the web edition of Quartus does allow incremental compilation of Signal Tap changes, so it must be getting confused where to allow it and where not to. If this is true, then I suspect that I may want to comment the incremental_compilation line in the QSF once Quartus is well again, otherwise all minor Signal Tap changes will require a complete and lengthy recompile.