Questa-ModelSim UI scaling problems in Linux
Hello Has anybody been able to solve the issue of UI of Questa not scaling correctly on linux with wayland? I am using Ubuntu 26.04 with wayland and UI is just tiny, icons, are so small i cannot read any text. When opening a new project, file explorer is also tiny. Fonts i could change in the config file but icons, menus and everything else is just extremely small. Problem is even worse on high resolution displays. Regards, HarisKnow-How: Licensing Guide
#sharing #debug #altera #alldevices #license Disclaimer: This article is provided as-is for educational purposes only, without warranty of any kind. Use the information at your own risk. Always verify implementations in your specific environment and consult official Altera documentation for production deployments. Introduction Licensing issues are one of the most common reasons FPGA tools fail to start. The good news is that most problems are configuration related and can be fixed quickly by following a simple, step-by-step approach. Sections 1: Start with the Error Message (Most Important!) Always look at the first licensing error message shown by the tool. This is usually the real issue. Any errors that appear later are usually caused by the first problem. Here’s are common error messages and what they usually mean: Invalid hostid → License does not match your machine ID Cannot find license file → Invalid or missing license path Unable to checkout a license → License not found, in use, or server issue 300: License version is outside the range of the contract → license file generated with blank FLEXlm error: Vendor daemon version is too old → daemon used mismatch or too old Cannot checkout uncounted license in Windows Terminal Services → Questa does not support remote desktop. Most common errors already have known fixes. Try searching the error message or key issue at: Altera Knowledge Base: https://community.altera.com/category/top/kb/knowledge-base Altera Community Forums: https://community.altera.com/category/forums For floating licenses, you can also check the FlexNet error code list: Error Code Descriptions Don’t try to fix everything at once. Fix the first error, then retry. In many cases, the rest will disappear automatically. 2: Check Your License (.dat) File Open the .dat license file using a text editor (for example, Notepad) and verify the following. i. Machine ID (NIC / HOST ID) The license is locked to a specific machine ID. Example in the license file: # Primary Machine ID-NIC ID 12AB34C56EF7 If the Host ID doesn’t match your machine ID, the license will not work. Helpful Tips 1: ----------------------------------------------------- START ----------------------------------------------------- Quartus software can automatically detect the Machine ID. To view this, go to Tools → License Setup, then check Local System Information and select one of the detected NIC IDs. ------------------------------------------------------ END ------------------------------------------------------ ii. License Type Licenses are set up differently, so confirm which type you have.Look for one of these lines: # Fixed Node License → Nodelocked license # Floating Server License → Floating license Nodelocked: Locked to one machine Floating: Served from a license server and shared Make sure you’re following the setup steps that match your license type. iii. Product License Summary Find the Product License Summary section and confirm it lists the tools/IP you’re planning to use. Examples: Quartus® Prime Software (Standard / Pro) Questa® FPGA Starter Edition (SWQUESTA) If a tool or IP is not listed here, it won’t be able to check out a license—even if the license file setup successfully. iv. License Expiration & Maintenance Licenses can look similar but behave very differently. We have: a. Perpetual License Has a Maintenance Expiration date You can use tool versions released before that date Example shown in license file: # Maintenance Expiration of 2026.06 # No license expiration date b. NonPerpetualLicense Has a hard expiration date License stops working after this date Example shown in license file: # License Expires 20Jun2026 Always doublecheck the license expiration & maintenance date before moving on. 3. Verify Environment Variables The tools use environment variables to find the license. If these are wrong, the tools may not find your license—or may use an old license file. Common environment variables: Different tools use different environment variables to locate the license. LM_LICENSE_FILE → Quartus® Prime SALT_LICENSE_SERVER → Questa* FPGA Edition Depending on the license type, they should point to: Nodelocked license: Full path to the .dat file Floating license: port@hostname Examples: LM_LICENSE_FILE=C:\licenses\license.dat LM_LICENSE_FILE=25000@licenseserver Next verify the environment variable. Open Command Prompt and run: echo %LM_LICENSE_FILE% If nothing is printed, the environment variable is either not set or the changes have not taken effect. If it is the latter, close and reopen the command prompt after making the changes. If the variable points to an incorrect location, update it accordingly. Note that outdated or incorrect environment variables are a very common source of issues. Helpful Tips 2: ----------------------------------------------------- START ----------------------------------------------------- There is a quick way to set using command line. Open Command Prompt and run: Windows: setx LM_LICENSE_FILE <path_to_license_file> Linux: setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE "<path_to_license_file>" ------------------------------------------------------ END ------------------------------------------------------ 4. Check the License Server (Floating Licenses Only) If you’re using a floating license, verify the server. On the client machine: Server hostname resolves correctly Network is working Firewall is not blocking the license port On the license server: License server process is running Vendor daemon is running Server log shows no fatal errors Licenses are available (not all checked out) If the server isn’t running properly, clients won’t be able to get licenses. 5. Scenario / Walkthrough i) Floating License Setup Walkthrough A floating license setup walkthrough (Know-How: Set Up a Floating License) is available to guide you through the complete process of configuring a floating license. Know-How: Set Up a Floating License (Step-by‑Step Walkthrough) | Altera Community - 352000 ii) Manual License File Download (License Email Not Received) If you generate a license but do not receive the license email within 5 minutes, you can manually download the license file using the steps below: Log in to SSLC. Navigate to Computers and License Files. Click the Primary Computer ID. Go to the ENTITLEMENTS tab. Select the relevant license (for example, LR‑****). Click the license file link to download the license file. Example shown below: iii) SSLC Access Denied Error Resolution If you encounter the message below when attempting to sign in to SSLC, please refer to the community thread linked below for the solution: Message:“You do not currently have access to this site. Please follow the instructions on the help page to request access.” Self service license server doesn't work | Altera Community - 352404 iv) Changing License Type (Fixed ↔ Floating) To change an existing license type: Log in to SSLC. Navigate to Computers and License Files. Navigate to the license file and click Edit in the drop-down menu. Change the License Type to FIXED or FLOAT, click Save. Now you can generate the license file with the Existing Computer. For your reference, this error occurs when you attempt to create a computer with the same NIC ID. You cannot create two computers with the same NIC ID, even with different license types. *Additionally, changing the license type will use up one rehost count. If all 3 rehost count have been used up, you can not change the license type for the specific computer anymore. Conclusion Licensing issues are almost always setup or configuration problems. Following this guide step-by-step starting with the error message will resolve most issues. If you’re still stuck after trying all the steps, feel free to post your issue on the Altera Community Forum (https://community.altera.com/category/forums) for help. When posting, please try to include the following: i. Error Details The exact licensing error message, copied as is If there are multiple errors, include the first one shown ii. Tool Information Product name (example: Quartus/Questa) Tool version (example: Quartus Pro 25.3/ Questa Altera FPGA Edition 2025.2) Operating system (Windows or Linux, version if known) iii. License Information License type: Nodelocked (fixed)/ Floating (network) Purchased / Evaluation license If possible, a copy of the license file (.dat) iv. What You’ve Already Tried Steps you have already checked or attempted Any workaround that partially worked The more complete your post, the faster the community (and Altera support staff) can help. Additional Altera Support Webpages For further information related to licensing, you may check out Altera Licensing Webpages for the wholesome experiences to get your FPGA licensing product setup and running with minimal hassle: FPGA Licensing Support Center Quartus® Prime Software Licensing Questions and Answers Additionally, we have FPGA Software Download and Installation Support webpage: FPGA Software Download and Installation Support Self Service Licensing Center (SSLC) Issues For issue related to the SSLC, please contact Customer Service if you encounter any of the following: Can’t find a product in SSLC Errors when generating a license file Errors when renewing a license file Unable to generate a companion or temporary license Unable to update license users or delegate administrators Need to transfer license ownership between accounts Contact Altera Customer Service here: https://licensing.altera.com/sslc/s/contact-customer-service For account login issue, please mail to: [email protected] License Purchase Inquiries For purchasing licenses, pricing questions, or commercial inquiries, please contact an Altera Authorized Distributor: https://www.altera.com/contact
SOLVED: BSP Editor NullPointerException on Debian 13 Linux
SOLVED: BSP Editor "New BSP" menu command is grayed out, so can't make any new BSP's, and opening any existing one from another computer throws: SEVERE: Available BSP type values for the --type argument are: [] SEVERE: BSP type "hal2" unknown. SEVERE: NullPointerException Based on other forum posts with a similar error, it seems like this is because the BSP Editor couldn't locate some of its own files. That seems likely here too since this is the first time it's used on this computer. But there's no problematic install path etc since I used the default. THERE ARE NO SPACES IN THE INSTALL PATH NOR THE PROJECT PATH. Everything else is working already for the Max 10: I can generate with Platform Designer, synthesize with Quartus, program SRAM with SignalTap, debug Nios V with RiscFree. Details are: Quartus Prime Lite 25.1std.0 Build 1129 10/21/2025 SC Lite Patches: None OS: Debian 13. This is what Ubuntu is based on, so it's very similar. And like I said everything else already works. USB came online already, not too hard. All it took was the Altera udev rules file 92 as usual, and the correct LD_LIBRARY_PATH so jtagd could find its own shared libs. Installed quartus into regular user account, not whole system, not as root. This is offered as an option in the installer if I recall correctly. Install path is the installer's default: /home/myuser/altera_lite/25.1std The project files are irrelevant here, since BSP Editor is already off-track as soon as it launches. "New BSP" is grayed out. SOLVED: BSP Editor is unable to find its own files without Altera's environment vars, which are provided when running inside niosv-shell. That's nonsensical to me, since any brain-dead program off the street can detect where its own binary loaded from, on any OS, and walk up the path from there to find the rest of its files, as a default if no env vars were provided. That's the first line of every binary or Tcl script I've ever written. Quartus main GUI seems to do it exactly that way. Anyone else struggling with this inexplicable rough edge should make sure your desktop's launcher icon invokes niosv-shell first, like this: altera_lite/25.1std/niosv/bin/niosv-shell --run altera_lite/25.1std/niosv/bin/niosv-bsp-editor To Altera: if you're struggling to maintain or improve your software because it relies on Tcl, contact me through my forum account. I could clean up a whole mess of rough edges like this one, and some other much-needed improvements.Starting Quartus GUI fails in docker version
Hi, Recently I found out Quartus is available for docker. I started to test and compile process worked well on an existing design with 25.1 Standard Edition on both native SUSE Linux and WSL (SUSE as well). But when I wanted to start the GUI, I got back the following error (in both cases): /mnt/c/Windows/system32> docker run --net=host alterafpga/quartus-std:25.1std-all quartus *** Fatal Error: Segment Violation at (nil) Module: quartus Stack Trace: 0x289a2: abort + 0x182 (c.so.6) 0xae55a: QtPrivate::lcNativeInterface() [clone .cold] (Qt6Core.so.6) 0xaedc4: QMessageLogger::warning(char const*, ...) const (Qt6Core.so.6) 0xf9dc2: QGuiApplication::restoreOverrideCursor() [clone .cold] (Qt6Gui.so.6) 0x18e5a1: QGuiApplicationPrivate::createPlatformIntegration() + 0x641 (Qt6Gui.so.6) 0x18ef00: QGuiApplicationPrivate::createEventDispatcher() + 0x30 (Qt6Gui.so.6) 0x1461f5: QCoreApplicationPrivate::init() + 0xbe5 (Qt6Core.so.6) 0x1921b3: QGuiApplicationPrivate::init() + 0x33 (Qt6Gui.so.6) 0x18bc59: QApplicationPrivate::init() + 0x9 (Qt6Widgets.so.6) 0xb3899: AFCQ_APP::AFCQ_APP(int&, char**) + 0x13 (gcl_afcq) 0x6863a: QUI_APP::QUI_APP(int&, char**) + 0x1e (sys_qui) 0x14fb9: QGQ_APP::QGQ_APP(int&, char**) + 0x9 (sys_qgq) 0x38b8: qgq_main(int, char const**) + 0x48 (quartus) 0x3e540: msg_main_thread(void*) + 0x10 (ccl_msg) 0x5c1c: thr_final_wrapper + 0xc (ccl_thr) 0x3e60a: msg_thread_wrapper(void* (*)(void*), void*) + 0x6e (ccl_msg) 0xc046: mem_thread_wrapper(void* (*)(void*), void*) + 0x96 (ccl_mem) 0x9188: err_thread_wrapper(void* (*)(void*), void*) + 0x27 (ccl_err) 0x5c5f: thr_thread_wrapper + 0x15 (ccl_thr) 0x4050a: msg_exe_main(int, char const**, int (*)(int, char const**)) + 0xa8 (ccl_msg) 0x39d5: main + 0x26 (quartus) 0x2a28b: __libc_start_main + 0x8b (c.so.6) 0x37aa: _start + 0x2a (quartus) End-trace Is this a compatibility issue with my Linux version? Or do I make something wrong? Best regards, Istvan
dcfifo problem
In our project, we instantiate the parameterizable DCFIFO primitive provided by Altera. The design passes simulation verification without issues; however, mismatches occur between written and read data from the DCFIFO by signalTAP during board-level testing , which consequently causes driver loading failures. fpga device：agilex7 with quartus pro25.3 dcfifo wr_clk: 450M dcfifo rd_clk: 416M the instantiate example: is there better suggestion?DisplayPort Sink (Quartus 18.1) – horizontal pixel offset.
We are experiencing an issue with the DisplayPort Sink IP core (Quartus Prime 18.1), where the captured video stream becomes horizontally shifted after some runtime. The system works correctly after reset, but after a variable period (typically several minutes), the image suddenly shifts horizontally by a constant number of pixels (hundreds of pixels). The image remains stable but shifted. After longer time (tens of minutes), the image may spontaneously recover, and the cycle repeats. This behavior only appears when the input signal is routed through a DisplayPort optical extender (G&D). Without the extender, the system operates correctly and indefinitely stable. This system design is constrained to Quartus 18.1 (cannot migrate easily) - We are primarily looking for a workaround or confirmation of known limitation - Not asking for redesign or migration unless necessary
Quartus Licensing Issue
Recent versions of Quartus (both Std & Pro) for WIndows introduced a new problem with the license management (for node-locked licenses) which is a pain to work around. In Tools > License Setup panel, "NIC ID", a lot of "ghost" adapters appear now, while the normal behavior was to see the MAC Addresses of the Ethernet Adapters that show up in the device manager and in ipconfig /all. This seems aggravated by the use of the "Get no-cost licenses" button that apparently generates a license file for a (or many !) new virtual adapter(s)... I call them "ghost" or virtual because they don't show up in the usual commands (getmac /v, ipconfig /all, lmhostid etc) and do not correspond to a physical peripheral (network card). To make things worse, Quartus can apparently only handle a maximum of 10 (ten) Ids. The consequence is that your "real" adapter may fall out of the list and a node-locked license for this adapter becomes unusable. The only work around I found was to use the device manager, display the hidden devices, and to disable the numerous Microsoft "WAN Miniport" in the Network cards category. This should reduce the list enough to see the "real" address used for your node-locked license. I proposed a solution : allow the manual editing of the NIC Ids list (save in quartus.ini or registry). But today it seems a bit hard to be heard...How can I use Quartus Pro 25.1 sopc-create-header-files tool to generate a jtag master header file?
I am an engineer in Terasic, I am writting a tutorial for Agilex 5. I use Quartus Pro 25.1, there is a sopc-create-header-files in \quartus\sopc_builder\bin path, I want to generate a header file in Windows system.however, I couldn't use it in Win10 system. I tried it in Nios V command Shell: even I used Windows WSL: or in Windows PowerShell： Thanks for your advice. Doreen
