AR# 902: Information about running XACT 5.2.1/6.0.1 (with WVO) in Windows NT
AR# 902
Information about running XACT 5.2.1/6.0.1 (with WVO) in Windows NT
Description
Q. Will XACTstep 6.0.1 work within Windows NT?
A. No. XACTstep version 6.0.x (the Windows tools) was compiled and tested for Windows 3.x. It was not compiled for Windows NT, and unlike Windows 95, there is no workaround to enable the Windows tools to work. This release does NOT support Windows NT. However, we have had some success using XACT 5.2.1 (the DOS tools) within a DOS session under Windows NT. There are a few things to be done to set up the environment, and there a few things that have not worked.
It should also be noted that the current releases Xilinx software (M1) fully support Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95. This solution should be considered a tactical workaround for Windows NT 3.51 and a temporary workaround for Windows NT 4.0 for users that cannot upgrade to M1.
All of the instructions apply to both Windows NT versions 3.51 and 4.0 unless otherwise noted.
Solution
Windows Setup. Windows NT 3.51: You will need to make sure your Windows NT 3.51 is up-to-date with the latest set of patches and bug fixes, known as Service Pack 5. To check the status of your system, open the Administrative Tools program group and double-click on the Windows NT Diagnostics icon. Select the OS Version button and check the number next to Service Pack. If it is less than 4, you will need to upgrade. This free upgrade can be found at Microsoft's Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/#sup . You'll be asked to register, then follow the links to "3.51", "Service Packs" and finally "Intel (x86)" The file is called "SP5_351I.EXE". Place this self-extracting file in a temporary directory and run it in DOS with the -d option. It will expand lots of files into this directory. Then, within Windows NT 3.51, choose File -> Run Update.exe from within this temporary directory and the update install program will run.
Windows NT 4.0: You will need to download two items from the Rainbow Technologies Web site (they are the manufacturer of the hardware key). At their site, http://www.rainbow.com/tech/download/Drivers.html , you will need to download "Rainport Driver Download".
Installation. The first thing that must be done is the Xilinx install, and this is done simply by performing a Windows install. Assuming that D:\ is your CD drive, just select File -> Run (or Start -> Run) and type D:\Wn1\Install\Winstall.exe at the prompt. If you are using Viewlogic tools that support Windows NT, (Workview Office, NOT PROseries), choose the DS-VL-STD-PC1 product (not the Stand-alone) from a Custom install. Select the products you would like to install, but keep in mind that you will be using the DOS tools, so programs like the Floorplanner should be de-selected. Change the target path so the interface tools are copied to C:\WVOFFICE instead of C:\PROSER.
Next, copy the kernel32.dll file from D:\PROSER to both C:\XACT and C:\WVOFFICE.
Then, you will need to install the patched version of XNFPREP. This patch file is located on the Xilinx FTP site at: http://www.xilinx.com/txpatches/pub/swhelp/xact-pc/prep_nt.zip. After unzipping this file, place the XNFPREP.EXE file in C:\XACT, overwriting the existing XNFPREP.EXE. This new version, 5.2.1c, fixes a bug where the .PRP file would not be written.
Setting the Environment. Now you must modify the environment variables. Keep in mind that you must have administrator privileges to modify existing system environment variables and to add drivers.
In the Main program group, double-click on Control Panel and then System (NT 3.51) or right click on My Computer (NT 4.0). In the System Environment Variables area, select Path. In the Value field at the bottom of the screen, add C:\XACT;C:\WVOFFICE; before the existing path, so it looks like C:\XACT;C:\WVOFFICE;<rest_of_path>. Hit the Set button, then create a new variable; the Variable is XACT and the Value is C:\XACT;C:\WVOFFICE , then hit Set.
Then bring C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\AUTOEXEC.NT into a text editor. Add this line at the end:
SET XACT=C:\XACT;C:\WVOFFICE
You can verify that these settings have been applied (after rebooting Windows NT) by typing SET in the DOS window. Leave all the C:\WVOFFICE statements out if you are not using the Workview Office tools.
Drivers. Next, you must install the Rainport driver, which is also located on the Xilinx FTP site at http://www.xilinx.com/txpatches/pub/swhelp/xact-pc/rainport.exe. This driver is required to enable Windows NT to recognize the hardware key. The RAINPORT.EXE contains a readme about how to install the driver. This driver can also be found in the SENTINEL directory on the Workview Office 7.2 CD. Choose Control Panels -> Drivers -> Add to install this. This version is only for use with Windows NT 3.51.
Windows NT 4.0 users will install the newer version of Rainport mentioned in the Windows Setup section. A readme within the ZIP file explains how to install this driver.
Running the tools. You will be running the tools in an MS-DOS session. Take a look at the Reference Guide Volumes 1, 2 and 3 for specific information about using these tools in a DOS environment.
You will see that some of the Windows tools will work. The tools that definitely will not work are Design Manager, Flow Engine, and Floorplanner. Besides the Simulation Utility and the Memory Generator, you can create a new icon for the Timing Analyzer. The Command Line for this tool is c:\xact\timingan.exe and the Working Directory is c:\xact. There have been cases where these Windows tools have had problems, and the workaround is to use the DOS equivalent.
Hopefully these hints will get you up and running within your Windows NT environment. There are differences with different installations of Windows NT (3.51 vs 4.0, Workstation vs. Server, NTFS vs. FAT), so results may certainly vary. Please keep in mind that these tools were never intended to run in Windows NT, but if you do run into problems, please let us know and we will try to help you sort it out.