[nodvtid] -
There is no licensing change between 10.5 and 10.6. However, if you are migrating to 10.6 from a release like 10.4 and older, please note that release 10.6 uses FLEXnet v11.13.1.2 server, v11.13.0.2 client.
For floating licenses, it will be necessary to verify that the vendor daemon (i.e., mgcld) and the license server (i.e., lmgrd) have FLEXnet versions equal to or greater than 11.13.0.2. If the current FLEXnet version of your vendor daemon and lmgrd are less than 11.13.0.2 then it will be necessary to stop your license server and restart it using the vendor daemon and lmgrd contained in this release.
If you use node locked licenses you don't need to do anything. This
release will update licensing to MSL v2015_1_patch2 with MGLS v9.13_5.4
and PCLS v9.13.5.2
In summary, this release uses the following license versions:
- FLEXnet v11.13.1.2 server, v11.13.0.2 client
- MSL v2015_1_patch2
- MGLS v9.13_5.4
- PCLS v9.13.5.2
- [nodvtid] - Beginning with 10.6 release, support for Linux RHEL 5 x86/x86-64 and SLES 10 x86/x86_64 have discontinued.
- [nodvtid] - Beginning with 10.6 release, gcc-4.3.3-linux/gcc4.3.3-linux_x86_64 GCC Compilers for SystemC have been discontinued.
- [nodvtid] - Beginning with 10.6 release, support for Windows 8 series is limited to 8.1. Windows 8.0 has discontinued.
Base Product Specifications in 10.6
- [nodvtid] -
[Supported Platforms]
Linux RHEL 6 x86/x86-64
Linux RHEL 7 x86/x86-64
Linux SLES 11 x86/x86-64
Windows 7 x86/x64
Windows 8.1 x86/x64
Windows 10 x86/x64
[Supported GCC Compilers (for SystemC)]
gcc-5.3.0-linux/gcc-5.3.0-linux_x86_64
gcc-4.7.4-linux/gcc-4.7.4-linux_x86_64
gcc-4.5.0-linux/gcc-4.5.0-linux_x86_64
gcc-4.2.1-mingw32vc12
[OVL (shipped with product)]
v2.8.1
[VHDL OSVVM (shipped with product)]
v2014.07
[Licensing]
FLEXnet v11.13.1.2 server, v11.13.0.2 client
MSL v2015_1_patch2
MGLS v9.13_5.4
PCLS v9.13.5.2
Compatibility Issues with Release 10.6
SystemVerilog Compatibility
- [nodvtid] - (source) Modports declared within generate blocks within interfaces have been removed from the language by the IEEE. This is Mantis item 343.
- dvt84871 - (results) vsim crashed when annotating SDF to a full specify path ( "*>") with path selects on source and destination terminals. This happened only when the specify block contained more than 64 paths and the width of the source and destination part-selects were different. E.g. (a[17:9] *> y[36:18]) = (0);
- dvt66421 - (results) When vsim was run with any "-radix" other than "binary", UVM backdoor functions uvm_hdl_deposit and uvm_hdl_force didn't deposit/force the correct value into VHDL data objects.
- dvt85937 - (results) Fixed the issues that DPI disable protocol was not followed when a thread is terminated either by "disable fork" or "process:kill"
- dvt89393 - (results) A concatenation of nets connected to an out or inout unpacked net array port was connected in reverse order.
- dvt87656 - (results) The implicit sensitivity for @* has been enhanced beyond the LRM specification to include bit-selects and part-selects in the sensitivity according to the same rule for always_comb, which is to use the "longest static prefix" of any select expressions read in the block rather than the identifier for the whole variable. This can improve performance and better match the intention of the code. Use the compiler option -svext=sas to revert back to the old behavior.
VHDL Compatibility
- dvt88164 - (results) In some specific mixed language cases where both numeric_std and 1164 packages were included vcom used to give an incorrect error saying "Cannot resolve expression type of association element". This has been fixed.
- dvt93451 - (results) Vsim crashed when bit slices wider than 256, of VHDL signals, were read through built-in UVM backdoor functions.
SystemC Compatibility
- [nodvtid] - (results) sccom would invoke scparse with the '--c++0x' option by default, which would enable the c++11 standard. The enabling of the c++11 standard by default would lead to scparse compilation errors in certain cases, while the g++ compilation would run fine. sccom has been fixed not to pass '--c++0x' by default. If a design has c++11 constructs, sccom needs to be invoked with the '-std=c++11' option so that both, g++ and scparse will run with the c++11 standard enabled during compilation.
User Interface Defects Repaired in 10.6
- dvt90155 - A force operation on a wreal interconnect would resault in a crash. This issue has been resolved.
SystemVerilog Defects Repaired in 10.6
VHDL Defects Repaired in 10.6
- dvt83738 - Incorrect code was generated for constant-index signal assignments when the array elements are generic types. As a result, the simulator could crash.
- dvt81426 - If an array-valued signal has only constant-index signal assignments in a particular process, and the process contains an expression involving either the 'driving or 'driving_value attribute, incorrect code was generated for the attribute expression. As a result, the simulator could crash during evaluation of the expression.
- dvt85740 - The compiler (vcom) would issue an Internal error message when an array aggregate expression was associated with a port of a direct instantiation (ENTITY) when that port was of an array-of-unconstrained array type and the port subtype was fully constrained at the inner array and the constraint depended on generics of the ENTITY, different from the ENTITY of the design unit that contains the direct instantiation statement.
- dvt85842 - If a subprogram contained a formal of mode IN and of type TIME and the declaration of the formal included a default expression, then a call to the subprogram that had an explicit association element for that formal would result in the subprogram being called with the value of the default expression, not the value of the actual.
- dvt86029 - The simulator would crash when a port map associated an array subelement of a record type signal with an array type port, when the array subelement was defined as an unconstrained array (i.e, the record type was record-with-unconstrained array subelement).
- dvt86918 - When an inner nested GENERATE block contained a slice name whose slice range depended in an outer FOR-GENERATE's loop parameter, and when a component instantiation in the inner GENERATE contained a GENERIC MAP association element that had an actual that depended on this slice name, then the compiler would create bad code that could crash the simulator.
- dvt86935 - Fixed a crash where a VHDL port which is an array of std_logic, the actual of the port is a slice of a static expression
and the port is connected to a Verilog port.
- dvt86813 - A CASE GENERATE statement that contained an external name in the expression or in a choice in an alternative would sometimes cause a simulator crash.
- dvt88164 - (results) In some specific mixed language cases where both numeric_std and 1164 packages were included vcom used to give an incorrect error saying "Cannot resolve expression type of association element". This has been fixed.
- dvt35748 - When +cover was specified to vcom, implicit operators were included in the set of subprograms that were added to the Structure window in the GUI, along with user-defined subprograms. Implicit operators are no longer part of this set.
- dvt89183 - Concatenation expressions involving a qualified expression whose operand was also a concatenation expression could sometimes cause a vcom internal error.
- dvt90896 - Vcom could crash when trying to report an invalid field of a record if the prefix of the selected name was an index on an array access type.
- dvt91137 - A generic of a record type might receive an incorrect actual value when the actual was a function call and there existed another different function call actual for a different formal.
- dvt91565 - If an architecture called a subprogram in a package, and if that subprogram contained a call to another subprogram, defined only in the package body and found via a forward declaration also in the package body, then subprogram inlining could produce bad code that would crash the simulator when the design was loaded.
- dvt92840 - Access to a shared variable through an interface package could cause the elaboration phase of the simulator to crash.
- dvt93089 - A call to a shared variable's method from within a subprogram of an uninstantiated package could cause the simulator to crash.
- dvt93451 - (results) Vsim crashed when bit slices wider than 256, of VHDL signals, were read through built-in UVM backdoor functions.
SystemC Defects Repaired in 10.6
- [nodvtid] - (results) sccom would invoke scparse with the '--c++0x' option by default, which would enable the c++11 standard. The enabling of the c++11 standard by default would lead to scparse compilation errors in certain cases, while the g++ compilation would run fine. sccom has been fixed not to pass '--c++0x' by default. If a design has c++11 constructs, sccom needs to be invoked with the '-std=c++11' option so that both, g++ and scparse will run with the c++11 standard enabled during compilation.
- [nodvtid] - Fixed DPI and SystemC link time errors due to different standard library installation paths on some linux distributions. Library paths looked up at link time will be "/usr/lib64", "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu" for 64-bit and "/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu", "/usr/lib/i686-linux-gnu", "/usr/lib32" for 32-bit platforms
- dvt86850 - In certain scenarios, where systemc.so would not unload during shared library cleanup and the design has global SystemC objects, vopt or vsim may crash at exit time trying to print an error message. This issue is now fixed.
General Enhancements in 10.6
- [nodvtid] - For IP protection using encryption for VHDL and SV, we have added a new public key named MGC-VERIF-SIM-RSA-2 that has 2048 bit key length. This enhances our security and conforms to the recommendations in IEEE 1735-2014. All users of IP protection are encouraged to begin using this key. IP authors should verify that their Modelsim and Questasim product version requirements are satisfied. This key is not supported in older releases.
- dvt84671 - For IP protection in VHDL and SV, a new 2048 bit public key named MGC-VERIF-SIM-RSA-2 has been added. This provides enhanced security and conforms to recommendations in IEEE 1735-2014. IP authors are encouraged to start using this key immediately. They should confirm that the supported Modelsim and Questa versions for this key satisfy their needs.
- dvt78423 - When the design unit being instantiated was contained inside library 'work', and the design unit of the scope
of the instantiation statement was contained in a library that was not named 'work', vopt (and vsim in -novopt flow)
would fail to find the instantiated design unit in spite of using -L work. Using -L ./work would make the test
pass. This has been fixed, and now -L ./work is no longer required.
- dvt85061 - Added a sub-option 'compress' to option -createlib to automatically create compressed missing libraries.
i.e. whenever a new library is created based on -createlib option, it is created compressed. The syntax
is -createlib=compress.
- [nodvtid] - Usability improvements and bug fixes have been made to Questa's library search features. There are no known incompatibilities with earlier library search operations. All working designs will continue to elaborate as they have in the past.
The following new features have been added to Questa's library search algorithm:
1. A new option called -Ldir has been added to vopt and vsim.
This option allows users to pass container folders for the libraries specified with -L/-Lf options. Once a container folder has been specified, the libraries contained in this folder can be directly referenced using their logical names. When multiple -Ldir options are used, the tool searches in the order in which -Ldir paths are specified on the command line. $cwd is always searched before any -Ldir options, as if there was an implicit "-Ldir ." specified first on the command line.
2. Vopt now detects inconsistencies between its -L/-Lf options and the options passed to vlog. Any inconsistency that can possibly result in a difference in the composition of the design will generate a warning.
3. A new option -libverbose=libmap has been added to display library map pattern matching information during compilation.
4. Some design units were missing source information next to their loading messages with -libverbose=prlib. This has been fixed. All design units now consistently show their source libraries when -libverbose=prlib is used.
5. A new option -work has been added to vsim. This is an optional option; When used, it would override the library in which vsim writes the optimized design generated by the internally invoked vopt command in the 2-step flow.
6. Error messages vsim-19 and vopt-19, generated for non-existent -L/-Lf libraries, are now suppressible.
- [nodvtid] - The "find signals", "find nets", and "find instances" commands are now supported in -batch mode.
SystemVerilog Enhancements in 10.6
- dvt83697 - SV variables having an initializer in the declaration are not allowed to trigger an always block at time zero, whereas in V2K mode those assignments do trigger top-blocking always blocks. Use the -svext=defervda compiler option to have these SV initializers trigger top-blocking always blocks.
- [nodvtid] - Added a vlog and vopt -svext=tzas option that runs a top-blocking always @* at time zero, same as is done for an always_comb, meaning that the always block will behave as though triggered at time zero even if none of the variables and nets in the implied sensitivity change value at time zero.
- [nodvtid] - vlog's -E output would not emit `line directives with anything other than '0' for the "level" parameter. Valid values for the "level" parameter are 0, 1 or 2.
- [nodvtid] - (source) Modports declared within generate blocks within interfaces have been removed from the language by the IEEE. This is Mantis item 343.
- dvt87656 - (results) The implicit sensitivity for @* has been enhanced beyond the LRM specification to include bit-selects and part-selects in the sensitivity according to the same rule for always_comb, which is to use the "longest static prefix" of any select expressions read in the block rather than the identifier for the whole variable. This can improve performance and better match the intention of the code. Use the compiler option -svext=sas to revert back to the old behavior.
- dvt93489 - The vlog/vopt -svext=dmsbw option can be used to drive the MSB unconnected bits of the wider hiconn (output) or the wider loconn (input) in an otherwise collapsible port connection. With the option, the unconnected bits are driven with zero, otherwise they float.
SystemC Enhancements in 10.6
- [nodvtid] - GNU compiler enhancements for SystemC.
For SystemC-2.3.1 (IEEE 1666-2011)
- Platforms supported: linux, linux_x86_64 and win32
- Compilers supported: gcc-5.3.0, gcc-4.7.4, gcc-4.5.0 for linux and linux_x86_64, and gcc-4.2.1 for win32.
For SystemC-2.2 (IEEE 1666-2005)
- Platforms supported: linux, linux_x86_64 and win32
- Compilers supported: gcc-4.5.0 for linux and linux_x86_64 and gcc-4.2.1 for win32.