Design Space Explorer local compilation running sequentially and help setting up remote farm.

[SAbde7]

I am trying to use DSE II to find the best project setting for my design. I cannot find a good tutorial on how to set up remote compilation. There is one video on Youtube that doesn't help much because it doesn't explain anything, and is voiced by a person with an an accent so thick that it is hard/impossible to understand. I have no experience with SSH and LSF or DSE. I am looking for any resources or help setting up the remote farm. I assume that the remote farm is not a service offered by Intel, and so I am trying to use my university's computer cluster as the farm.

In the meantime I have started a design exploration on my local machine, expecting DSE II to run several compilations in parallel(as advertised), but it is still doing them one at a time, even though my machine has 8 processors. What even is the point of a local exploration then?

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

May I know what is the value you set for maximum parallel compilations?

Thanks.

[SAbde7]

I didn't set a restriction. During a Quartus compilation all 8 cores are detected and I get a warning about overloading shared machines. I didn't check the transcript during the DSE compilation but I never explicilty set a limit​ and didn't see any option related to this in the DSE GUI.

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

You may check Exploration > Advanced > Maximum parallel compilations

Thanks.

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

There are four videos about DSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1io05dj1veU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cc74E3zaeI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdO5VOQkl7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLR-AMjgI4E

Thanks.

[SAbde7]

I have already watched every one of these. You will find that none of these address remote farm settings except the third one which is the terrible video I already mentioned in my original question. I don't think there is a video about this topic that I have missed. I have already done a thorough google and youtube search so I am hoping you can help me with something a little less basic than that.

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

May I know how many licenses you have?

Thanks.

[SAbde7]

Do you mean quartus prime liscences? If so I assume just one at the moment but I could probably get access to more. How does this affect DSE?

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

Yes. According to https://www.intel.co.jp/content/dam/altera-www/global/ja_JP/pdfs/literature/hb/qts/qts_qii52008.pdf (page 14-11),

the number of parallel distributed compilations can be limited to the number of licenses available for the Quartus II software or the IP core used in your design.

Thanks.

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

May I know if you have any updates?

Thanks.

[SAbde7]

I was never able to set up a remote farm, but I managed to perform several compilations in parallel on my local machine. The problem was the "number of parallel compilations" parameter. It also turns out that that the number of parallel compilations is unrelated to the number of licenses. I have since come across other problems, but I adress those in other threads.

[KhaiChein_Y_Intel]

Hi,

It is glad to know that you can perform parallel compilation now. Do let me know if you need help.

Thanks.