Suggestion : Enhance Download Opportunies for Altera Installation files

[Altera_Forum]

Depending on the customer, I am working for, I often suffer from restrictions of the given PC especially the (im-)possibility to install active-X plugins. So it is not possible to e.g. install Altera's download manager. Furthmore bandwidth is restricted and so I often fail in getting a complete installation file.  

 Recently I had to load more than 3GB with several tries to have a running Quartus Install file. :(   Suggestion : Could it be a solution to provide Altera Installation files in smaller fragments , e.g in ZIP-files ?  Getting 30-50MB is mostly possible and joing them not much work.  ...  At the moment I am trying to get ModelSIM AE (for 7.2):  First load : killed after 40MB, 11 mins Second load : killed after 63MB, 9 mins Third : killed after 29MB, 4mins Forth : killed after 81MB, 21mins fifth : killed after 104MB, 26mins sixth : killer after 20MB  two more tries, resetted around 100MB each -> corrupt file.  ---------------------------------- Summary : > 500MB while the file is around 100MB. :o    What can one do? Driving home to my office and load it privately ?

[Altera_Forum]

Get it off Altera's ftp site

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Get it off Altera's ftp site  --- Quote End ---    The ftp site is: ftp.altera.com/outgoing/release  It has both the latest and old versions and service packs.  But I agree with the download issue. 1.5 Gb of download is just huge. They should have a location where they are chunked into 50 Mb files or so.  I sent a rather large rant to several people at Altera when they stopped shipping the DVD's. It's just insane to download the much junk every 3 months.   Pete

[Altera_Forum]

If the FTP doesn't work for you either, you can always request a DVD for a particular version... https://www.altera.com/literature/quartus2/q2acds-dvd.jsp 

 You'll just have to create an Altera account for the web page if you don't have one - it's the same one you'd use to file service requests with mySupport so it's useful to have anyways!

[Altera_Forum]

Hi all, I know about FTP and DVD but: 

 1) The last time I requestet a DVD from Altera, it appeared (in Austria) 4 weeks after request, when a) I was out of the company allready and project was over b) a new Version was out allready.  2) I neither can install Actice-X nor FTP Clients on my machine due to the restrictions, the IT-service causes to us poor engineers. Trying to download the file caused the same trouble with the size. Speed is not higher anyway.  The problem is, that sometimes a switch to a new software version has to be done NOW or something must be downloaded NOW, otherwise one cannot continue to work. (and time of engineering consultants is expensive :p )  So a download (somehow shunning all the download restrictions of modern "IT-Services") is the only chance.  That is why I recommend to all companies to provide their data via easy and direct web access without JAVA, without POPUP, not as too large files, not named as *.exe or do anything else which could be blocked or cause trouble in any way.  ----  update : Two more tries to download failed. (FTP over Browser)

[Altera_Forum]

Don't use the browser to FTP, get a decent FTP client. That way you dotn have to start again if it fails. 

 Sounds like Quartus is the least of your worries, maybe you should look at a more reliable internet provider?

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Don't use the browser to FTP, get a decent FTP client. That way you dotn have to start again if it fails.  Sounds like Quartus is the least of your worries, maybe you should look at a more reliable internet provider?  --- Quote End ---    As you might have read from my text above, the problem ist, that I am not allowed to install anything onto a company's computer, neither FTP nor download manager or anything like that. I think this is the case with most engineering departments.  Beeing at home now, I got the 107MB within less than 20mins.:cool:

[Altera_Forum]

It is hard for me to understand why you or the comapny you are working for would ask you to do engineering type functions and not provide proper services. 

 Either they should allow (or install for you) an FTP client like FileZilla or they should get out of the engineering design business.  Just one engineers thoughts. Sorry you have to endure such greif.

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  It is hard for me to understand .  --- Quote End ---    Same for me!:)   If you once work for large companies, you will experience that there are regulations given top to down. IT-security is defined somewhere else, where nobody thinks of the requirements of today's engineering, when licenses come from networks or IP cores have to be loaded and installed to do the usual work. It appears to me that most IT departments only think of business software users (MS office assumingly) and so they cut down everything, which is not 100% necessary, to protect the PC's settings from beeing modified by user. That is, why the PCs are often restricted down to the "secretary level":rolleyes:   The engineering departments and mostly even the complete local busines units have no chance to change this. This was the case for nearly all of my recents companies which employed me (among them the no 1 addresses of electronis, pharma /medical and automotive).  The day will come when even the Windows based oscilloscopes will be under the control of the IT department and every change of the amplification or resoultion will cause a $50 ticket:p

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Tha last time i requestet a DVD from Altera, it appeared (in Austria) 4 weeks after request...  --- Quote End ---     I was just told that DVDs are typically shipped within a couple of days after they are requested unless the request is made right after a new version is released. I don't know how long the shipping time is to Austria, but maybe a big part of that 4 weeks was just the time for DVDs to become available after the new version was released. That delay is probably no different from what it was when Altera used to ship CDs or DVDs to everyone automatically--back then users had to get the files by FTP if they wanted them before CDs/DVDs shipped.  This next point won't help fpgaengineerfrankfurt given the comment "Two more tries to download failed. (FTP over Browser)". However, other users having trouble with the download manager might be able to download successfully using the link at the bottom of the download page where it says this:    --- Quote Start ---  We recommend the use of our free download manager utility. The Download Manager provides a more effective, more efficient way to download files than you normally see with a browser, especially for large files or file sets. It can pause and restart downloads even if you turn your computer off and on again. However, if the Download Manager fails to start, or if you do not accept the security certificate, you can download the file without using the Download Manager.  Click to Download Your File Now  --- Quote End ---  

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  However, other users having trouble with the download manager might be able to download successfully using the link at the bottom of the download page...  --- Quote End ---    I am one of those users and can confirm that bypassing the whole download manager and just clicking the "click to download your file now" works for me. This simply allows IE to download the file in the usual way without using the download manager.

[Altera_Forum]

You can download and use the wget utility (http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/wget.htm (http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/wget.htm)) which is a Win32 port of the well known command line GNU download tool. It doesn't need installation and it's one of the best download utilities you'll ever need - use it to download from the ftp site (or http if you have the direct link). 

 I can't imagine a reason for a company to deny engineers to have such basic tools on their computers.