Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for Open Source EDA tools

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a feature of Windows that allows you to run a Linux environment on your Windows machine, without the need for a separate virtual machine or dual booting. With native X11 (graphics) support on WSL2, the latest WSL, in Winodws 10 version 2004+ (Build 19041+) or Windows 11, you can now run GUI apps including all the open-source EDA tools like Sue2/xschem, ngspice, Magic, netgen, and iverilog.

In this page we will share instructions for installing WSL2 on Winodws 10/11 and install the EDA tools on a Ubuntu 24.04 distribution.

Install WSL

• RESOURCES:
  • For detail steps, follow these instructions at https://learn.microsoft.com
  • https://kwantaekim.github.io/2024/05/25/OSE-Docker/#wsl
• Prerequisites: Winodws 10 version 2004+ (Build 19041+) or Windows 11
• Enabling WSL : Control Panel -> Programs -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows Features On and Off and Select Windows Subsystem for Linux (This is a good video for it. NOTE Do not follow this video to install distribution which it suggests to do through MS Store)
• If you have a previous WSL installed without your knowledge or, you've installed in from the Microsoft Store, it's best you uninstall it using the Windows "Add/remove Programs" app and/or wsl --uninstall
  • Some resources to Uninstall legacy version of WSL or unregister or uninstall a Linux distribution.
• It is also highly recommended to ensure Virtualization (VTx) is enabled in your BIOS. See instructions here on how to access BIOS in a modern Windows 10 workstation/laptop.
• Open PowerShell or Windows Command Prompt in ADMINISTRATOR mode by right-clicking and selecting "Run as administrator"
• In the PowerShell type wsl --list --online
  • This will list all the available distributions online.
• To install a particular distribution (Distro) say Ubuntu-24.04 (The name has to be exactly as printed in the above command):
  • wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04
  • You'll be asked to create an username and password. Keep the password safe which you need for all root activities.
    • This account will be your default user for the distribution and automatically sign-in on launch.
    • This account will be considered the Linux administrator, with the ability to run sudo (Super User Do) administrative commands.
    • To change or reset your password, in your Linux terminal type passwd.
    • If you forgot the password for your Linux distribution execute wsl -u root in a PowerShell.
      • If If you need to update the forgotten password on a distribution that is not your default, use the command: wsl -d <DistroName> -u root
    • See Best practices for setting up a WSL development environment guide for a step-by-step walk-through of how to set up a user name and password for your installed Linux distribution(s), using basic WSL commands, installing and customizing Windows Terminal, set up for Git version control, code editing and debugging using the VS Code remote server, good practices for file storage, setting up a database, mounting an external drive, setting up GPU acceleration, and more.
  • NOTE You can install multiple Distros using the above command.
• It's important to update the WSL now by typing the following in the Powershell:
  • wsl --update
• And shut it down: wsl --shutdown. Note: it will automatically start when the WSL distro selected from the Windows menu.
• Once the installation is complete, the Linux distro will be available using the Windows Start under the name of the distro eg. Ubuntu 24.04. It's good idea to pin the application to Start or Desktop for ease of access.
• When you access your linux terminal for the first time, make sure you update the distro:
  • sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade to upgrade packages. It's a good idea to do this regularly.
• Setting up Windows Terminal (optional): Although optional, highly recommended for include multiple tabs, panes, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, a GPU accelerated text rendering engine, and the ability to create your own themes and customize text, colors, backgrounds, and shortcuts.
  • Install Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store.
  • Use the Command Palette
• GUI Apps is natively supported on WSL2 Winodws 10 version 2004+ (Build 19041+) or Windows 11. You can checkout this Tutorial for more info.
  • TROUBLESHOOTING GUI PROBLEM: If you find Linux GUI apps are distored and moving the pane makes it go away, disable the GPU accleration by adding a file (if it doesn't exit) to the location C:\Users\<User>\.wslgconfig and add the following content:

[system-distro-env]
;disable GPU in system-distro
LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1

Install Open Source Verilog EDA Tools

Once the WSL is setup, we are now ready to install the open source EDA tools. All the tools (except sue2) is available on Ubuntu 24.04 distro that you can install by simply typing sudo apt install <toolName>. We will install Icarus Verilog iverilog and GTKWave gtkwave from the distro itself since it is pretty close to the latest release. For the rest of the tools, we have compiled version for Ubuntu 24.04 on github that we are going to use to get the latest version.

• PREREQUISITES: sudo apt install tcl tk libglu1-mesa packages/libraries required for sue2 and Magic.
• INSTALLING iVerilog:
  • iVerilog creator Steve Icarus's document page
  • sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y : To update your distribution
  • sudo apt install iverilog gtkwave : Install iverilog and viewer gtkwave
  • A quick start guide to get you started with iVerilog
    • Create project directory say mkdir -p ~/iverilog/test and cd to that directory.
    • iverilog -o tb_mydut.vvp mydut.v tb_mydut.v : Compile the verilog codes mydut.v tb_mydut.v and create an output tb_mydut.vvp
    • vvp tb_mydut.vvp : Convert the compiled output to a VCD format for GTKWave.
    • gtkwave dump.vcd : Note: the filename dump.vcd is assumed to be in tb_mydut.v
    • You can find an example code and it's testbench here.

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