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Quick Start Guide: Installing Cadence Allegro X/OrCAD X 25.1 via CADpass Client Secure Connection

  • CQSG-0116
  • V1.0
Licensing Requirements or Restrictions
Usage terms and conditions apply to this software. For more information, refer to Licensing Requirements or Restrictions on the associated product page:

Cadence Allegro/OrCAD Software

Table of Contents

CADpass client secure connection (will be referred to as CADpass client or CADpass in this document) is a utility provided by CMC Microsystems that creates a secure connection between client PCs, workstations, and computer sessions, and the CMC-managed infrastructure.

This quick start guide provides instructions for installing Cadence Allegro X/OrCAD X software on Microsoft Windows using CMC CADpass to access shared licenses on the CMC License Management System (LMS). The procedure has been tested on a Windows 11, 64-bit system.

The full list of CAD modules for university subscribers is available upon request. Contact [email protected] for details.

Prerequisites

  • Professors, Research Supervisors, and their research teams must register with CMC at https://fabricinnovation.ca/member/.
  • Professors and Research Supervisors can subscribe through the CMC subscription page at https://www.cmc.ca/subscriptions/.
  • You must complete all required agreements for this software use, which may be obtained from CMC Technical Support.
  • You must have administrator rights for the workstation on which you are installing this software.
  • You must have a unique login name (Linux or Windows) that does not contain a blank space. A username such as “charlie brown” contains a space, while usernames such as “charlie.brown” or “charlie_brown” do not contain spaces.

    The following are examples of unacceptable login names because they are not unique: “admin”, ”administrator”, ”root”, ”sysadm”, ”user”, ”owner”, ”student”, ”guest”, “temp”, and ”system”.

System Requirements

Software

One of the Cadence-supported operating systems is required. 

Hardware

The Cadence support staff recommends the following:

  • CPU with at least 4 cores; preferably 8 cores for larger designs
  • 16 GB RAM; 64 GB RAM for larger designs
  • 50 GB free disk space (SSD drive is recommended)
  • 1920 x 1200 display resolution with true colour with at least 32-bit colour

Also helpful is a dedicated graphics card with OpenGL support and 2 GB of dedicated video RAM.

Additional recommendations are listed in the “Allegro X Platform System Requirements”. A copy of this document is available during the installation process. See Figure 2 for the location of the document link.

Setting up CADpass Client for Use with Cadence Allegro X/OrCAD X

The CADpass client is a CMC Microsystems license access client used by subscribers across Canada to connect to our secure license server(s).

  1. Follow the instructions in the quick start guide to download and install the CADpass client.
  2. Start the CADpass client and log in using your CMC Microsystems Username and Password.
  3. When the CAD access window appears, double-click Cadence.
    A red checkmark is displayed to the left of the Cadence entry, as shown in Figure 1. Leave this checked while you are using the software.
Figure 1: A Red Check Mark Next to the Cadence Entry Indicates a Request for a License

Obtaining the Software

Download the installation files from the CMC Microsystems website https://www.cmc.ca/tools/:

  • Base_SPB25.10.000_wint_1of3
  • Base_SPB25.10.000_wint_2of3
  • Base_SPB25.10.000_wint_3of3

Installing the Software

The Allegro X/OrCAD X software is a trio of archive files on the CMC Microsystems website.

  1. Extract the three archives to temporary folders.
  2. In the temporary directory containing the file Base_SPB25.10.000_wint_1of3, select the setup application and launch the executable.
  3. To begin, click the button Install next to the text OrCAD X and Allegro X Products Installation.

    A License Agreement window opens, containing a link to the OrCAD software licence and maintenance agreement.

  4. Accept the agreement and click Next.
Note: If you are unsure of your obligations under this agreement, contact [email protected] to discuss them.

The Cadence Installation Settings dialogue is displayed, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Cadence Installation Settings
Note: The System Requirements document link is located in the lower right-hand corner of the dialogue shown in Figure 2.
  1. Under Select Products to Install, check OrCAD X Products and/or Allegro X Products, and enter the Installation directory and Working directory paths.
  2. Click Next.
    The dialogue Specify License Details is displayed, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Specify License Details
  1. Under Select license server configuration, choose Connect to existing license server, as shown in Figure 3.
  2. Under Set CDS_LIC_File Environment variable, enter Port Number 6055@a2.cmc.ca, as shown in Figure 3.

Note: Always check CADpass Licensing Information for the latest port number and license server name.

  1. Click Install.
    The dialogue Installing Media is displayed with the installation progress bar at the bottom, as shown in Figure 4. Depending on the modules chosen, installation may take an hour or so to complete; by then, the dialogue Setup Complete will appear.
Figure 4: Installing Media Progress
  1. To end the installation without adding any third-party tools, click Finish.

Setting Up Allegro X/OrCAD X License Access

Before starting Allegro/OrCAD, the CADpass client must be running.

  1. Start the CADpass client and log in to your account using your CMC Microsystems Username and Password.
  2. In the CADpass client window, select the Cadence license icon, as shown in Figure 1.
  3. On your workstation, go to the Start menu | Cadence OrCAD X and Allegro X.
    The Allegro X and OrCAD X tools will be listed.
  4. Start the tools as needed.

Troubleshooting

If the tool fails to install properly, contact CMC Support for help with diagnosing the problem.

Additional Support Resources

White papers, examples, and training options are available on the Cadence corporate website: http://www.cadence.com/st/pages/default.aspx. To request access, contact [email protected].

Tutorials

To access the tutorials that are bundled with this installation, follow these steps:

  1. From the Windows start menu, select Start menu | Cadence Help | Cadence Doc Assistant.
  2. Select the tab Product Manuals.
  3. Search for “tutorial“.
    All available tutorials are listed, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Cadence OrCAD X and Allegro X Tutorials Bundled with the Software
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