Impossible to download WebPACK?

Is it actually possible to download WebPACK?

I tried using my existing xilinx.com account to download it, and I get
into an endless loop where I'm shown a button that says "click here to
register" then another button that says "click here to download if
you're already registered". The second button just takes me to the same
page again, over and over.

I tried creating a new account on xilinx.com and with this account I
can't even log into the abovementioned infinite-loop page; it doesn't
accept the new username/password.

Has anyone ever worked out the magic combination of browser versions
and whatever other magic the PITAs at xilinx require?

zwsdotcom@gmail.com schrieb:

> Is it actually possible to download WebPACK?
>
> I tried using my existing xilinx.com account to download it, and I get
> into an endless loop where I'm shown a button that says "click here to
> register" then another button that says "click here to download if
> you're already registered". The second button just takes me to the same
> page again, over and over.
>
> I tried creating a new account on xilinx.com and with this account I
> can't even log into the abovementioned infinite-loop page; it doesn't
> accept the new username/password.
>
> Has anyone ever worked out the magic combination of browser versions
> and whatever other magic the PITAs at xilinx require?

send email to Xilinx VIP's with an humble plea to recall their
webmaster from his vaccation.

Antti

Antti wrote:

> > Is it actually possible to download WebPACK?
>
> send email to Xilinx VIP's with an humble plea to recall their
> webmaster from his vaccation.

:)))

I remember the good old days when the vendors would have BBS services.
You would log in and get what you needed immediately and totally free -
OK, it was an international call for me (I was in Australia) but at
least it was instant.

Then everybody upgraded to offering ftp sites. Internet access was
still charged by the hour in my country, so it wasn't strictly free to
me, but again at least the access was immediate and unrestricted. You
log in, you browse to what you want, you download it.

Now every vendor must hide behind a gigabyte of Javascript, popup
windows, Flash animations, server-side includes to query a database so
it can tell me my own name every time I load the page ("$NAME, Welcome
to the download site!"). And everything is in a constant state of
"almost working"ness. Everyone goes to the utmost possible lengths to
hide a simple one-click URL to download a file; they want you to go
through eleven million pages of portals and advertisements and "let's
see what the referrer was so we can judge our advertising
effectiveness".

Damn, I am old. That is why my websites don't even use frames.

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.fpga/browse_frm/thread/57ca33af15b3aebe/4d135a665d33c860?lnk=st&q=xilinx+group%3Acomp.arch.fpga+author%3Abrian+
author%3Adavis&rnum=14&hl=en#4d135a665d33c860

Symon wrote:
> <http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.fpga/browse_frm/thread/57ca33af15b3aebe/4d135a665d33c860?lnk=st&q=xilinx+group%3Acomp.arch.fpga+author%3Abrian+author%3Adavis&rnum=14&hl=en#4d135a665d33c860>


Yes, I should have mentioned that I already tried this - it doesn't
work. Download is completely broken.

I even tried it on a Macintosh to see if Safari would behave any
differently.

zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:

> Is it actually possible to download WebPACK?

It worked for me some weeks ago. But only with a download manager, because
I tried it multiple times with Internet Explorer and it terminated at about
80%, and IE or the Webserver didn't agree that it was only partly loaded
and that IE should continue. LeechGet solved it.

-- 
Frank Buss, fb@frank-buss.de
http://www.frank-buss.de, http://www.it4-systems.de

zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
> Is it actually possible to download WebPACK?
>
> I tried using my existing xilinx.com account to download it, and I get
> into an endless loop where I'm shown a button that says "click here to
> register" then another button that says "click here to download if
> you're already registered". The second button just takes me to the same
> page again, over and over.
>
> I tried creating a new account on xilinx.com and with this account I
> can't even log into the abovementioned infinite-loop page; it doesn't
> accept the new username/password.
>
> Has anyone ever worked out the magic combination of browser versions
> and whatever other magic the PITAs at xilinx require?

I recently had this problem downloading the latest version at home. If
you have a standalone firewall in place, and you are running a Win32
platform, then check the 'generic host process' permissions. I normally
turn off all access as 'servers for internet' (because I am not actiing
as a server for anyone or anything), but the download requires *you* to
act as a server. Stupid, really.

In addition, for some features, you need to turn on Java (which is even
more stupid - I never use Java on websites, and if a vendor requires
it, they are usually dropped from any designs I may be doing).

I am using Win32 (W2KPro), Firefox with NoScript (but Xilinx.com
enabled) and ZoneAlarm Pro for the firewall, and once I tweaked the
firewall settings the download worked.

Don't try to download the 'web install'. The xilinx servers go up and
down like YoYos and the install will complain about *your* internet
connection, when in fact it's the Xilinx servers. The full install,
though, is almost 1GByte (that's not a typo).

I put it in simplistic terms as I expect the email went to a
marketdroid, because permitting servers can be ok with precautions, of
course.

Here's the email I sent:
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I am installing the webpack on my home system so I can work on projects
while here. Whilst trying to do this, one first reaches this page:
http://www.xilinx.com/ise/webpack_access_help.htm

There is a button for the download which accesses a webpage at:

http://www.xilinx.com/webpack/index.htm

I was continually being redirected back to the access page (above).

It turns out that the page involved requires Generic Host process for
Win32 services to be enabled as a server for the internet. This is an
incredibly bad practice, as it is the method by which many drive-by
virii, trojans and various malware are intalled. On this system I do
not permit that particular service to be a server in the internet zone
under normal conditions. Indeed, there are virtually no services
permitted to be internet servers by default on this system; it is,
after all, used by my family, including a teen who might click on items
he should not, and a wife who is not technically savvy.

You should change the web access to not require this, but in the
meantime, at least put a note on the page that this needs to be enabled
in the local firewall. By requiring this, you force advanced users to
open up their systems to all forms of attack that otherwise they are
protected from.

I note that I have never needed to give this permission to the Generic
Host service for *any other download from any other vendor*.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers

PeteS

PeteS wrote:

> I recently had this problem downloading the latest version at home. If
> you have a standalone firewall in place, and you are running a Win32

My Internet access, like most peoples', goes through a hardware router
that NATs my local network onto a single real IP address. I can't
connect directly to the Internet because there is other hardware that
requires 24/7 connectivity - alarms will ring and pain will occur if I
unplug the cable.

> platform, then check the 'generic host process' permissions. I normally

... where? I've never seen a checkbox like this I don't use Windows
Firewall. I use Norton Antivirus. But even on a machine where I have no
software firewall, I get the same symptom.

Xilinx's webmaster should be shot. His manager should be shot too, for
not keeping the situation under control. And HIS manager should be
boiled in oil, twice.

They never test anything. As a data point, I've spent 38 billable hours
just trying to get to the point of getting a simple tutorial example to
build and run. (Not counting this WebPACK shenanigan).

> In addition, for some features, you need to turn on Java (which is even
> more stupid - I never use Java on websites, and if a vendor requires
> it, they are usually dropped from any designs I may be doing).

I have to have Java installed because I do some development in that
language, so that's not a problem.

On 1 Sep 2006 12:17:13 -0700, zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:

>Is it actually possible to download WebPACK?
>
>I tried using my existing xilinx.com account to download it, and I get
>into an endless loop where I'm shown a button that says "click here to
>register" then another button that says "click here to download if
>you're already registered". The second button just takes me to the same
>page again, over and over.

You're using Mozilla, yes?

If so, this may be a long-standing Xilinx webpage bug. 

You can either get creative about finding or guessing the actual
download URL (works for me for most "register first" app notes and
associated files, but might not work for Webpack)

or try using another browser, if you can work out which one Xilinx test
their webpages with.

- Brian.

Brian Drummond wrote:

> or try using another browser, if you can work out which one Xilinx test
> their webpages with.

Yes, and the they should write on their page "install Windows, to download
the Linux version with Internet Explorer" :-)

-- 
Frank Buss, fb@frank-buss.de
http://www.frank-buss.de, http://www.it4-systems.de