Need help with VHDL simulation with SPW in Linux

Hi every one.
I am newbie in FPGAs, although I can write VHDL.
I already setup a copy of Cadence SPW 4.82 from my company to study
FPGA myself.
My OS is Scientific Linux 3.08 (clone of Redhat Enterprise 3.x).

My purpose is to design in SPW by using fixed-pointed HDS, and
generate to VHDL to FPGA board (etc. Xilinx).
SPW can support co-simulation with C/C++ and VHDL, and I have some
experiences with it. However, I am still in dark of how to generate
and verify HDL code.

My questions are:
1. Could you guys tell me what softwares should I have to simulate and
verify VHDL in Linux?
2. Which FPGA board/component you recommend to build a decent system,
for example wireless LAN 802.11n tranceiver?

Thanks alot.
---sorry for my English ;)