In the Quartus® II software version 10.1, when using quartus_pgm to program a design security key with a .cdf which contains an Encryption Key Programming (.ekp) file, a volatile key will be programmed by default. In previous versions of the Quartus II software, a non-volatile key programming file is programmed by default.
In the Quartus II software versions 10.1 and later, a –k needs to be added to the command to enable non-volatile key programming.
Example of volatile key programming in the Quartus II software versions 10.1 and later:
quartus_pgm –c<n> Chain.cdf
Example of non-volatile key programming in the Quartus II software versions 10.1 and later:
quartus_pgm –c<n> -k Chain.cdf
Where <n>= cable index