Answers Database

PLD_DA/Design Architect: "Error: Attempt to connect failed (for child ofschematic named schematic)"


Record #391

Product Family:  Software

Product Line:  Mentor

Problem Title:
PLD_DA/Design Architect: "Error: Attempt to connect failed (for child
ofschematic named schematic)"



Problem Description:
In some cases, Design Architect may issue an error similar to the following
when a schematic is loaded into it:

//  Error: Attempt to connect failed (for child of schematic named schematic)
(from: DDMS/DDMS_Core/DDMS General 05)
//  Error: Attempt to connect child Design object failed (child /home/francine/
designs/acura/schematic/sheet1) (from: DDMS/Ddms_do 0025)
//  Note: Design object /home/francine/designs/acura/schematic contains a
reference to /home/francine/designs/acura/schematic/sheet1 (from: DDMS/Ddms_do
0083)
//  Error: Attempt to initialize object failed (name /home/francine/designs/
acura/schematic/sheet1) (from: DDMS/Ddms_do 002D)
//  Error: Error opening attribute file (name /home/francine/designs/acura/
schematic/sheet1.mgc_sheet.attr) (from:
DDMS/Ddms_do 002C)
//  Error: Open of File /home/francine/designs/acura/schematic/
sheet1.mgc_sheet.attr failed. (from: DDMS/DDMS_Core/DDMS_FILE 02)
//  Error: No such file or directory (from: Unix 0002)
$set_active_window("session");

In Mentor designs, every design object (schematic, symbol, etc.) contains
pathnames that point expicitly to everything that makes up the design
object.  For example, if a schematic uses an and2 from the xc4000 library,
there is a reference in the schematic design object that says:

   $LCA/unified/xc4000/and2

In addition, every design object has self-referencing references. For
example, if you create a schematic called "acura" at the path
/home/francine/designs, the schematic design object contains a reference
that says:

   /home/francine/designs/acura

Because of the self-referencing references, moving or copying a design
object using a Unix "cp" or "mv" command results in "broken references."
For example, if we move the aforementioned acura schematic to
/home/tony/japluxcars, the internal reference still says
"/home/francine/designs", so when we attempt to open the schematic, it won't
be able to find itself!

Broken-reference messages will occur any time a design object points to
another object that doesn't exist.


Solution 1:

If this occurs:

1. Check the $LCA enviroment variable to make sure it is pointing to DS344
   (the Xilinx-Mentor Interface software).

2. Using PLD_DMgr, use the Check References command to test the validity of
   all references in a design.

3. If it reports bad references, use the Change References command to
   correct the bad ones.  Alternatively, the Fix References command may
   resolve the problem.

4. If all of the above fails, try copying the design object from within
   PLD_DMgr.  Components copied from within PLD_DMgr will have their file
   references rewritten, which sometimes alleviates otherwise unfixable
   reference problems.



End of Record #391