"Design Manager" menu options always grayed-out

Hello all!

Here's the issue. Whenever I open the Library Manager, the "Design
Manager" menu shows the following entries grayed-out (unavailable):

Check In
Check Out
Cancel Checkout
Update
Version Info
Show File Status
Submit
(i.e., the only options available are "Properties" and "Update
Workarea")

I didn't have the need to use any of those options until recently, but
now I am experiencing updating issues when processing some cells, and
some of the suggestions I've gotten involve using the "Update" option
in this menu, but as I said it appears grayed-out no matter what I do/
select. Also, from what I've seen so far, it seems that this is a very
powerful/useful option, so I'd really like to get it enabled (at least
this one option).

I have checked using two different design kits (IBM PDK bicmos7wl
v1.5.1.5 and AustriaMicrosystems HitKit v3.70), and none of them
allows me to use these options, so I guess it's not a design kit bug.
I am using ICFB sub-version 5.10.41.500.3.49. ...what am I missing
here?

Thanks a lot in advance for any ideas.

Regards,

Jorge Luis.

 

Hum... seems this is one of those strange Cadence problems only
happening to me... why I'm always the lucky one getting strange
warnings/errors? ...maybe cds is not Peruvian-compliant after all! :O

 

You need to activate your design versioning application. DesignSync is
an example of such an application that can be integrated into DFII to
help you keep your design repository up to date and to check out older
versions of your current view. This menu does not have any meaning if
you are not using revision control. (They are greyed out in my
environment also.)

 

Hi Svenn; thanks so much for your comments.

Well, that explains it all. I wonder why someone would suggest to me
to solve a problem by using the options in that menu, if they are not
available as part of the base DFII tools. Could you please tell me if
there is any native design versioning application from Cadence (not
third-party) that maybe is available/ready for installation/
configuration on my IC-package release?

Thanks again for your help.

Regards,

Jorge.

 

There used to be one from Cadence, I tried for fun to use it once, but
didn't succeed within one hour, so I skipped it. Don't know what it
was named as I think there is no DM delivered by Cadence. All cadence
users can use VersionSync, a lightweight version of DesignSync. This
one doesn't scale well on large teams, global sites etc. Good enough
for small teams. You already have documentation for versionsync in,
surprise, versionsync.pdf in your IC* install doc directory.

Read up on the VersionSync documentation to find out how to configure
it for your site. Do some thinking upfront why you want to introduce a
design repository as you are introducing overhead and possible new
sources for design flaws.

My experience is that checking in and checking out and updating from
repository is something that quickly become a hassle when you need to
do Agile Design (design change cycles are minutes instead of hours) in
the last days before tape out. As usual, any tool have ups and downs.

 

In IC5141, there is VersionSync - which actually is no longer
supported, and is not there in subsequent releases.

There's also Base TDM - but that also is end-of-lifed.

Cadence no longer provides a DM tool itself; that is done by third
parties such as IC Manage, Enovia/Matrix One, Cliosoft and
MethodICs.

If you really want to set up VersionSync or Base TDM, that's covered
in the documentation.

Regards,

Andrew.