The OpenAccess Tech panel is brought up with the Tech button in the OpenAccess Libraries panel. This panel is only available when an OpenAccess database is being accessed with the plug-in, in which case the OpenAccess Libs button appears in the File Menu.
In OpenAccess, every library is generally required to have an associated technology database. The technology database contains information about layers, physical attributes, design constraints, etc., similar to the Xic technology file. The database can either be ``attached'' or ``local''. When attached, it references the technology database from another library. If local, the library contains its own private technology database, to which other libraries can attach. This panel controls the technology database for the library initially selected in the OpenAccess Libraries panel.
The settings indicate the current status of the library. The top line contains buttons and an entry area that control attached technology. In libraries containing user cells, it is most common that an attachment is used, typically to a library supplied by the foundry in a process design kit. In a typical situation, an organization may make use of a single foundry process for several users and projects. It is likely then that all of the user/project libraries attach to the one foundry library. In this case, the Default Tech Library in the OpenAccess Defaults panel or equivalently the <a OaDefTechLibrary variable can be set to the name of the foundry library. Then, new libraries will automatically attach this library, and the user will never have to use the OpenAccess Tech panel.
If a database is currently attached. the Unattach button will be un-grayed, and the name of the attached library will appear in the status area, just above the Dismiss button. Pressing Unattach will (you guessed it) unattach the referenced database, and the Unattach button will become grayed. One can reattach, or attach the technology from a different library, by entering the name of the target library and pressing the Attach button. The Default button will enter the default tech library name (if any) or the previous attachment name (if any) into the text entry area when pressed, and the entry area is not grayed.
If there is no attachment, then the Create new Tech button will be un-grayed, along with the Attach button. Pressing Create New Tech will create a new local technology database. The Attach button will be grayed, as it is not possible to have an attached database if a local database is present. The Destroy Tech button becomes un-grayed, and will destroy the local database when pressed.
The !oatech command can perform may of the same operations.