Index: src/Types.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/Types.cpp	(revision 29785)
+++ src/Types.cpp	(working copy)
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@

 #include "rtt-config.h"

+#include <sstream>
 #include <MultiVector.hpp>
 #include <Logger.hpp>
 #include "Attribute.hpp"
@@ -185,6 +186,22 @@
         return transporters[protocol_id];
     }

+    std::string TypeInfo::dump() const
+    {
+        std::stringstream s;
+        for (size_t i=0; i<transporters.size(); ++i)
+        {
+            // dump only protocols with an actual transporter
+            // NB the transporter does not have a name, so you have to manually
+            // match the protocol number to an actual transport
+            if (0 != transporters[i])
+            {
+                s << i << " ";
+            }
+        }
+        return s.str();
+    }
+
     namespace {
         boost::shared_ptr<TypeInfoRepository> typerepos;
     }
@@ -249,4 +266,24 @@
             if ( tr->registerTransport( i->first , i->second ) )
                 log(Info) << "Registered new '"<< tr->getTransportName()<<"' transport for " << i->first <<endlog();
     }
+
+    void TypeInfoRepository::dumpToLog() const
+    {
+        // dump the names of all known types
+        Logger::log() << Logger::Debug << "Types known to the Orocos Type System."<<Logger::endl;
+        for(map_t::const_iterator it = data.begin(); it != data.end(); ++it)
+        {
+            Logger::log() << Logger::Debug << "-- " << it->first
+                          << " (" << (*it).second->getTypeName() << ") protocols ["
+                          << it->second->dump() << "]" << Logger::endl;
+        }
+        // dump the names of all known transports
+        Logger::log() << Logger::Debug << "Transports known to the Orocos Type System."<<Logger::endl;
+        for(Transports::const_iterator it = transports.begin(); it != transports.end(); ++it)
+        {
+            Logger::log() << Logger::Debug << "-- " << (*it)->getTransportName() << Logger::endl;
+        }
+    }
+
+
 }
Index: src/Types.hpp
===================================================================
--- src/Types.hpp	(revision 29785)
+++ src/Types.hpp	(working copy)
@@ -229,6 +229,9 @@

         detail::TypeTransporter* getProtocol(int protocol_id) const;

+        // return a space separated list of protocols that have transporters
+        std::string dump() const;
+
         /**
          * @}
          */
@@ -271,6 +274,11 @@
          * for Orocos types.
          */
         void registerTransport( detail::TransportRegistrator* tr );
+
+        /**
+         * Dump all known types, and transport and their types, to the log
+         */
+        void dumpToLog() const;
     };
 }

Index: src/DataPort.hpp
===================================================================
--- src/DataPort.hpp	(revision 29785)
+++ src/DataPort.hpp	(working copy)
@@ -441,7 +441,22 @@
     template<class T>
     ConnectionInterface::shared_ptr DataPortBase<T>::createConnection(DataSourceBase::shared_ptr data)
     {
+//        std::cout << "Name='" << typeid(data.get()).name() << "', '"
+//                  << data->getType() << "', '"
+//                  << data->getTypeName() << "'" << std::endl;
         DataObjectInterface<T>* doi = dynamic_cast< DataObjectInterface<T>* >( data.get() );
+        if (!doi)
+        {
+            // use this to figure out what is actually registered.
+            TypeInfoRepository::Instance()->dumpToLog();
+        }
+        /* If the doi doesn't cast and the following assert fires,
+           then you may have misnamed your types when registering. Both the
+           types registered with the RTT toolkit as well as the types registered
+           with any transport (eg CORBA), must all have the _exact same name_.
+           If not, then the above cast fails. FYI ...
+        */
+        assert(doi && "Dynanmic cast failed! Do your typenames not match?");
         ConnectionInterface::shared_ptr ci( new DataConnection<T>( doi ) );
         ci->addPort(this);
         return ci;