Clock synchronization between a HMI operator panel and a SIMATIC PLC

Depending on the required time synchronization and the used SIMATIC controller, this application shows the right solution.

IntroductionIn order for components, such as, for example, HMI operator panels and SIMATIC controllers to work in a plant with identical time, one of the listed components has to be the timer for all other components.

• The component acting as timer is called clock master.
• The time receiving components are clock slaves.

TaskThere are several HMI operator panels in a plant that exchange data with a SIMATIC controller.
The following tasks are to be implemented:

1. In the first job, a HMI operator panel is to be the timing component.
   (HMI operator panel → SIMATIC controller)
2. In the second job, a SIMATIC controller is to be the timer component.
   (SIMATIC component → HMI operator panel)

Solution
WinCC TIA Portal offers various solutions for the task described. The solutions depend on the
SIMATIC controller used and the required clock synchronization.
The application shows the respective options of clock synchronization and their implementation in the program.
Possible clock synchronizations

• HMI clock synchronization (master)
• HMI clock synchronization (slave)
• Area pointer: Date/Time
• Area pointer: Date/Time PLC
• Area pointer: Control job 14 and 15

For each clock synchronization an example project is stored. Pre-programmed function blocks reduce your configuration effort. 
The description is valid for the following SIMATIC controllers and
HMI operator panels.

• SIMATIC controllers
  • SIMATIC S7-1200
  • SIMATIC S7-1500
  • SIMATIC S7-300
  • SIMATIC S7-400
• HMI Operator devices
  • SIMATIC Basic Panels
  • SIMATIC Panel
  • SIMATIC Comfort Panel
  • SIMATIC Multi Panel
  • SIMATIC Mobile Panel
  • SIMATIC RT Advanced

Documentation und example projekt
  Documentation (2,4 MB)
   Example project for WinCC and STEP 7 V13 SP1 (36,1 MB)
 

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Printing with SIMATIC Comfort Panels

Task
By means of a control panel, it should be possible to output data such as a screenshot, a shift report or a fault messages report via a printer or an alternative.
It should be possible to print, independent from the manufacturer and type of the printer.
Solution 
To offer a solution as generally applicable as possible for printing data, new printer drivers were developed for SIMATIC Comfort Panels.
The "optional package printer driver" contains the following printer drivers:

• PDF print (print as a PDF file)
• HTML print (print as an HTML file)
• PostScript print (print via any postscript-compatible printer)
• Brother QL-650TD (thermo printer).

The following figure gives a schematic overview of the most important components of the solution:

Advantages
The "optional package printer driver" offers the following advantages for you.

• You can print either in PDF or HTML file format.
• By means of an integrated PDF viewer or the Internet Explorer, the printouts can be displayed directly at the control panel.
• The storage path for the PDF and HTML printer driver can be changed over the desktop from the Comfort Panel .
• Printing the PDF or HTML file via any printer you like.
• Thanks to the postscript driver you are independent from the type of printer and from the manufacturer of the printer.

Downloads

Contents of Downloads	Download
Documentation The documentation describes all the required installation steps and settings in each printer driver.
Code The zip file contains WinCC Comfort V11 project contained in STEP 7. The configuration serves for simulating fault messages and for outputting the data via the installed printer drivers. However, the program is not mandatroy for implementing the application. Please have a look at the information in the documentation.
Code The zip file contains a few examples of printed PDF and HTML files. Please have a look at the information in the documentation.

Additional information

Title	Link
Printer for SIMATIC Panels and Multi Panels (at this link, you will find the printer drivers for the Comfort Panels)	Entry ID: 11376409

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Service Pack 3 for STEP 7 V5.5 and STEP 7 Professional 2010

DESCRIPTION:
Download  of Service Pack 3 for STEP 7 V5.5
Installation requirements:

• STEP 7 V5.5 (with or without Service Pack) 
• STEP 7 Professional 2010 (with or without Service Release)

i.e. to be able to install Service Pack 3, STEP7 V5.5 or STEP 7 Professional 2010 must already be installed on your computer.


Customers with a valid Software Update Service agreement for STEP 7 will receive the DVD with STEP 7 V5.5 incl. SP3 automatically.
Customers with a valid Software Update Service agreement for STEP 7 Professional will receive the DVD with the STEP 7 Professional Edition 2010 Service Release 3 automatically. The SP3 for STEP 7 V5.5 is part of this DVD
If you wish to change to a new operating system, please bear the following in mind:

• It is not permitted/possible to change to another operating system if STEP 7 is installed already. Before you change the operating system, please be sure to uninstall STEP 7 and any other possibly installed STEP 7 option packages.
• Before you change the operating system the existing authorization / License Key must be saved to a floppy disk or USB stick with the program AuthorsW / Automation License Manager.
• If you wish to change to MS Windows 7 64-Bit with STEP 7, you require the DVD of STEP 7 V5.5 Service Pack 1 and higher.
• If you wish to change to MS Windows 7 64-Bit with STEP 7 Professional, you require the DVD of STEP 7 Professional Edition 2010 Service Release 1 and higher.

Customers without Software Update Service agreement can obtain the SP3 as follows:

1. Order a DVD:  You can order the Trial License with STEP 7 V5.5 incl. Service Pack 3 on DVD.
   The order no. is: 6ES7810-4CC10-0YA7
   
   For the current STEP 7 Professional you can obtain a Trial License with the STEP 7 Professional Edition 2010 SR3.
   The DVD with the STEP 7 Professional Edition 2010 Service Release 3 also includes the SP3 of STEP 7 V5.5
   The order no. is: 6ES7810-5CC11-0YA7
   
   
2. Free Download As usual, we are offering a free download:
   
   
   Service Pack 3 for STEP 7 V5.5
   
   SIMATIC_STEP7_V55_SP3.zip ( 1315478 KB )  
   
   This free download includes the SP3 for STEP 7 V5.5 and NCM.

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Service Pack 4 (SP4) for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0

Image via Wikipedia

Service Pack 4 (SP4) for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0 has been released for delivery. It will be included on the DVD of STEP 7 V5.4 SP4, as well as on the STEP 7 Professional 2006 SR5 DVD. It is also available for free downloading via the Internet.

The SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On software package enables STEP 7 users to create PROFINET components without having to install SIMATIC iMap.

What’s NEW in Service Pack 4?

SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0 SP4 provides the following new features:

·         Improved PROFINET CBA consistency check with display of the results in a separate window. Context aids are available for the error messages or warnings.

·         Composed data types which can include additional composed data types, e.g. multidimensional arrays and structures of arrays and structures, are supported for devices with PROFINET runtime version V2.3 and higher. This functionality can only be used in conjunction with SIMATIC iMap V3.0 SP1.

• Version numbers for functions can be specified when creating the PROFINET interface and will be displayed in SIMATIC iMap in the features of the PROFINET component.

How can the Service Pack be obtained?

The following options exist to obtain the Service Pack:

• DownloadAs usual, we are offering a free download.
• Service Pack 4 for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0 included on the installation CD of STEP 7 V5.4 SP4 
  The SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On version V3.0 SP4 is included on the installation CD 2 of STEP 7 version V5.4 SP4. This means that all customers with a Software Update Service agreement for STEP 7 will get the SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On automatically. Furthermore, the iMap STEP 7 Add-on V3.0 SP4 is also part of the download of SP4 for STEP 7 V.4.

Installation prerequisites for the Service Pack:
Installation of the SIMATIC  iMap STEP 7 Add-On necessitates STEP 7 including NCM for Industrial Ethernet and PROFIBUS. Please ensure that one of the following SIMATIC STEP 7 software packages is installed:

• STEP 7 V5.3 SP3 and higher
• STEP 7 Professional Edition 2004 SR3 and higher
• STEP 7 V5.4 and higher
• STEP 7 Professional Edition 2006 and higher

It is not necessary that an older version of the SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On is installed.

Note:
If STEP 7 is not installed at all, or if an older version of STEP 7 than specified above is installed, the SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On cannot be installed.

Installation:

• Please unpack the ZIP file to a temporary folder, and
• Start the installation by calling "Setup.exe"

Service Pack 4 for SIMATIC iMap STEP 7 Add-On V3.0: SIMATICiMap-STEP7AddOnK3.0.4.0.zip ( 116798 KB )

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STEP 7 V5.5 Released for Delivery

With immediate effect, STEP 7 V5.5 has been released for delivery. STEP 7 users can upgrade their existing STEP 7 software to the latest version by purchasing an upgrade (order no. 6ES7810-4CC10-0YE5). Users with a valid Software Update Service agreement for STEP 7 will receive the upgrade to STEP 7 V5.5 automatically. STEP 7 V5.5 will also be included in the new STEP 7 Professional Edition 2010, which is expected to be available as from end of August 2010. We shall inform you as soon as STEP 7 Professional 2010 becomes available.


Content:

1. Ordering information for STEP 7 V5.5
2. System requirements
3. New features of STEP 7 V5.5
4. Compatibility
5. STEP 7 V5.4 - declared a mature product
6. STEP 7 V5.3 - end of production

1. Ordering information for STEP 7 V5.5  

Order No.	Product Name
6ES7810-4CC10-0YA5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.5 FLOATING LICENSE for 1 USER
6ES7810-4CC10-0YE5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.5 UPGRADE (V3.X - V5.4 to V5.5) FLOATING LICENSE for 1 USER
6ES7810-4CC10-0YA6	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.5 RENTAL LICENSE for 50 hours
6ES7810-4CC10-0YA7	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.5, DATA CARRIER incl. TRIAL LICENSE,
6ES7810-4BC01-0YX2	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 SOFTWARE UPDATE SERVICE for 1 year with automatic prolongation, latest software version must be available

STEP 7 V5.5 Upgrade:
Customers who use STEP 7 V3.x, V4.x, V5.0, V5.1, V5.2, V5,3, or V5.4 already, can purchase on upgrade. The precondition for the installation of the upgrade package is a valid license for STEP 7 V3.x, V4.x, V5.0, V5.1, V5.2, V5.3 or V5.4.
 
STEP 7 V5.5 Rental License:
Users who only work with STEP 7 occasionally, can purchase a Rental License with an operating time of 50 hours. The time starts elapsing when STEP 7 is started and stops when STEP 7 is closed.
The changeover to Idle State / Standby Mode with the STEP 7 software started is not counted as closing of STEP 7.
STEP 7 V5.5 Trial License:
Users who wish to know more about STEP 7 can obtain a Trial License. The Trial License will run for 14 days, beginning with the first start of STEP 7. During this period the software has full functionality.
General:
STEP 7 V5.5 is supplied on DVD, the appropriate license on a USB stick. STEP 7 is multilingual (Ge, En, Fr, It, Sp).
Documentation:
The documentation for STEP 7 (Basic Information and Reference Manual) is included on the product DVD as PDF file. It is also available in printed form.
The Basic Information in printed form (comprises: Getting Started, User Manual on HW configuration, programming and previous S5 users):

Order No.	Product Name
6ES7810-4CA10-8AW0	Basic Information for V5.5, German
6ES7810-4CA10-8BW0	Basic Information for V5.5, English
6ES7810-4CA10-8CW0	Basic Information for V5.5, French
6ES7810-4CA10-8DW0	Basic Information for V5.5, Spanish
6ES7810-4CA10-8EW0	Basic Information for V5.5, Italian

The Reference Manual in printed form (comprises: Programming Manual for STL/LAD/FBD and Reference Manual for S7300/400):

Order No.	Product Name
6ES7810-4CA10-8AW1	Reference Manual for V5.5, German
6ES7810-4CA10-8BW1	Reference Manual for V5.5, English
6ES7810-4CA10-8CW1	Reference Manual for V5.5, French
6ES7810-4CA10-8DW1	Reference Manual for V5.5, Spanish
6ES7810-4CA10-8EW1	Reference Manual for V5.5, Italian

 
2. System requirements
Supported operating systems:

• MS Windows XP Professional  SP2 or SP3
• MS Windows Server 2003 SP2 / R2 SP2 Standard Edition as workstation
• MS Windows 7 32 Bit Ultimate, Professional and Enterprise (Standard Installation).
  The Windows XP mode under Windows 7 is not release yet.

Windows 95 / 98 / Me / NT / Windows 2000 and Windows Vista are no longer supported.
Please note:
The Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) is required for all operating systems.
Display of PDF files: To be able to read the supplied PDF files, you require a PDF Reader that is compatible with PDF 1.7
(ISO32000-1:2008 PDF).
For the central user administration you require SIMATIC Logon . For ordering information on SIMATIC Logon please see entry ID: 36474276
For ordering information on SIMATIC Version Trail please see entry ID: 36979696
In addition to STEP 7, the STEP 7 DVD contains the following programs with their setup in the directory CD2\Optional Components:
S7 Block Privacy  for software block encryption
S7 Web2PLC for the integration of user-defined web sites in the CPU
More information is available from the file

• German: LIESMICH.pdf ( 221 KB )
• English: README.pdf ( 242 KB )

Our Training Center can provide training for SIMATIC trend topics.
For more information about diagnostic training and maintenance strategies please see entry ID: 42806192
 
3. New features of STEP 7 V5.5
We have summarized the important new features of STEP 7 V5.5 in a set of overhead slides

• German:   sw_V55_news_de.pdf ( 443 KB )
• English:   sw_V55_news_en.pdf ( 453 KB )

In addition a list of the new features:

• German Was_ist_neu_in_STEP7_V55.pdf ( 19 KB )
• English What_is_new_in_STEP7_V55.pdf ( 17 KB )

 
List of newly supported modules:

• German Neue_Baugruppen_in_STEP7_V55.pdf ( 90 KB )
• English New_Modules_in_STEP7_V55.pdf ( 85 KB )

 
4.Compatibility
General:

• STEP 7 V5.5 is fully upwardly compatible with STEP 7 V5.4, V5.3, V5.2, V5.1, V5.0, V4.x and V3.x, i.e. programs and projects created with these versions can be further processed with STEP 7 V5.5 without any changes.
• STEP 7 V5.5 is also reverse compatible with these versions under the condition that a V5.5 project does not contain components and functions which are not supported by STEP 7 V5.4, V5.3, V5.2, V5.1, V5.0, V4.x or V3.x, e.g. new CPUs or new functions.
  
  
  • If a project created with STEP 7 V5.5 is to be further processed with STEP 7 V5.0, for instance, the V5.5 project may only contain module order no.'s which are known to STEP 7 V5.0. It may be necessary to configure new modules with the "predecessor order no." in this case.
  • In the reverse case down to STEP 7 V5.1 incl. SP3 it is not necessary to consider the above restriction, because here it is possible to also represent new modules that are not known to the STEP 7 version.
• From STEP 7 V5.2 and higher many new modules can be "post-loaded".

 
5. STEP 7 V5.4 declared a mature product
With the delivery release of STEP 7 V5.5, STEP 7 V5.4 has been declared a mature product. This means that the affected items will be deleted from the current catalogs, but will remain available for order for approx. one more year:

Order No.	Product Name
6ES7810-4CC08-0YA5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.4 FLOATING LICENSE for 1 user
6ES7810-4CC08-0YE5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.4 UPGRADE (V3.X - V5.3 to V5.4) FLOATING LICENSE for 1 user
6ES7810-4CC08-0YA6	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.4 RENTAL LICENSE for 50 hours
6ES7810-4CC08-0YA7	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.4, DATA CARRIER incl. TRIAL LICENSE,
6ES7810-4CA08-8AW0	Basic Information for V5.4, German
6ES7810-4CA08-8BW0	Basic Information for V5.4, English
6ES7810-4CA08-8CW0	Basic Information for V5.4, French
6ES7810-4CA08-8DW0	Basic Information for V5.4, Spanish
6ES7810-4CA08-8EW0	Basic Information for V5.4, Italian
6ES7810-4CA08-8AW1	Reference Manual for V5.4, German
6ES7810-4CA08-8BW1	Reference Manual for V5.4, English
6ES7810-4CA08-8CW1	Reference Manual for V5.4, French
6ES7810-4CA08-8DW1	Reference Manual for V5.4, Spanish
6ES7810-4CA08-8EW1	Reference Manual for V5.4, Italian

 
6. STEP 7 V5.3 - end of production
With the delivery release of STEP 7 V5.5, the supply of STEP 7 V5.3 will be discontinued, i.e. STEP 7 V5.3 plus the associated manuals will cease to be available effective end of September 2010. The following items are affected by this measure:
 

Order No.	Product Name
6ES7810-4CC07-0YA5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.3 FLOATING LICENSE for 1 user
6ES7810-4CC07-0YE5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.3 UPGRADE (V3.X - V5.2 to V5.3) FLOATING LICENSE for 1 user
6ES7810-4CC07-0YC5	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.3 POWERPACK (STEP 7 LITE V2.0 to STEP 7 V5.3) FLOATING LICENSE for 1 user
6ES7810-4CC07-0YA6	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.3 RENTAL LICENSE for 50 hours
6ES7810-4CC07-0YA7	SIMATIC S7, STEP7 V5.3, DATA CARRIER incl. TRIAL LICENSE,
6ES7810-4CA07-8AW0	Basic Information for V5.3, German
6ES7810-4CA07-8BW0	Basic Information for V5.3, English
6ES7810-4CA07-8CW0	Basic Information for V5.3, French
6ES7810-4CA07-8DW0	Basic Information for V5.3, Spanish
6ES7810-4CA07-8EW0	Basic Information for V5.3, Italian
6ES7810-4CA07-8AW1	Reference Manual for V5.3, German
6ES7810-4CA07-8BW1	Reference Manual for V5.3, English
6ES7810-4CA07-8CW1	Reference Manual for V5.3, French
6ES7810-4CA07-8DW1	Reference Manual for V5.3, Spanish
6ES7810-4CA07-8EW1	Reference Manual for V5.3, Italian

 STEP 7 - is a basic software package, which includes in its membership the tools needed for programming and operation control systems, based on programmable controllers SIMATIC S7/C7, as well as computer control systems SIMATIC WinAC.

Year: 2010
Version: v5.5
Developer: SIEMENS A & D
Platform: x86 32-bit only
Compatible with only a 32-bit OS:
Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003,
Windows 7 (for the home version edit Setup.ini)
Set on / Install to Windows XP / Vista Home Edition
RAM RAM of 2 GB recommended
Size: 700.93 Mb
The package includes:
* STEP 7 V5.5;
* ALM v5.0 SP1.
A distinctive feature of the package STEP 7 is to develop complex automation projects based on the use of multiple programmable controllers, industrial computers, devices and systems, human-machine interface devices, distributed I / O, network structures of industrial relations. Restrictions on the development of such projects are imposed only features programmers or computers that are running STEP 7.
STEP 7 tools allow you to:
* Configure and define the settings of equipment.
* Configure systems of industrial relations and setting parameters of data transmission.
* Programming, testing, debugging and running programs of individual automation systems, as well as their local or remote maintenance.
* Documenting and archiving project data.
* Operational management and diagnostic equipment.
STEP 7 supplied programmers SIMATIC Field PG and SIMATIC Power PG. It may come as a separate software package for personal computers running operating systems Windows 7 / XP PROF. To be able to connect programmable controllers, computer must be equipped with an MPI card or PC / MPI adapter and connecting cable.

STEP 7 provides parallel execution of work on one project by several developers. The only restriction in this case is the impossibility of simultaneous recording of data by multiple developers.

To install Step7 on Windows XP / Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium to:
1. Extract the service pack to your hard disk;
2. Open the file Setups.ini;
3. Find a terrible line;
For Vista WinVistaExclude = SKU2; SKU3; SKU5; SKU8; SKU9; SKU10; SKU11; SKU12; SKU13; SKU14; SKU15; SKU16; SKU17; SKU18; SKU19; SKU20; SKU21; SKU22; SKU23; SKU24; SKU25
For HRyuni WinXPExclude = 0, ...
4. Placed at the beginning of this line, or simply delete it.
Everything is now possible to safely install and use Step7 on Vista Home Premium.

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S7-300/400 CPUs: Temperature Recording in the S7-CPU by Means of Pt100 Resistivity Thermometer and SITRANS TK-L Measuring Transducer

Problem

Almost everywhere where products or materials are processed or worked, the temperature has a decisive influence on the quality of the final product and the course of the process respectively. It is thus necessary to record the temperature, to interpret its influence and to specifically react to changes in temperature using control technology.

Solution

The device combination of SIMATIC products and SIEMENS temperature sensors including measuring transducers is an excellent solution to the mentioned problem. In this application, a Pt100 sensor records the temperature of a measuring object and a SITRANS TK-L measuring transducer converts the sensor's measuring signal into an injected current which is supplied to an analog input of the compact CPU. The current temperature measurement value is displayed both numerically and as a bar chart on a TP170A touch panel.

Using the special STEP7 application software, which you can download (see below), it is additionally possible to ...

• define seven temperature ranges which are displayed on the touch panel and represented by DO bits. These bits can be used to trigger various user actions.

• display limit temperature violations requiring acknowledgement, react to them (in the program) and acknowledge them.

• provide the last insufficient or excess temperature with a time stamp.

The WinCC flexible configuration of the TP170A is integrated in the STEP7 project. The user interface languages German and English can be selected.

Downloads

Content of Downloads	Download
Documentation (German) Application Description
Documentation (English) Application Description
Code STEP7 Project

History

Version	Modification
07/2002	First edition (V1.0)
08/2006	Second edition (V2.0) complete revision and update

Filter criteria:

Hardware platform:	SIMATIC S7-300/S7-400
Software:	STEP 7
Entry contents:	Application Examples

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The Graphical Language S7-GRAPH

Topic
SIMATIC software is the integrated system environment for all SIMATIC systems and provides you with the ideal tool for every task at each phase of your project for optimizing your engineering workflow. If there are sequential operations in a facility which are dividible into single processing steps, the automation solution will be considerably simplified with the use of sequence charts by means of the graphical language S7-GRAPH which can be applied easily and intuitively.

Content
Taking a technological example we demonstrate how to employ the S7-GRAPH engineering tool to realize a sequence chart.You will learn how a technological runtime structure can simply be turned into a runnable user program. This module shows in graphically animated scenes

• the customer benefits that the tool provides for each relevant project phase,
• the basic functions of the tool
• live projection of sequence charts..

Presentation
The following properties are contained in all technically-oriented demonstration systems:

• All graphic animations are explained by a spoken text which has been read by German, respectively English native professional speakers.
• The respective sections of the demonstration system can be clicked on by means of navigation elements. You may, for example, repeat any section any time.
• Continuative links and support pages have been integrated.

The following picture shows the home page of the demonstration system.

Downloads

Content of Downloads	Download
Demonstration System "The Graphical Language S7-GRAPH"(German) Duration of Animation: 16 min Download size 34 MB
Demonstration System "The Graphical Language S7-GRAPH"(English) Duration of Animation: 16 min Download size 52 MB

Just load the EXE data file at hand on your computer and start it with a mouse click. You may as well start the EXE data file directly out of your browser.

History

Version	Modification
12/2004	First edition
09/2008	Update to version v20: correction for the correct execution of the demonstration system on PC/Notebooks have been made. The content of the demonstration system has not been changed.

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S7-400 CPU 41x -- Configuring and programming communication -- Configuring the PROFIBUS interface

What differences are there when configuring S7 connections?

Description:
In this description of how to configure S7 connections it is assumed that all the stations are in one S7 project.

Types of S7 connections:
With S7 connections you differentiate between bilaterally configured and unilaterally configured S7 connections.

Bilaterally configured S7 connections
You recognize bilaterally configured connections by the fact they they receive a connection ID at both endpoints. The partner ID can be identical for both connection partners, but doesn't have to be. The remote endpoint of the S7 connection created is entered automatically in the connection table on the partner side.

Unilaterally configured S7 connections
Unilaterally configured S7 connections are configured on the module that actively sets up the S7 connection. If an S7-300 or S7-400 station actively sets up the S7 connection, then you call communication blocks FB/SFB14 "GET" and FB/SFB15 "PUT" in the CPU's user program (client). You can use these for data communication via unilaterally and bilaterally configured S7 connections. You can only use the communication blocks FB/SFB12 "BSEND" and FB/SFB13 "BRCV" and FB/SFB8 "USEND" and FB/SFB9 "URCV" for data communication via bilaterally configured S7 connections.
In NetPro there is a connection table with all the configured communication connections. Unilaterally configured S7 connections have no entry in the "Partner ID" column of the connection table. This field remains empty in the connection table. No S7 connection is configured on the server and no communication blocks are called. The server is managed independently by the CPU's operating system and has resource 0x03. No system data is created for this in the connection partner.

Fig. 1: Bilaterally and unilaterally configured S7 connection

Summary:

• All S7 connections that have a connection ID at both connection endpoints are bilaterally configured S7 connections.

• S7 connections that have no partner ID are unilaterally configured S7 connections or have been created via "unspecified" S7 connections with resource 0x03.

Important:

• With bilaterally configured S7 connections you must load the configuration in both connection partners after creating the S7 connection.
• With unilaterally S7 connections you must load only the one station in whose connection table the S7 connection is shown.

Note:
In the sample S7 connection configuration given above all the stations are in one S7 project. You can also set up an S7 connection to an unspecified partner and the endpoints of these connections can be in different projects. More information on this is available in the Online Help of STEP 7:

• Configuring cross-project connections.
• Connection types for partners in other projects
• Creating cross-project subnetworks.

Keywords:
Connection configuration, S7-300, S7-400, SIMATIC, Connections, Creating a connection, Client, Server, Connection setup, NetPro

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