Connection of single stations, servers and clients

SIMATIC PCS 7 subsystems for engineering, operation and monitoring (also via Internet/Intranet), batch control, route control, asset management or IT applications are distributed between various SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstations of single station, server or client design depending on the configuration. Depending on their task and the associated integration into the overall plant, these SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstations are connected either only on the plant bus, only on the terminal bus or on both buses of the Industrial Ethernet network. The connection can be redundant or non-redundant, and is made using:

• Interfaces integrated onboard
• Simple network adapters
• Special communication modules, e.g. CP 1623 and CP 1628

CP 1628 communication module

Connection to plant bus

A SIMATIC PCS 7 workstation, designed as single station or server, can be operated on the Industrial Ethernet plant bus with a Ethernet network adapter (10/100/1000 Mbps) and BCE license or with a CP 1623/CP 1628 communication module and SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 or SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7‑REDCONNECT communication software.

The IE versions of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation for single stations and servers are factory equipped with a CP 1623 communication module and SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 communication software, licensed for up to four CP 1623/CP 1628 (4x license).

CP 1623 and CP 1628 both have a PCI Express port x1 as well as a 2-port switch (RJ45) for connecting to Industrial Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps). CP 1628 also features security functions such as Firewall, VPN.

An Ethernet card (10/100/1000 Mbps) with BCE license is integrated in the BCE versions of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation. A separately available desktop adapter network adapter can also be used with this BCE license in a SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation.

If you use alternative hardware instead of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation, you require an additional BCE license for each station which communicates over the plant bus via BCE (Basic Communication Ethernet).

With BCE, AS communication is possible with up to 8 automation systems, with SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 communication via CP 1623/CP 1628 with up to 64 automation systems (only AS single stations in each case, no AS redundancy stations).

Only the SIMATIC PCS 7 workstation with CP 1623/CP 1628 can communicate with redundant automation systems (redundancy stations). You require for this purpose SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7‑REDCONNECT (4x license) communication software instead of the SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 communication software. SIMATIC NET HARDNET-IE S7-REDCONNECT PowerPack (4x license) can be used to upgrade the communications software.

Single stations and servers with BCE can be retro-upgraded to CP 1623/1628 communication. Depending on the criteria mentioned above, this requires SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 or SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7‑REDCONNECT in addition to the CP 1623 or CP 1628 communication module.

The communication software for CP 1623 or CP 1628 is always supplied with the SIMATIC PCS 7 software and is installed based on the operating system.

In order to activate this communications software, you may need additional licenses for the SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7, SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7‑REDCONNECT, or SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7‑REDCONNECT PowerPack communication products.

Connection to terminal bus

SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstations in client, server or single station configurations are usually connected to the terminal bus via the onboard Industrial Ethernet interfaces. In the case of servers or single stations without a connection to the plant bus, the network adapter envisaged for BCE can be used as an alternative.

The terminal bus can also be configured redundantly. A configuration with two separate rings is recommended for the redundant, fault-tolerant terminal bus. The communication is performed in this case using the Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) in accordance with IEC 62439‑3. Each PCS 7 station should be connected to one of two Industrial Ethernet interfaces on each of the two separate rings. Industrial Ethernet interfaces are standard in all current SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstations.

The SIMATIC NET SOFTNET‑IE RNA communication software on the redundantly connected PCS 7 stations organizes communication processes based on the PRP. Therefore, SIMATIC NET SOFTNET-IE RNA communication software is required on each of the redundantly connected PCS 7 stations.

Connecting non-PRP-enabled devices

Up to 2 non-PRP-enabled devices that have only one Industrial Ethernet port, such as SICLOCK TC 400, a WLAN Access Point or an infrastructure computer, such as DNS, WINS, DHCP or a file server, can be integrated into a redundant, fault-tolerant terminal bus with PRP via a SCALANCE X204RNA.

SCALANCE X204RNA is available in two product versions:

• SCALANCE X204RNA
  Network access point in plastic enclosure with 4 electrical ports for connecting up to 2 non-PRP-enabled devices to redundant networks
• SCALANCE X204RNA EEC
  Network access point in metal enclosure with 2 electric terminal device ports and 2 optical/electrical combo ports for network connection of up to 2 non-PRP-enabled terminal devices to redundant networks

The following constraints must be observed:

• Length of the TP cable between the network and SCALANCE X‑200RNA:
  • Max. 100 m with IE FC cable and IE FC RJ45 Plug 180
  • Max. 10 m using patches with TP cord
• Length of the optical cables between the network and SCALANCE X-200RNA
  • Max. 5 000 m with Industrial Ethernet glass fiber-optic cables (multi-mode)
  • Max. 26 000 m with Industrial Ethernet glass fiber-optic cables (single-mode)

SCALANCE X‑200RNA is typically installed with the stations to be connected in a control cabinet.

For more information and technical specifications for the SCALANCE X204RNA, see Catalog IK PI.

Connection of automation systems

The SIMATIC PCS 7 automation systems communicate with other subsystems of the process control system (e.g. operator system or engineering system) via the Industrial Ethernet plant bus. The automation systems are connected to the plant bus using the CP 443‑1 communications processor, also redundant in the case of fault-tolerant systems. Instead of the CP 4431, CP 4431 Advanced with integrated security function (firewall and VPN) can also be used.

With the AS 410 modular automation systems, an additional layer is applied to the PCB of CPU 410‑5H Process Automation (conformal coating). To match the AS 410, a CP 443‑1 in the conformal coating version is therefore preferred (component of the AS bundle configuration).