Types of plant bus communication

A SIMATIC PCS 7 workstation in the single station or server version can be used in a variety of ways on the Industrial Ethernet plant bus depending on the type and number of automation systems connected:

The SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7‑REDCONNECT PowerPack is suitable for upgrading the SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 communication software. See "Communication", "Industrial Ethernet, PCS 7 system connection"

The Industrial Ethernet versions of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation for single stations and servers are equipped as standard with a CP 1623 communication module and SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 communications software. The BCE license is involved in the BCE versions of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation.

Upgrade from BCE to CP 1623/1628 communication

OS single stations and OS servers with BCE communication can be retro-upgraded for communication with CP 1623/1628. Items required:

• Network card for connecting to Industrial Ethernet:
  • CP 1623 with PCI Express interface or
  • CP 1628 with PCIexpress interface and additional security functions
• S7 Communication Software for CP 1623/CP 1628
  • SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 for communication with AS single stations or
  • SIMATIC NET HARDNET‑IE S7 REDCONNECT for communication with AS redundancy stations and AS single stations

For additional information and ordering data for the components mentioned, see "Communication" chapter, section "Industrial Ethernet, System Connection of PCS 7 systems".

Expansion components

The core component of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation is a SIMATIC industrial PC without mouse, keyboard and monitor. This basic hardware can be expanded further with the following components from this catalog depending on the environment of use and customer requirements:

• Accessories
  • Memory modules
  • Country-specific power supply cable
  • Tower Kit (IPC547G and IPC847D only)
• Expansion components
  • Mouse and keyboard
  • Input aids (touch pens)
  • Smart card reader

Multi-monitor mode can be selected when configuring the SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstation with the selection table or configurator, but it can also be installed and expanded later. The number of process monitors that can be operated on a SIMATIC PCS 7 Workstation varies according to the workstation type and configuration. In the maximum configuration, multi-monitor mode with 4 process monitors is possible depending on the workstation type.