RSLogix Emulate 5000 & IGS/KEPServerEx

I'm emulating a ControlLogix PLC with RSLogix Emulate 5000. My goal is to get an iFIX application to communicate with the emulated PLC.

I have the correct driver configured within RSLinx Classic, and I'm able to download my desired program to the emulated PLC. I'm attempting to communicate from my iFIX application to the emulated PLC using an OPC driver, specifically IGS/KEPServerEx.

The communication link between my iFIX application and IGS/KEPServerEx is functioning as desired. However, the link between IGS/KEPServerEx and the emulated PLC is not.

Within RSLogix Emulate 5000, I have the CPU residing within slot 1.

Within IGS/KEPServerEx, under My_Channel > My_Device > Properties, I have the device's Model set to ControlLogix 5500, and ID set to <My_Machine_IP>,1,1.

I've contacted KEPServerEx technical support, and he mentioned that what I desired to accomplish could be done through a RSLinx DDE topic. Within RSLinx Classic, I've configured a DDE topic pointing to my emulated PLC. I've also checked that IGS/KEPServerEX is properly configured to allow DDE connections to the server. However, when attempting to read a tag from the emulated PLC within IGS/KEPServerEX using the following syntax: RSLinx|DDE_Topic_Name!Tag_Name, I get the following error: Device address '...' contains a syntax error.

So ... any ideas?

Ok, I've made some leadway ...

Apparently, my IGS/KEPServerEx was lacking a driver, specifically a DDE Client driver. Apparently, when I'm in IGS/KEPServerEx, when I go to create the channel, the device driver should be set to DDE Client. Unfortunatley, in the version of IGS/KEPServerEx I'm working with (an Enterprise edition I believe), this driver is non-existant.

I'm now going to take a stab at using SoftLogix instead, and hopefully I won't run into any roadblocks!

Mission Accomplished.

For my PLC, I used SoftLogix. Using SoftLogix eliminated any need to fuss with DDE, something I didn't desire to do in the first place. However, I did run into one roadblock. When configuring Ethernet I/O for the SoftLogix PLC, the ethernet module desires to tie itself to the machine's NIC. If the NIC doesn't have a valid IP address, neither does the ethernet module. In my situation, I need the ethernet module to function properly with or without a NIC connection. The problem? When the NIC is disconnected, my IP address is changed to all 0's.

The solution? A registry change disabling DHCP Media Sense. Disabling Media Sensing allowed my NIC to maintain an IP address even without a physical connection existing. This, in turn, allowed my PLC to have a contactable IP address regardless of the NIC's current status. The registry entry to change was "DisableDHCPMediaSense," and is found at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters. This has the obvious side effects, but when applied to my situation, works as desired.

After addressing this issue, I configured a "Virtual Backplane" driver within RSLinx, adjust my project to reflect the appropriate controller, and was communicating with the SoftLogix PLC within minutes. I now have a laptop to haul around with a completely stand-alone, functional system; No need to fuss with a network connection at all.

bryan_cook said:

Mission Accomplished.

For my PLC, I used SoftLogix. Using SoftLogix eliminated any need to fuss with DDE, something I didn't desire to do in the first place. However, I did run into one roadblock. When configuring Ethernet I/O for the SoftLogix PLC, the ethernet module desires to tie itself to the machine's NIC. If the NIC doesn't have a valid IP address, neither does the ethernet module. In my situation, I need the ethernet module to function properly with or without a NIC connection. The problem? When the NIC is disconnected, my IP address is changed to all 0's.

The solution? A registry change disabling DHCP Media Sense. Disabling Media Sensing allowed my NIC to maintain an IP address even without a physical connection existing. This, in turn, allowed my PLC to have a contactable IP address regardless of the NIC's current status. The registry entry to change was "DisableDHCPMediaSense," and is found at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters. This has the obvious side effects, but when applied to my situation, works as desired.

After addressing this issue, I configured a "Virtual Backplane" driver within RSLinx, adjust my project to reflect the appropriate controller, and was communicating with the SoftLogix PLC within minutes. I now have a laptop to haul around with a completely stand-alone, functional system; No need to fuss with a network connection at all.

Click to expand...

Yes but you are unable to add any standard I/O modules to your project or have I/O addressed in your code Brian