Auto Assign Profinet Names??

Hi a simple question:


I have a simatic PLC (s7-300) and several ABB Drives on a Profinet Network. It's easy to assign the Profinet name from TIA og Step 7, BUT..

If i have a plant that is commissioned a one of the drives dies and a new drives is installed, then i have to go online and assign the profinet name to the new drive, can't the PLC handle this based on the IP or MAC of the drive???

it's hard for the end user to replace a drive, if a programmer is needed.

In general, Profinet includes a mechanism to re-assign Profinet names when a device is replaced. If you have something simple like an IO node, and you replace the interface module with one set to factory defaults, the PLC will recognize that it is the same node, and assign it the device name appropriately, if there is only one node missing at a time. If you configure the topology, so that the PLC knows what ports each Ethernet cable is plugged into, then the PLC can assign the PN name after any number of devices are replaced, as long as the Ethernet cables are plugged in correctly.

However, this only works if the devices support "device replacement without exchangeable medium" or something to that effect. Simple devices like IO nodes often support this. More complex devices like drives often don't, because you need to set up the parameters anyway, and the PN device name is often just one more parameter.

How are the rest of the drive parameters being set in the new drive, can the PN name be included along with that? I usually use Siemens drives, and there is usually a memory card that can be moved from one drive to the other that stores everything, including the device name. If a drive fails, the memory card can be popped into the new drive before it is powered on, and then it picks up where the old drive left off.