siemens and allen bradley software on the same laptop

Hi guys
I have been told that you can't really have siemens and allen bradley software on the same laptop as the have conflict issues? Is this true ??

I have both loaded on my laptop
while I am fairly new to Siemens so far on 2 laptops I have not seen any problems

VMware solution?

Hello stu;
Over the years I have had many versions of both software suites on my programming PC, without much issue, except that Rockwell had a tendency to capture the COM port of the PC and you had to release it before the Siemens software could use it. Not such an issue these days.
However, many colleagues of mine will use a VMware installation to partition the two programming suites, it is a relatively cheap solution if you have any doubts.
Hope this helps,
Daniel Chartier

I have done in the past, but wouldn't even consider installing any software onto my OS now. I just use VMs.

The convenience is just too great not too IMO.

EDIT: Useful thread on VMs benefit:

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=106479&highlight=virtual+machines

janner_10 said:

I have done in the past, but wouldn't even consider installing any software onto my OS now. I just use VMs.

The convenience is just too great not too IMO.

EDIT: Useful thread on VMs benefit:

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=106479&highlight=virtual+machines

Click to expand...

+1

It's not so much that you "can't", it's just more that you "shouldn't". It will probably work OK, or at least, you can probably make it work OK, but I just don't like the idea of my Rockwell software potentially being vulnerable to a Siemens software update changing something in the registry or a Windows setting and breaking things. If your Rockwell software isn't working, and all you've got on that machine is Rockwell software, you'll get a lot more help out of RA tech support and a lot more help on forums like this one. And, of course, the same thing in reverse.

The only software my host machine has installed on it is VMware and TeamViewer

Yes, I ran it for about a year RSLogix 5000 (and the full range of other Rockwell Software apps), TIA Portal, GE Proficy Machine Edition, Wonderware, and a few more.
Then, I had an issue with TIA Potal crashing and no matter what I did... Modify, Repair, uninstall and re-install and again using Registry Cleaner, Advanced Uninstaller.
No work...it always failed on loading 2 files.

I said screw it and bought VMWare and built a VM for TIA Portal. Flawless install and up and running...
I regret ignoring the use of VMs for years. Now I will do all my large software installations in VMs.

Once you have a"Base" VM made with Windows. You just clone it and install your software on it.

After this TIA Portal issue. I had to repair GE Proficy Licensing because my license disappeared.

My pc boots visibly faster as I move these programming apps to VMs.

Another vote for VMs. It means a problem with one is very unlikely to interfere with the other, and one software suite can update in the background in VM1 while you program in a different package in VM2. It also makes it very easy to have standard VMs for each software that can be distributed to everyone (with proper licensing, of course ).

Also, as someone else said, the main issues I've heard of involved someone grabbing the COM port and not letting go. Ethernet/USB cleans that up pretty well these days.

Running TIA Portal, Step 7, WinCC, and RA Toolkit products without VMs on Win7 pro - no issues on the last 3 laptops. Also ABB RobotStudio and Solidworks.

mk42 said:

Another vote for VMs. It means a problem with one is very unlikely to interfere with the other, and one software suite can update in the background in VM1 while you program in a different package in VM2. It also makes it very easy to have standard VMs for each software that can be distributed to everyone (with proper licensing, of course ).

Also, as someone else said, the main issues I've heard of involved someone grabbing the COM port and not letting go. Ethernet/USB cleans that up pretty well these days.

Click to expand...

I had issues with my previous PC running RSLinx in the background and overwriting my Siemens communications setup. I wouldn't realize that RSLinx was running until I had been fighting the issue for 30mins.

I have a Simatic Field PG now and I run my AB software inside of a VM like everyone else is suggesting.

I never really had issues and I had just about all running on the same one but times have changed

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showpost.php?p=279254&postcount=3

I dont think its them playing nice together but now I am running VM's and multi laptops but its more that they run better on other OS's I like having my OS as Windows 10 but run Windows 7 64 and 32 bit VM's

So I think VM's are the best way to go and have just the min running on your PC

I have both loaded and runs fine on my toughbook. I do know that TIA Portal 13 eats up a lot of RAM, so a good 64bit system with a lot of RAM is definitely recommended. Other than that, no problem running both.

I have only encountered issue on the very old s5 software, other than that everything else plays nice. That being said, I still put all my AB stuff on a VM.