Simatic Logon V1.3

anotherone

Member
Join Date
Nov 2006
Location
Tshwane
Posts
5
Hello Everyone

I would like to know if anyone has used this product and if it is worth purchasing.I work in a plant that has just been upgraded to Step7 and recently one of the areas experienced a critical failure and the programmer responsible for this area refuses to admit that a change he made before the failure actually caused this.There has been a massive loss of income because of this and the powers that be need somebody to hang.The only option I can get to prove that this is what caused the fault is this Simatic Logon or if there is another product out there can you please let me know.Thanks in advance.
 
Here's the link to some support information about SIMATIC Logon.
I don't know too much about it. It may do what you want.

http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/livelink.exe/19021092?func=ll&objId=22814523&objAction=csView&lang=en&siteid=cseus&aktprim=0&extranet=standard&load=treecontent


If you can go online with the PLC using the SIMATIC Manager, select a detailed view of the blocks folder. There's a field called "Last Modified" which will show you the PLC time when each of the blocks was last changed. It won't tell you who changed it if there's many people who have access, but if the time is the same as the failure, it may tell you something.
 
Last edited:
Hello Anotherone;

I don't think Simatic Logon will do what you want to do.
It is an add-on package to PCS7, and interfaces Windows Security with WinCC access, so user info can be synchronised and logged for SCADA access. Not for the PLC program.
The only way I think you can determine changes in the program is to keep all copies of the program up to date in your software vault, and use the Compare Blocks function to see what changes have been implemented between versions. A lot of work, but this has been worth it for us on a couple of projects.
Maybe others will have different suggestions.
Hope this helps,
Daniel Chartier
 
We are already making daily backups but we have a problem if the culprit makes a change and then reverts back to the old code and then after that reverts to the faulty software in order to throw us off on time technicalities.This time the programmer admitted to wrongdoing and we have to deal with that now.I see in Simatic Manager 5.4 sp1 there is a facility to add this product and in the help file it points that you can use Simatic Logon to look at software changes.
 
Hello anotherone;

The i nformation in your last post is correct, as per the Step 7 v. 5.4 manual:





What You Should Know About Access Protection


As of STEP 7 V5.4, you have the option of restricting access to projects and libraries by assigning a passwords to them. In order to do this, you must have installed "SIMATIC Logon".​
You can also enable, disable and display a change log.​

If SIMATIC Logon is installed on your computer, you will have access to the following menu commands in the SIMATIC Manager. You can use these commands to manage access protection for a project or library:​



•​
Access Protection, Enable



•​
Access Protection, Disable
Access Protection, Manage Users



•​
Access Protection, Adjust in Multiproject
Remove Access Protection und Change Log



To enable access protection, go to the SIMATIC Manager and select the​
Options > Access Protection, Enable menu command. This menu command opens a dialog box in which you can enable access protection by assigning a project password. Once the password has been assigned, this password will have to be entered before the project or library concerned can be edited.


The​
Remove Access Protection and Change Log menu command removes access protection as well as the change log for a password-protected project or library. After having removed the access protection you can once again edit projects with a STEP 7 version prior to V5.4.


Note


In order to enable or disable access protection, you must be authenticated in SIMATIC Logon as a project administrator.



When access protection is first enabled, the project format is changed. You will receive a message informing you that the changed project can no longer be edited with older versions of STEP 7.



The Options >Access Protection >Remove Access Protection and Change Log function allows projects or libraries to be once again edited with a STEP 7 version prior to V5.4. However, in this case, you will lose information about the users who have access to the project or library as well as all change logs.



The currently logged on user is shown in the status bar of the SIMATIC Manager.



The currently logged on project editor who enables the access protection is entered as the project administrator and is then prompted to assign a project password.



To open an access-protected project, you must be authenticated in SIMATIC Logon as a project administrator or project editor. Access protection must also be enabled or you must know the project password.





So basically, it looks like it would do what you need to do, if you are authenticated as the (sole) Administrator of the PLC program. You will have to ensure that the programmers have a level giving them access to the PLC though (as project editors), so you will have to deal with permissions and access rights.

Thanks for the info,
Daniel Chartier

 
Last edited:
SIMATIC Logon and Change Control

I have also used CPU password protection and Know-How protection of code. You may want to consider a combination of methods and tools. SIMATIC Logon only protects access to the development applications, like Step 7, but it won't prevent someone with an unprotected laptop and access to the source project to circumvent controls. If you use a CPU password, you can also prevent modification to the running application on the PLC, regardless of who has the development tools and a computer. That way, if someone screws the source project up you can block them from downloading changes without getting the password from you, which you would want to change occasionally. It's also useful to have know-how protected blocks, and to archive them. At least it throws a speed bump into the path of someone who's not thinking clearly about what they are doing, and requires them to confer with you before they make changes.
 

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