PS: It is possible that a managed switch has a DHCP server feature, and it's possible that the switch was assigning the IP address to the computer.
I think so after you said,
PC is on same network and RCView32 are using the same IP; I checked the nodes and channels.
Thanks a lot for your help; after you said, I checked online and found the following (taken from one of the manuals):
Unmanaged Switches
• NOT recommended for FactoryTalk (RSView SE) applications!
• Not configurable, but route data more intelligently than hubs. They typically do not have large buffers and there is a chance of collisions, errors, dropped packets, packet timeouts.
• Are not assigned IP or Mac addresses (they are “transparent”)
• NIC cards used with unmanaged switches should be set according to the switch manufacturer’s recommendation
Managed Switches
• Highest cost, highest functionality. Managed switches (commercial or industrial grade) are recommended for FactoryTalk (RSView SE) applications.
• They are configurable with extra functionality like traffic optimization, fault tolerance mechanisms, alarms, monitoring, packet prioritizing, diagnostics, etc.
• Are assigned IP addresses (they are seen as a node or station on the network)
• NIC cards used with managed switches should be set to the maximum network speed and Full Duplex (e.g., 100MB/Full Duplex).