intouch 2020 communication with rockwell logix plc

Hi AllN

Predictably, I have a problem making Intouch talk to compactlogix 5380 plc !!!

In Intouch I've declared :
Access name = Tank_Farm
Node Name = PLC
Application = rslinx
Topic Name = PLC

In rslinx I've declared :
Topic = PLC, associated with a PLC (at 192.168.0.10 (albeit showing as yellow question mark, though I can ping it...))
Processor Type = Logix5000
Use Symbols = No
Comms Driver AB-ETHIP1
Station Decimal = 48 was supplied (what's this for ?)
Addressing = Local, not Remote (what's this for ?)

I may be barking up the wrong tree somewhere....

All advise appreciated

Cheers JM

If you are using InTouch, you should install the AVEVA ABCIP driver. That will be easier to get working with InTouch and doesn't require a RSLinx license on this node. ABCIP is no extra charge if you have an InTouch with IO license and you can use Suitelink between the two.

What firmware is the PLC?

5380 has Ethernet embedded in the CPU module, so be sure to select the 'Ethernet Port on CPU Module' in the ENB_CPLX config of ABCIP.

if you REALLY want to use RSLINX, you'll need to make a DDE connection to it. The topic name will need to match. In RSLinx DDE/OPC you can see the topic name.

The ABCIP driver is in the System Platform installer. You'll have run setup again to modify and Customize the install. ABCIP is under the Communication Drivers Pack option.

Is it not the newer OI drivers?

JohnCalderwood said:

Is it not the newer OI drivers?

Click to expand...

All OI Servers are now bundled as Communication Drivers Pack. Functionality and UI are the same though.

Oh wait, he said 2020. ABCIP was not yet bundled at this version. You should download Communication Drivers Pack 2023. That will get you support up to firmware v34 and is compatible with InTouch 2020.

Ok, I spent the day trying to figure that out.


1756-L72 vs InTouch 2023 communication.



To build from scratch.


I don't find any guide.


I'm seeing ABCIP, I can set it up i guess, not sure if it's actually working.


Then there is SuiteLink which I'm not sure what it actually do and if I even need it.


I'm unable to find a proper step-by-step, and the 2023 InTouch isn't much the same that what I knew 12 years ago.

Are you using classic InTouch or App server?
Apart from a few buzz names, everything is the same as 10years ago in classic InTouch

If your ABCIP is not setup, there is no chance of it working .
Suitelink is what the product suite uses for communications between services etc..

lostcontrol said:

Are you using classic InTouch or App server?

Click to expand...

You tell me, I don't know enough yet.




I managed to establish communication with a M580 Modbus PLC. It wasn't working for 5 hours and suddenly it started to work for whatever reason, I can't even tell why, value (#) wasn't even showing on the screen when set to REAL.



I'm fighting to understand the relation between SMC and InTouch Access names I guess. Probably the syntax.


Most of the application names I saw watching videos and step-by-step were using DASMBTCP (for Modbus) and mine is running using MBTCP only I guess. I'm not sure if I'm getting it right or if it changed since 2014 and prior.


Main problem here is that I don't need Modbus for now, I need to poll 1756-LXX PLCs; what would be the Item References? For Modbus, it's the Modbus addresses, no idea what to put in for Rockwell.


Is there a simple way just to know from SMC if the comm is good with the PLC (data within Device Items table)?



Bonus question: I imported the 2014 backup of the actual project to do my tests. When I start a new project, Windowmaker/Viewer gives free games, it freezes, acts erratically and the only way I can work with it quite normally is by leaving the Windows task manager open. What the hell? I'm running SP 2023 P03 on a Windows 10 Ent VM.

Ok, I got comm now with a Rockwell PLC.



Do I need to use aliases for every variable that I need to extract from the Rockwell PLC? This is how I made it, but is it just a happy coincidence? It started working there.



Or really each tag will need an alias?

dalporto said:

Ok, I got comm now with a Rockwell PLC.

Click to expand...

Do I need to use aliases for every variable that I need to extract from the Rockwell PLC?

Click to expand...

What do you mean? Where have you created the alias.?
In short, no.

If you want to alarm or trend a PLC value on the HMI, then a tag will need to be created.
You can access the PLC directly with the access name.Tag, but that does not allow alarming or trending.

lostcontrol said:

What do you mean? Where have you created the alias.?
In short, no.

If you want to alarm or trend a PLC value on the HMI, then a tag will need to be created.
You can access the PLC directly with the access name.Tag, but that does not allow alarming or trending.

Click to expand...

I mean that without the _HMI tag with an alias pointing to the "main" tag, right now it does not work.


There is something with the Rockwell addressing that I still quite don't understand yet I guess.


PS: But I'm still polling TEST_01 from SMC, not even TEST_01_HMI, and if I delete it (TEST_01_HMI), I'm stuck with static last value in InTouch.

The alias thing makes no sense and shouldn't be happening, but I believe you because this sounds like a problem we see. It's more noticeable when doing online PLC editing and making InTouch changes. Adding and deleting tags seems to shuffle good and bad tags around in the cache. We use InTouch 2020 with OI 2023. There's some problem with the Oi driver where stale data gets stuck in the OI server cache. Aveva has known of the problem since March or earlier.

Somewhere is a folder called CIPTagDB. Try deactivating the server, the moving the file(s) out of that folder to something temporary, and reactivating the server (you probably want auto start after boot). Don’t remove the CIPTagDB folder, just the files in it. A new PLC tag DB cache should repopulate there on activating the server. If that works, you can trash the previous cache you moved out.

In 2020 or 2023 it’s at \ProgramData\Wonderware\OI-Server\$OperationsIntegrationSupervisory$\OI.ABCIP\CIPTagDB

In 2017, it might be \ProgramFiles(x86)\Wonderware\OI-Server\OI-ABCIP\Bin\CIPTagDB

Edit: This is about Rockwell ABCIP. If you're using a Modbus driver, maybe there's a corresponding cache for that driver, but I'm not familiar with it. I have also seen this problem with ABTCP so why not MBTCP too.

Yeah, I was talking about ABCIP.


I re-started from the beginning before to try your trick and it's working now. I'll keep that in mind.


My biggest issue right now is trying to start a new project and when I create a new window it starts lagging really bad, less with task manager open. I cannot find any topic regarding that issue anywhere.