Question for those of you using Virtual Machines

I'm a novice with Rockwell s/w and a rookie working with virtual machines. I needed a way to support multiple FTView ME versions. so I set up a Win7 Host machine containing several versions of RSLogix/Studio 5000 and two Oracle VmBox Win7 VMs - one with FTView ME 8.1 and one with FTView ME 9.0. I've successfully set the license activation path for the VMs to use the IP address of the host PC.

This has worked great so far for creating and editing my programs. It is now time to run them. I can download/execute/go online with the Studio 5000 software from the host machine. My problem has to do with network access from the VM using FTView ME. I can successfully use RSLinx from inside my VM, configured to 'browse remote subnet' to find my controller and see my modules, but when I try to set up my device shortcut in my VM FTView project, I can't see any networked controller. It just sits there browsing but never builds the controller/module tree, so I am unable to run my HMI.

Any ideas? Have I overlooked some Network or VM configuration?

Thanks
Tim

Twitch said:

I can successfully use RSLinx from inside my VM, configured to 'browse remote subnet' to find my controller and see my modules, but when I try to set up my device shortcut in my VM FTView project, I can't see any networked controller. It just sits there browsing but never builds the controller/module tree, so I am unable to run my HMI.

Click to expand...

I have questions.....why do you need to use "browse remote subnet" from inside the VM? The VM IP is in a different subnet?

Secondly, about the reason for the VM in the first place....why can't you support those HMI's all with version 9? I think with version 9 you can create runtime versions back to 7, so do you need the VM?

You will likely have to add the device manually. I'm not sure why, but RSLinx Enterprise rarely seems to find devices automatically, even if they auto-detect just fine in RSLinx Classic. I'm sure there are some gurus here who could probably explain why that might be, but for now, I just add them in manually.

Don't over complicate it, get everything in the VM, Settings & Connect directly to the network inside the VM.

From FT Studio ME, add the device by type then IP, it will find it.

If you 'lend' your VM to someone, click 'I move It'

Which VM solution are you using, and are you using the network adapter in NAT or Bridged mode?


I use VirtualBox for all my separate VMs(Schneider, Mitsubishi, Weintek, Idec, Beijer, Indusoft and a couple of other non PLC related) and always use bridged mode. NAT doesn't play nicely as it relies on the host. In bridged mode it's a direct tap on the adapter.

My problem has been resolved, thanks ASF for the hint. Although it wasn't explained how to do it, I researched and manually added the device and it did the trick.

For future reference this is what I had to do: In FTView -> RS Enterprise Communications setup ->Ethernet -> Ethernet Device, right-click on 'Ethernet Device' and select 'Add device'. Browse to the proper controller w/ correct firmware rev and select it. Copy design to runtime. Done!

Many thanks to all that contributed