Msg instruction, cannot find target PLC

Hello,

confusion on the msg instruction configuration. We cannot find the target PLC-s in the communication path setup; however, we have made sure all the PlC-s are connected using rslinx classic and we can ping their ip address in the command line. Any advice on how to resolve this confusion would be greatly appreciated.

Software: Studio 5000 Logix Designer v31
PLC: Logix 5581E (2), Logix 5571, and EN2T

Maybe this Logix 5000 Controllers Messages programming manual will help...

https://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/pm/1756-pm012_-en-p.pdf

If the other controllers are not exchanging Produced/Consumed Tag Data with your ControlLogix, then there is no reason for them to be in the I/O tree.

While having a target device in the I/O tree is convenient, it is not necessary. You can instead compose a CIP path manually.

The User Manual is fairly straightforward explaining how CIP Paths are composed of comma-separated pairs of values for the Port and the Address of each "hop".

You have the new and nifty 5580 series controller, for which the CIP paths can be a little different than the old ones. You don't need the "1, x" to get to the Ethernet module at he beginning of the CIP Path.

Describe which controller holds the MSG instruction, and the IP addresses and slot numbers of each controller, and folks may be able to advise in detail.

I had an issue with this related to a PIO slice I needed to send an explicit message to.

While I could see it in the tree, it would not allow a selection.

I had to give the PIO slice an actual name instead of leaving it blank. Not sure why it mattered in Studio 5000, but it did.