FactoryTalk ME With SoftLogix Emulate on Virtual Machine

[wanher3]

Hello I have an emulator SoftLogix on VM1 and running FTView ME on VM2. I am trying to link the two by setting up a short cut inside FTView but somehow i am unable to browser the virtual plane and access the emulator on VM1. How can i accomplish this ?

Also when i run RSClassic on VM2, i am able to see see VM1 and access the emulator. but if i run FactoryTalk Linx Browser on VM 2 i can not see neither VM1 nor the emulator. Why would that be ? FTView now uses FactoryTalk LInx by default instead of RSLinx Entreprise. i am wondering if that is not a bug. Has anyone experience this ?

 

[Ken Roach]

You probably cannot do what you're trying to do.

Emulate 5000 does not accept external connections over TCP/IP, and that would necessarily be the connection between your virtual machines. You can only access Emulate 5000 over the virtual backplane object on the same computer that is running Emulate 5000.

You can connect to a remote instance of RSLinx Classic from another PC, probably by using the RSLinx Classic Gateway function, which allows a remote instance to share the local drivers (hardware like DH+ or DF1, or software like the virtual backplane). That might explain why you've been able to use RSLinx Classic to "browse" to the remote computer.

If the computer that hosts Emulate 5000 is licensed for RSLinx Classic Professional or Gateway, then you can use it as an ordinary OPC Server.

I realize the name changes can be hard to follow, but RSLinx Enterprise was simply renamed FactoryTalk Linx at some port. As far as I know, it can't connect to a virtual backplane on another computer, even if that virtual backplane is part of the same FactoryTalk Network Directory. I have not spent a lot of time trying to do that, so it might be worth a call to your local RA distributor or sales office (or RA Technical Support).

 

[Phrog30]

That is not true. I have successfully connected emulate over a network. It depends on the version of emulate and the version of Windows. For example, I have connected ignition on a different box to emulate on a separate box. It seems Windows 10 is a must and version 32 emulate is a good start.

 

[Ken Roach]

Let me reconsider; the Knowledgebase suggests that you *can* connect remotely if you have set up a FactoryTalk Network Directory and installed RSLinx Enterprise/FactoryTalk Linx on the same computer as Emulate 5000. Your clients would be other FactoryTalk products (like View SE) on other computers that are members of the Network Directory.

https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/508137/loc/en_US#__highlight

To my knowledge (and again, maybe it's changed recently), FactoryTalk View ME is only a Local Network product that has to get its data from a local OPC or FactoryTalk server.

And maybe they gave it the ability to accept TCP/IP connections from remote hosts that aren't FactoryTalk services in recent revisions. It certainly didn't do that over the past fifteen years or so. The ability to use virtual ENBT modules was always one of the important distinctions between Emulate and SoftLogix.

 

[wanher3]

Let me reconsider; the Knowledgebase suggests that you *can* connect remotely if you have set up a FactoryTalk Network Directory and installed RSLinx Enterprise/FactoryTalk Linx on the same computer as Emulate 5000. Your clients would be other FactoryTalk products (like View SE) on other computers that are members of the Network Directory.

https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/508137/loc/en_US#__highlight

To my knowledge (and again, maybe it's changed recently), FactoryTalk View ME is only a Local Network product that has to get its data from a local OPC or FactoryTalk server.

And maybe they gave it the ability to accept TCP/IP connections from remote hosts that aren't FactoryTalk services in recent revisions. It certainly didn't do that over the past fifteen years or so. The ability to use virtual ENBT modules was always one of the important distinctions between Emulate and SoftLogix.

It appears this specifically has to do with the new FactoryTalk Linx. I have done this in the past as well went it was still RSLinx Entreprise and was able to browse and access the emulator from another VM without any issue. Also, currently, i am able to browse the backplane using RSlinx gateway and i can see the Emulator from the other VM with RSLinx Gateway. but when trying to set a shortcut with FactoryTalk ME 10.0, the new FactoryTalk Linx (Used to be RSlinx Entreprise) is not able to browse the virtual plane and see the emulator as RSLinx gateway does. Again this is happening on the same HMI VM; RSclassic can see the emulator running on the remote VM but Factorytalk Linx can not. Factorytalk Linx is now the default with Factorytalk ME 10.0 and not browsing the virtual plane.