Help with compact logix communication?! (urgent)

[TL140]

So since the holidays are happening, my boss has gave me the responsibility of backing up all the PLCs. Fortunately, most of them are on a network and i can wirelessly connect to all the controllers. However there are a few that I cannot.

We dont have a spare RS-232 lying around and all we have is an ethernet cable and a CAT5. (unsure if crossover)

I am unsure how to communicate with the embedded ethernet ports. If it helps, most of our equipment is hooked up to stratix switches for HMI and remote communication. I am using Allen bradley and RSLogix5000 for compact logix L32E's I believe. We also have 2 machines with micrologix which I am a little concern because we do not have RSLogix500.

Sorry, I know its a noob question, however in college, they only taught us ladder logic and how to program. We had a little bit of wiring of sinking/sourcing cards but that was it. So sorry for the incompetence >.<

Also, im having the issue on a few controllers where I get in the RSWho in RSLogix5000 and then click on a backpane once and it tries to connect automatically and then fails. how can i solve this and what causes this?

 

[Psymon]

If they're already hooked up via the Ethernet port, they should be visible in RSLinx with the Ethernet/IP driver so long as your computer and PLC are on the same subnet (i.e. 192.168.1.x).

 

[TL140]

If they're already hooked up via the Ethernet port, they should be visible in RSLinx with the Ethernet/IP driver so long as your computer and PLC are on the same subnet (i.e. 192.168.1.x).

We have some that I guess are not on the same subnet then. The IPs of the machine are not in RSLinx. How would i go about getting those programs? All the info that I have is the IP for the controller. Can I hook directly to the controller and just upload and save?

 

[jdbrandt]

We have some that I guess are not on the same subnet then. The IPs of the machine are not in RSLinx. How would i go about getting those programs? All the info that I have is the IP for the controller. Can I hook directly to the controller and just upload and save?

If you use the Ethernet/IP driver you do not have to know the IP of the controller...the driver will find the controller itself.

Now, of course, you will need at least a clue as to the subnet of the network the PLC is on...perhaps peeking at any other attached device's setup might help...like, a panelview or programming terminal...

But, once you know the PLC's subnet, you match up the laptop, and you're good to go.

Remember, the Ethernet/IP driver...NOT the ethernet devices driver.

 

[TL140]

If you use the Ethernet/IP driver you do not have to know the IP of the controller...the driver will find the controller itself.

Now, of course, you will need at least a clue as to the subnet of the network the PLC is on...perhaps peeking at any other attached device's setup might help...like, a panelview or programming terminal...

But, once you know the PLC's subnet, you match up the laptop, and you're good to go.

Remember, the Ethernet/IP driver...NOT the ethernet devices driver.

Do I need to adjust anything on my network sharing center?

 

[jdbrandt]

Do I need to adjust anything on my network sharing center?

Maybe others understand this question better, but, IMHO, based on what you're asking, you might want to ask for assistance beyond plcs.net, if you are working on live systems. Perhaps the network settings are coveted for a reason.

 

[Geospark]

Ethernet/IP Driver

Do I need to adjust anything on my network sharing center?

Your computer's LAN adapter is most likely configured with a Static IP address and standard Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0, that is on the same Subnet as the controller's that the EtherNet/IP driver can currently browse to. The controllers that it currently cannot browse to are most likely on another Subnet.

...We have some that I guess are not on the same subnet then...

Let's not guess. You most likely have visible devices in RSLinx with matching IP addresses for the first three octets, example: all begin with 192.168.1.x. These are most likely on the same Subnet as your computer.

...All the info that I have is the IP for the controller...

If I can take from the above that you have a list of all controller IP addresses, then you should be able to deduce that the unbrowseable controller IP addresses are on another Subnet, example: 192.168.2.x.

Now, if you know you have devices on different Subnets, how can you reach the devices that are not on the local Subnet to the computer?

1. If you're network is using different Subnets on the same physical network with no Gateway/Router...

Here, all devices must have a Subnet Mask that allows communications between the different Subnets.

Example: Devices using 192.168.1.x & 192.168.2.x on the same network without a Router.

Each device must have a Subnet Mask of 255.255.0.0
Only 192.168.x.x is used as the routing prefix, allowing the other two octets be the host identifier.
Devices at 192.168.1.x can then communicate with devices at 192.168.2.x.

If you change the computer's Subnet Mask to 255.255.0.0, this will potentially allow it to communicate with devices on other Subnets. However, if the Subnet Mask of the devices on the other Subnet are set 255.255.255.0, then the computer can "see" the devices, but they cannot "see" the computer.

2. If you're network is using different Subnets on the same physical network with a Router.

Here, the Gateway/Router handles the routing of communications between different Subnets. You have mentioned there being Stratix switches used on this network. What model/layer are they? It would be my guess that they are possibly used as gateway routers for devices local and remote to it. The switches will have a Gateway address assigned. If so, and you can find out the address of the first hop switch your computer encounters, then you can enter that address into your computer's LAN adapter gateway address.

A lot depends on how the network is currently configured, so I'm making a lot of assumptions for the above.

...Can I hook directly to the controller and just upload and save?

Failing any attempts to do the above, or you don't want to mess around with working settings, then yes, you can always go straight to the controller's Ethernet port and attempt an Upload. If you know the controller's IP address then set your computer's LAN adapter address to the same subnet as the controller and PING it. If successful, then the EtherNet/IP driver should be able to browse to it, allowing you to Upload.

Regards
George