New 5069 CompactLogix with RSLinx 2.54

[phuz]

I'm interested in this validated environment, is this a phama industry thing? What changes require a change control (and thus I'm assuming paperwork and validation testing etc.)? It sounds like a royal PITA.

Could you, for example, spin up a new server or VM to act as an OPC server? Can you install Kepware or the like instead of RSLinx on the existing server? Downgrade the newer CompactLogix for an older one?

In the end, they're operating on obsolete, unsupported software on a server that I am sure is long in the tooth. These things are bound to come up so maybe it's time to cough up the $$$ and do it right.

Yes, it is for a pharma company. Any changes to the SCADA have to be re-validated. Typically places like this don't like to be on the cutting edge of firmware, but the only other CompactLogix with dual-ethernet option was the L43, and the firmware is capped at v20, so you'd be installing old (new) hardware. Installing a CLX for this would have been overkill. I convinced them to go with the 5069. They require dual-ethernet, as most plants do, when you are using Ethernet IO. One NIC for plant network, one for IO. Although, from what I understand, there is only one physical NIC in the CompactLogix and the isolation is done through software.

 

[Dravik]

It varies from company to company a bit, but in general if you are touching anything that could impact a validated process, you have to do change control and sometimes a regulatory evaluation(to see if it would impact a filing w/ the FDA, MHRA, Health Canada, etc.)

Generally, It is allowed to do 'like for like' replacements however. So if I had an I/O card fail, I personally can replace that as long as I have the same model/fw rev/hw rev. If any of those are different(going from an 8pt card to a 16pt card for example), then change control to evaluate the impact to the validated state.

 

[phuz]

Linx was actually behaving funny in the fact that when the IP was added, nothing "new" showed up. Not even the yellow question mark or red X. However, when the IP was removed, the yellow question mark appeared. If the IP was re-added, it would completely disappear from RSWho again.

So the verdict?
REBOOT! Probably would have sufficed with restarting the RSLinx service, but that did it. All visible now.