Rslogix 5000 opens slow while at home

[dustin.hullett]

What would be causing Rslogix 5000 Versions 19.01 20.01 21.03 and 24.01 to load very slow when im not at work? I have been through the tech connect base and found nothing so far. When im at work on the network that all the plc.'s are on (wireless) I can open a project in 5 to 10 seconds. When im at home it takes upwards of 2 minutes or longer. What is the software searching for that's taking so long? My activations are local in the activations folder and locked to my hdd?

 

[Mrgumbo]

Is there a network path for activations on your "Manage Activations" tab that is before your C:\ path? If so, move the C:\ path to the top. That's the only thing I ran across that would slow it down with it looking for a network path first on a network that you are not on.

 

[mellis]

I've seen two reasons for Logix to load slowly:
1) It's searching for activations. If it doesn't find any it can take a minute or so to go to "grace mode". MrGumbo's suggestion should address that.
2) It's reloading Logix to get the right version to match the file you opened. If you start Logix first and then select the *.ACD file to work with, it may completely reload Logix if it doesn't have the matching version loaded. I avoid this by double-clicking the *.ACD file, and let that load Logix.

 

[dustin.hullett]

No there's only one path to my activations and they are also stored local on my hdd. The path is directly to the file there located in. Also the only way I open my projects is by clicking on the acd file in my list of projects.

 

[dburnum]

Mine does the same thing when I've borrowed activations off our FTA Server. There are two activation paths. One for local hdd, and the second is the FTA server. When at work it opens quick, whether they are borrowed or not.

 

[TheWaterboy]

If I may jump in with additional trouble...

I have logix5 8 (CPR9) on a laptop that does this, typically it only does it once a day but it can take 3-4 minutes (seems like even more sometimes) before it starts up.

Since it doesn't behave like logix 5k with versioning, any ideas why it does this?

 

[ASF]

I have a vague memory of seeing a thread a while ago about something similar, and it was ultimately something to do with the activation server. I can't remember enough detail to be really helpful - or even to be able to find the thread again - but that would make sense, particularly as two people are seeing the issue with two very different software packages, with just about the only common link being the activation method (Waterboy - I'm assuming you're using FTActivation Manager, not floppy disk activation?).

This is a complete stab in the dark, based on a memory of a memory of a thread - but could it have to do with the internet connection? As in, perhaps when you start up, the activation manager tries to connect to the internet before starting. If it can, away you go as normal. If it can't, it will eventually give up and start anyway, and from then on everything happens fast - but in the meantime everything sits around twiddling thumbs and waiting. OP, is it possible that at home, your work laptop doesn't connect (or doesn't connect as quickly) to the internet, or that certain ports that the activation server might use to connect to the internet are blocked by your firewall? Likewise, is it possible Waterboy that your network connection is not too crash hot and occasionally it drops out at the critical moment?

Purely speculation at this point, but worth a thought perhaps!

 

[TheWaterboy]

The activation on this laptop is hosted locally i.e. node locked. Even when it was a dongle I had this problem. So the network nor activation server exists.
Unless it still wants to phone home without telling me... Hmmm.

 

[ASF]

Yeah that's what I'm wondering - I know the activation is local to the PC, but the activation server still has to fire up and be active before your RSLogix can access the activation...and if the server startup is delayed trying to phone home, then maybe that's causing a delay?

 

[dburnum]

I'm wondering if for me it has to do with the path to the FT Server. The path is set up in my hosts file with an IP address, as the machine is not searchable on my domain. I had to manually set it up, since the FT Server sits on a VM behind a secondary firewall within my corporate network. Even connected via VPN to my company, the FT Server is no longer available. I have to be physically connected to the LAN/Wireless network within my workplace. It works well for borrowing/returning activations, but I deal with that slow start-up when at my residence.