Using an Access Address to Connect to Your PLC - PCC A GCG Company - WI Siemens Distributor

DMC is a certified Siemens Automation Solution Partner headquartered in Chicago, IL.  PCC partners with DMC to deliver high performance automation and motion control solutions to our customers.    

Post by Leon Grossman of DMC 

 

There are occasions when a Siemens PLC may need to be commissioned with a different IP address than the one assigned in the project. In the case of a single PLC, this is no big deal and it is a simple matter to update the project to match the IP address of the PLC as installed in the final location.

There are several ways this might happen:

• The PLC IP address was changed from the value set by the original builder.
• There is a managed switch performing 1-to-1 NAT between the PLC and the rest of the industrial network.
• The PLC is remote and has the appropriate ports forwarded through the firewall.

However, if the machine is one of many, it doesn’t always make the most sense to modify the IP address in the hardware config for the PLC. Imagine trying to maintain 12 copies of the same program where the only difference is the IP address of the controller!

Fortunately, Siemens has thought of this problem and has implemented a solution in the form of “Access Address”. In essence, this lets you connect and download to a PLC with an IP address that you can reach with your development PC, even if that IP does not match the hardware config of your project.

This can be accomplished in TIA Portal, or in the older Simatic Manager.