adccommunitymod (AutomationDirect) asked a question.
Created Date: June 13,2013
Created By: JimG
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I had a 6-inch C-more panel that I was upgrading the firmware to. This panel is networked to several PLC's, including a Contrologix sytem and an Automation Direct. I used a USB cable for the upgrade and left the panel hooked to the ethernet switch. The upgrade went fine and I reloaded the program. During the time I was doing this, I found out that on our Contrologix system, an ethernet card faulted and shut down a process. The card was reset and the process resumed. I didn't think anything more about it. A couple of weeks later, I was working on a 10-inch panel that happened to be on the same network. I needed to upgrade the firmware on it to install a program change, so I did. Later, I found out that the same ethernet card in the previously mentioned system faulted again. Coincidently, it occurred while I was upgrading the other panel. I can only surmise that the C-more panel defaults to an IP address during a firmware upgrade and this IP address seemed to conflict with the address that was on the ethernet card. As there are several more C-More panels in use in our processes and on this same network, I know that I'll be upgrading the firmware in these panels sometime in the future. Has any one experienced a similiar issue and what did you do as a countermeasure?
Created Date: June 13,2013
Created by: kewakl
I have NOT experienced this, but from your own post, you indicate that the CMORE ethernet cable was still connected.
I would disconnect the CMORE from any other comms while updating the firmware.
You probably already thought of this.
Created Date: June 14,2013
Created by: HMI Eng
The C-more keeps the same communication settings after a firmware update that it had previously. "During " the firmware update is a good question. We have never seen this before.
What is the model of the Ethernet switch?
The only way to know for sure is to test this intentionally and monitor the traffic on the Ethernet during the update.
Created Date: June 15,2013
Created by: JimG
I had a previous post on 6/4/2013 that describes the set up I am working with. The unmanaged switches in use are of the Stride line 5 port. The 10 inch screen primarily operates a SLC-500 system. The 6 inch screen primarily operates an Automation Direct system. As in the previous post, I recently tied this system to a Contrologix through a Sunwa Supply multi-port switch. The Contrologix system has 6 12-inch C-more panels in it. Hooking to any switch and browsing the network, I can see all of the panels. Basically I have 3 independent operating systems and use the 6-inch panel as a common point to operate its system and monitor a smalll amount of data off the other 2 systems it communicates with.
Sounds like a mess, but it actually works well except for this issue I just encountered. In retrospect , I agree that maybe I should have just unplugged the ethernet connection on the panel I was upgrading. However, at the time, I wasn't expecting what happened. FYI , the IP address on the Contrologix Ethernet card was 198.162.0.1 if this has any bearing. Thanks for the input.
Created Date: June 13,2013
Created by: JimG
I had a 6-inch C-more panel that I was upgrading the firmware to. This panel is networked to several PLC's, including a Contrologix sytem and an Automation Direct. I used a USB cable for the upgrade and left the panel hooked to the ethernet switch. The upgrade went fine and I reloaded the program. During the time I was doing this, I found out that on our Contrologix system, an ethernet card faulted and shut down a process. The card was reset and the process resumed. I didn't think anything more about it. A couple of weeks later, I was working on a 10-inch panel that happened to be on the same network. I needed to upgrade the firmware on it to install a program change, so I did. Later, I found out that the same ethernet card in the previously mentioned system faulted again. Coincidently, it occurred while I was upgrading the other panel. I can only surmise that the C-more panel defaults to an IP address during a firmware upgrade and this IP address seemed to conflict with the address that was on the ethernet card. As there are several more C-More panels in use in our processes and on this same network, I know that I'll be upgrading the firmware in these panels sometime in the future. Has any one experienced a similiar issue and what did you do as a countermeasure?