adccommunitymod (AutomationDirect) asked a question.
Simple PLC program upload
Created Date: June 09,2005
Created By: dditch
**** This post has been imported from our legacy forum. Information in this post may be outdated and links contained in the post may no longer work.****
I have a product that uses a DL/06 I want to set up my production staff to upload the PLC program. Do I have to use Directsoft or is there a simple utility to do this? I'm looking for the simplest process for them to follow A DOS batch file or setting up a windows macro is fine.
Created Date: June 09,2005
Created by: MikeS
Try the downloader from host engineering:
http://www.hosteng.com/SW-Products/SP_Demo_Utilites.htm#DNLoader
Created Date: July 05,2005
Created by: Glenn
When you send a customer a back up copy of a project via DN Loader, is there anything to prevent them from loading that software into any CPU that they may purchase themselves?
Created Date: July 06,2005
Created by: elevmike
As I understand it the DN Loader is not spicific to any CPU.
Not sure if this will work or not, but maybe you can stick a "key " of sorts in the cpu user memory (better if NVram). Have the program compaire the key to a K value in the program. If the two match...it's off & running.
Created Date: July 06,2005
Created by: franji1
It does support the PLC password functionality. If you do not want the user to see the program, you ship them a PLC with an existing program and password. Then any updates you send with DNLoader from a PLC in-house with the same password will ONLY go into the PLC with THAT password.
There is no other way of stopping an end-user from buying DirectSoft on their own and uploading a non-password protected PLC program and downloading it into any PLC they want.
Basically this limits the end-customer from seeing the program. This is the purpose of the password feature in the PLC - use it wisely.
Created Date: July 06,2005
Created by: Glenn
I have the PLC and DN Loader password protected. The problem is that even with the password in DN Loader it will still copy the program into a PLC without a password.
Therefore someone could purchase the hardware and copy the software and have a running piece of equipment without even seeing the program.
Or am I missing something?
Created Date: July 06,2005
Created by: elevmike
franj,
I'm not sure I get it. What if the end user has a fresh CPU with NO password? Even if the DNloader program has a password, will DNloader still upload to a CPU with no password?
If so...Back to my post before. You password protect the program, & insert a key in the CPU. That way the user cant see the the program, & it would only work with CPUs you sent him.
So let's say it's a 240 CPU. Manually insert (via Dataview) in V4000, (NVram) something like 9572 (the key).
Then you insert a rung in the program like this:
enable
--- = -----------(co)
Since he cant see the program (due to program password) he has no idea what to put in V4000.
Created Date: July 06,2005
Created by: elevmike
Looking at this: http://www.hosteng.com/SW-Products/DNLoader%20Flow%20Chart.pdf
It appears that if the CPU has no password, ie fresh/new, then DNloader will upload to the CPU. So there's nothing to prevent sombody from loading the program into as many CPUs as he wants...
Correct me if I'm wrong....Please.
Created Date: July 07,2005
Created by: ericn
That seems to be true, Mike... http://forum1.automationdirect.com/board/frown.gif
I like your V-mem idea as a stopgap... http://forum1.automationdirect.com/board/cool.gif
-Eric
Created Date: July 07,2005
Created by: Glenn
Mike,
Thanks for sticking with this one:
"It appears that if the CPU has no password, ie fresh/new, then DNloader will upload to the CPU. So there's nothing to prevent sombody from loading the program into as many CPUs as he wants... "
This was the point that I was trying to make.
The solution would be that when a password is inserted into DN Loader, it will ONLY download to a CPU with a corresponding password.
Anyone at Hosteng have any ideas on a future release that could accomplish this?
Created Date: July 07,2005
Created by: franji1
You are correct - if there is no password, then it will download the program to a new CPU with no password.
Here's the issue - if you are an OEM, you need a version of DNLoader that will download to a new CPU and then set the password when you are building the machine.
However once the machine is in the field, as an OEM, you may not want end customers to be able to do this to a new CPU.
Therefore, in order to accomplish both, you must do what elevmike recommends. My bad.