Items in Add Siemens S7 Controller (STEP7) dialog box

Items in the dialog box include:
  • (Parent)
    (Read-only) Shows the name of the container into which the controller is being added.
  • Description
    (Optional) Type a description for the controller. The description will be shown in the
    Archive
    tab when the controller is selected in the asset tree. The description can be a maximum of 260 characters.
  • Name
    Enter a unique and meaningful name for the device. This name will appear in the asset tree. The software defaults to
    Siemens S7 Controller (STEP7)
    . The name must be unique within the parent container. That is, you can have two devices with the same name in the asset tree, they just can't be in the same container. If you add a device into a container that already has a device of the same name, FactoryTalk AssetCentre will append a number (like
    _2
    ) to the device name to ensure uniqueness.
    Asset names can be a maximum of 260 characters. The characters \ / : * ? " < > | are not allowed. The character pair &# is not allowed. A space, tab, underscore (_) or dollar sign ($) cannot be the first character in a name, but can be used elsewhere in the name. The following Microsoft Windows device names cannot be used as asset names, whether upper or lower case, with or without the colon: CON:, PRN:, AUX:, NUL:, COM1:, COM2:, COM3:, COM4:, COM5:, COM6:, COM7:, COM8:, COM9:, LPT1:, LPT2:, LPT3:, LPT4:, LPT5:, LPT6:, LPT7:, LPT8:, and LPT9. For example,
    Auxiliary Line
     would be a valid name whereas
    Aux Line
     would not.
  • Addressing Info
    Specify the network location of the physical device. Click in this field and then click browse_button_small to open the S7 Addressing dialog box. Use the S7 Addressing dialog box to supply the address of the physical device.
  • Backup Data
    Specifies the backup binder to use for Backup or Backup and Compare operations. FactoryTalk AssetCentre uses a binder to store backup files for S7 Controller (STEP7). To specify a binder, click in this field and then click browse_button_small. The
    Backup Data Browser
     dialog box opens. Click
    Help
     in the dialog box for instructions.
    In most cases when first configuring an S7 Controller (STEP7), a backup binder does not exist yet. In this situation you can choose to leave Backup Data unspecified or you can specify a binder containing an empty folder.
    • If you do not specify a backup binder
      , one is automatically created the first time a backup schedule runs for this device. The filename is
      AssetName_Backup
      , where
      AssetName
       is the name of the S7 Controller (STEP7) asset as given in the
      Name
       field in this dialog box. The new backup binder is placed under the S7 Controller (STEP7) in the asset tree. The schedule is also updated to use the new binder.
    • If you want to specify a binder containing an empty folder
      , first create an empty folder on your computer or on a network location. Next use the
      Backup Data
       field to add a binder specifying the empty folder as the
      Source
       Folder.
  • Catalog Information
    (Optional) Enter the CPU type of the controller to which you are connected (for example CPU412-1).
  • Configuration Data
    Click in this field and then click browse_button_small to select the binder containing the files for this controller and to select the S7 program file to use as the master file in a disaster recovery compare operation. Specifying the configuration data associates the binder with the device in FactoryTalk AssetCentre software and adds the binder to archive if it is not already in the asset tree.
    Binders must include only one project. When setting up which program to use for disaster recovery schedules, you will not be able to select a program if more than one project is in the binder.
  • Device Name
    (Optional) The name of the physical device to which you are (or will be) connected.
  • Firmware Revision
    (Optional) Enter the firmware version of the controller.
  • Hardware Revision
    (Optional) Enter the version number of the controller to which you are (or will be) connected.
  • Hardware Type
    (Optional) Enter the Siemens MLFB number of the S7 Controller (STEP7) to which you are connected.
  • Manufacturer
    (Read-only) The manufacturer is automatically filled in with SIEMENS.
  • Program Name
    (Read-only) Shows the name of the Siemens S7 program selected in Configuration Data, along with related information. The format is:
    Project Name\Station Name\CPU Name\Program Name.
  • Agent Group
    Click in this field and then click browse_button_small to select the agent group for the controller.
    • When adding the controller under the root, the default value of Agent Group is
      System Default
      .
    • When adding the controller under a container, the default value of Agent Group is
      Inherit from parent: the parent container’s Agent Group property
      .
  • Asset Number
    (Optional) Enter an asset number for management or inventory purposes.
  • Location
    (Optional) Enter information about the controller's location in your facility.
  • Serial Number
    (Optional) Enter the controller's serial number.
  • Properties Configuration
    (Optional) This box shows the number of default extended properties configured by the
    Options dialog box: Extended Properties
    . To configure extended properties for the asset, click in this box, and then click browse_button_small. In the
    Extended Properties
     dialog box, edit, add, or delete extended properties.
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