Product Lifecycle Management with Asset Inventory

As of version 9.00 of FactoryTalk AssetCentre, IO modules of a FactoryTalk AssetCentre asset can be associated to the controller to obtain IO lifecycle information synchronized with the Product Compatibility and Download Center. Controller IO is configured under the asset properties where the user can enter the IO manually or automatically read the IO of the archived controller file. The controller IO lifecycle information can be viewed from the Asset Lifecycle plug-in under the Assets view. Assets supporting this feature includes Allen-Bradley Logix 5000 Controllers, Allen-Bradley SLC 500 Controllers, Allen-Bradley MicroLogix Controllers, and Allen-Bradley PLC-5 Controllers. Controller IO lifecycle information is part of Disaster Recovery for Asset Inventory. For more information, refer to Knowledgebase Document ID: QA40307 – FactoryTalk AssetCentre Assets Lifecycle.

In version 8.00 and higher of FactoryTalk AssetCentre, asset lifecycle information can automatically be synchronized from the Product Compatibility and Download Center (PCDC). This functionality requires the FactoryTalk AssetCentre server to have a connection to the internet, which is used to query the PCDC for asset catalog information. For estimation purposes, it will take approximately one minute per one thousand unique catalog queries. For more information, including server communication requirements, refer to Knowledgebase Document ID: QA40307 – FactoryTalk AssetCentre Assets Lifecycle.

In versions 7.10 and higher of FactoryTalk AssetCentre, users can use the “Export for PCDC” option, allowing the Asset Inventory CIP scan results to be exported as an RAAI file, and imported into the Product Compatibility and Download Center website (PCDC). The PCDC view will show product compatibility, firmware downloads, and lifecycle status of the scan results. The “Export for PCDC” option is available by selecting the RAAI file under the asset tree and performing a right click, or by selecting the RAAI file and opening the archive plug-in. Note that a Rockwell Automation account is required for import in to the PCDC website.