AVEVA™ Communication Drivers Pack – Siemens - SIDIRECT Driver Readme

Last revision: 11/20/2020

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About This Release

This document contains important information about Siemens SIDirect Communications Driver. Review this document for new features, tested hardware and software environments, and other server information.

New Features and Enhancements

Installation

The SIDirect Communication Driver is installed along with the Communication Drivers Pack. It is a selectable option during the Communication Drivers Pack installation.

Symbolic Protocol - Important Information

The following is important information regarding the new Symbolic Protocol

Performance of Legacy Protocol vs. Symbolic Protocol

Siemens has created a new protocol to address the symbolic namespace in their controllers. This protocol is designed with security upfront. The new Symbolic protocol offers different communication throughput performance characteristics in different models of the controllers.

The performance profile varies by PLC model. If your I/O needs exceed 10,000 values per second, see Siemens Support FAQ 98699910 for more information.

Following is a sample throughput performance reference of two S7-1500 controller models.

These performance figures are for reference only as they will vary by PLC model and by the internal configuration of the controller.

Scalability

Tests were performed using up to 100,000 subscribed tags to a single controller with a single OI Server instance. At this level it is important to consider proper staggered update intervals to maintain the desired throughput.

System Requirements

Platform Compatibility

The SIDirect Communication Driver will always be compatible with the latest release of System Platform. For a detailed information on product and platform compatibility, refer to the Technology Matrix section of the Global Customer Support (GCS) Site.

Hardware Requirements

To run an OI Server, the following hardware configurations are the minimum recommended:

• 2 GHz or faster processor, 32-bit or 64-bit (Intel Itanium processor is not supported)
• RAM: 1 GB or more (512 MB minimum supported but may limit performance and some features)
• At least 8 GB of available hard disk space
• Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Operating Systems

For a list of supported operating systems for Communication Drivers, refer to the Technology Matrix section of the Global Customer Support (GCS) Site.

The Technology Matrix is a searchable database that contains the latest product information. Enter the product name in the search bar, then select the release to view:

• Product Information: version name, number, release date, etc.
• Product Notes: key release information, new features, and updates
• OS Compatibility: list of compatible Windows and Windows Server versions
• Browser Compatibility: list of compatible browsers
• Virtualization Compatibility: list of compatible virtualization software products and versions
• Product Coexistence: list of products that can be installed on the same computer
• Product Interoperability/Compatibility: list of products that can operate together and communicate with each other through a common message protocol.

Auto-Build Support

To support the Auto-Build feature:

• The SIDirect must be installed on a Galaxy Repository node.
• Application Server Development license of GRAccess feature must be present in the Galaxy repository node.
• Auto-Build must have a professional Communication Driver license.

Resolved Issues

The following issues are resolved in this release of SIDirect Communication Driver.

Known Issues

There are no known issues in this release of SIDirect Communication Driver.

Communication Driver Documentation

The Communication Driver documentation set includes the following guides:

1. All the Communication Driver Help and Readme files: These guides describe the user interface and functions of the respective Communication Driver.
2. AVEVA™ Communication Drivers Pack Help: This documentation describes the runtime Configuration, Diagnostics, and Activation/Deactivation aspects of a Communication Driver.
3. Log Viewer Help: This guide provides information about the Logger™ and the Log Viewer snap-in to the System Management Console.
4. LogFlag Editor User's Guide: This documentation describes the user interface and functions of the LogFlag Editor utility. This utility can be opened only from the Log Viewer, a part of the System Management Console suite of utilities.
5. AVEVA Enterprise License Manager Help: This guide describes how to use the License Manager to activate and acquire licenses.

   Note: The AVEVA Enterprise License Manager Help can be accessed through the License Manager application (available only for the new license framework). For earlier versions of the license framework, see License Utility Guide.