WinCC SCADA Update Allows Client Virtualization
Service Pack 2 update for Simatic WinCC SCADA Version 7 expands the functionality with client virtualization support using Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi. Client virtualization provides customer benefits in faster SCADA station installation time and reduction in hardware cost through use of Thin Client terminals.
With virtualization, one PC can run several virtual systems that would otherwise require separate hardware to be operated in parallel greatly reducing the installation time and cost. Additionally, migration of pre-configured systems to new hardware is made much simpler and faster using the virtualization tools in Service Pack 2.
Virtual WinCC clients can also be connected on Thin Client hardware terminals via an Ethernet network using RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). Thin clients are ruggedized terminals with little disk storage and memory required for its display, so they are significantly smaller, more cost-effective and less fault-prone than full industrial PCs. In production plants, thin clients provide users with visualization and data entry interfaces for the virtual WinCC clients installed on a server located away from the field level.
After installing Service Pack 2, several WinCC clients can be installed and operated on a single hardware platform via either of the two virtualization supported applications Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi 4.0, depending on the hardware equipment of the server. With VMware ESXi 4.0, the user can operate up to eight virtual clients with one PC in a configuration with 16GB RAM.
Another new feature of the Service Pack 2 is the Mitsubishi Ethernet driver with two additional channel units for integrating controllers of the FX3U series and the Q series of Mitsubishi via Ethernet networks. Communication with the controllers takes place via the MELSEC communication protocol (MC protocol). WinCC V7 can also be operated under Windows 7 and Windows 2008 Server following the installation of Service Pack 2. Service Pack 2 also offers innovations such as adding more graphics cards to the Split Screen Manager (Multi-VGA) and permitting access to the User Account Control (UAC) safety concept on Windows7.
The Service Pack 2 can be downloaded free from www.siemens.com/simatic-winccor. Shipped on DVD when requested.
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