'Settings' Editor (Project)

The following information refers to a specific, typical device type. Your screen may differ.

This help topic describes the 'Settings' editor of the 'Project' PLANT node. On the left side on the 'Settings' page, several editor categories can be selected. These are described below in detail.

This topic contains the following sections:

'IP subnet'

The project IP settings you are defining here, are the basis for the IP settings of all devices involved in the project because the individual device IP settings must be within these project specifications.

Each inserted controller or Profinet device automatically gets an IP address within the IP range specified here. If there are multiple network adapters in the device settings, only the first gets an IP address from that range.

Editor area Parameter Meaning

Identity Network name To identify the subnet in which the controller is integrated, you can assign a common and meaningful name here.

Domain(s) Once you have assigned a name for the domain, it is added to the host names of the devices in the project (i.e., as suffix, separated by a dot).

IP range Start IP address Lowest address for the IP range of the project.
Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255
The value is stored permanently. When the value is read then the last written value is returned.

End IP address Highest address for the IP range of the project.
Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255
The value is stored permanently. When the value is read then the last written value is returned.
Observe the note below the table.

Subnet mask The subnet mask consists of a series of bits that determine the network portion of an IP address and thus also define the remaining host portion. The mask consists of a sequence of 1-bits followed by a sequence of 0-bits. The number of 1-bits indicates how many bits of the IP address belong to the network part. The number of 0-bits indicates how many bits of the IP address are used for host addressing.
Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255

Default gateway In an IP network, devices can only communicate directly (without a router) within the same subnet. To be able to communicate with a device in another subnet, a router must be available and known. The default gateway address set here identifies this router.
Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255

Editor area	Parameter	Meaning
Identity	Network name	To identify the subnet in which the controller is integrated, you can assign a common and meaningful name here.
Domain(s)	Once you have assigned a name for the domain, it is added to the host names of the devices in the project (i.e., as suffix, separated by a dot).
IP range	Start IP address	Lowest address for the IP range of the project. Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255 The value is stored permanently. When the value is read then the last written value is returned.
End IP address	Highest address for the IP range of the project. Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255 The value is stored permanently. When the value is read then the last written value is returned. Observe the note below the table.
Subnet mask	The subnet mask consists of a series of bits that determine the network portion of an IP address and thus also define the remaining host portion. The mask consists of a sequence of 1-bits followed by a sequence of 0-bits. The number of 1-bits indicates how many bits of the IP address belong to the network part. The number of 0-bits indicates how many bits of the IP address are used for host addressing. Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255
Default gateway	In an IP network, devices can only communicate directly (without a router) within the same subnet. To be able to communicate with a device in another subnet, a router must be available and known. The default gateway address set here identifies this router. Format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd where each value must contain decimal numbers between 0...255

'SNMP'

SNMP stands for "Simple Network Management Protocol". This is a protocol for transmitting management information in networks and to be able to monitor and control network elements from a central station. The protocol defines the communication between the monitored devices and the monitoring station.

The SNMP settings defined here are used as default settings for all devices to which an SNMP request is sent.

Editor area Parameter Meaning

SNMP Version PLCnext Engineer supports the SNMP versions v1, v2c (default version) and v3.
Depending on the selected SNMP version, the corresponding parameter groups and input fields are enabled.

SNMP v1 / v2c For SNMP version v1 or v2c, the default read and write community strings can be set in this editor area. These parameters can only be edited, if SNMP version v1 or v2c is selected above.
The strings are required to get access to a device via SNMP. They can be considered as pre-shared keys: The SNMP community string is like a password that allows access to the device. The string is sent along with an SNMP request (read or write operation) to the device.

Read community The default read community string is 'public' which means that communication is read-only. You can enter 'private' which grants read and write access in this community.

Write community The default write community string is 'private' which grants read and write access in this community. You can enter 'public' instead.

SNMP v3 SNMP version 3 offers encryption of communication and better authentication options for participants.

Username Enter a unique and preferably descriptive name for the participant in the SNMP network.

Authentication Drop-down list for selecting the authentication method the participants use in the SNMP network.

'None' means that authentication is disabled.

'MD5': Message-Digest Algorithm 5 is a cryptographic protocol for authenticating messages and verifying content and signatures. The algorithm is based on a hash function that checks whether sent data has been read unaltered by the recipient.

'SHA1': Secure Hash Algorithm 1 is a cryptographic hash function that is used to authenticate participants and verify transmitted data. It generates a fixed 160-bit hash value from an input. In this case, the input is the defined 'Authentication passphrase'.

Authentication passphrase Enter a password for authentication purposes.

Note
Observe existing password complexity rules and follow applicable instructions when creating passwords that are unique and complex.

Privacy protocol Defines the method used for encrypting the communication. Select an entry from the drop-down list.

Privacy passphrase Enter a password for the encryption of the SNMP communication.

Note
Observe existing password complexity rules and follow applicable instructions when creating passwords that are unique and complex.

'Scan sources'

The 'Scan sources' category enables you to configure the scan options. Based on the configured scan options, PLCnext Engineer runs a single scan or successive scans (in cyclic scan mode) to find all devices connected to your network. All reachable devices respond with their provided device values such as the IP address, subnet mask, system name etc.

The 'Scan sources' category offers several parameter groups for the scan options supported by PLCnext Engineer. The scan options are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to enable individual or multiple scan options simultaneously.

Editor area Parameter Meaning

DCP scan Enabled If selected, the DCP protocol (Discovery and Configuration Protocol) is used to scan for network devices. When scanning, all devices that support DCP will respond to the DCP request and send the requested information back.

Network adapter From the 'Network adapter' list box, select the network adapter used for the DCP communication. The selection list contains all network adapters that are available in your PC. Network adapters that are currently not connected to the network are visualized by a red cross attached to the symbol in the selection list.
The selection of the network adapter is mandatory.

Ping scan Enabled If selected, devices are searched using ping scanning. The ping command checks whether devices with an IP address in the defined IP address ranges are reachable in the network.

Timeout (ms) The ping timeout specifies the time in milliseconds after which PLCnext Engineer considers the device as unreachable, i.e., how long the tool waits until a reply from the device.
Value range: 1 to 5,000 ms

IP ranges The address range table contains the IP address ranges that are used for a ping scan. For the ping scan at least one address range must be defined.
To define an IP address range, enter the start and end IP address in the table and activate the address range for the network scan by checking the 'Enabled' checkbox'. A new empty address range row is automatically inserted into the table when an address range is confirmed.
To delete a configured address range, right-click the row in the table and select 'Delete' from the context menu or press <Del> for a selected row.

Note
The start IP address must be less than the end IP address.

To exclude specific IP address ranges within the specified ranges from the scan, use the 'Excluded IP ranges' table as described below.

Excluded IP ranges Here you can exclude specific IP address ranges within the specified 'IP ranges' from the scan. For example, if you have a large IP address range configured, you can block individual ranges of addresses that will not be included in the scan.
Entering and deleting values in the table are done in the same way as for the 'IP ranges' table (see above).

SNMP scan Enabled If selected, devices are searched using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) scanning. When scanning the network, PLCnext Engineer sends an SNMP Broadcast Get Request message to the network. All devices that support SNMP service and respond to this broadcast will be discovered.

Timeout (ms) Set the timeout value in milliseconds while discovering the network devices using SNMP. The timeout specifies the time how long PLCnext Engineer waits for the response of the network device. If the response takes longer than the set time, the SNMP request is aborted.

Network adapter From the 'Network adapter' list box, select the IP configuration of the network adapter used for the SNMP communication.
The selection list contains all IP configurations of the network adapters that are available in your PC. The entries consist of the IP address configured for the network adapter and the name of the network connection as it appears in the Network Connections Control Panel program. Network adapters that are currently not connected to the network are visualized by a red cross attached to the symbol in the selection list.
The selection of the network adapter is mandatory.

VRRP scan Enabled If selected, the network is scanned for virtual routers by analyzing the VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) configuration of the network devices.
Background information

With VRRP, two or more physical routers form a VRRP group. The virtual address of the VRRP group is used for communication in the network. In a VRRP group, one router is the master router. All other routers in the VRRP group are backup routers. The master router handles all routing tasks. If the master router fails, a backup router takes over the master router role.

During the network scan, the VRRP configuration of the network device is checked. If the physical address of the device lies within the IP address range specified in the 'IP ranges' table under the 'Ping scan' group, it is checked whether there is a virtual router. If so, the virtual router is shown in the 'Physical Topology' editor in addition to the physical router. (If only the address of the virtual router lies within the specified IP address range, the device is shown as simple Ethernet device.)

Further Info
For details how to enable VRRP for a network device and how to configure the VRRP settings, see the device manual.

SCB WLAN client scan Enabled If selected, the network is scanned for WLAN clients that are operated in SCB (Single Client Bridge) mode via SNMP.
Background information

In SCB mode, only one Ethernet device may be connected to the WLAN client. The WLAN client adopts the IP address from the Ethernet device behind the client. This means when scanning the network, the Ethernet device will be discovered but not the WLAN client. To find the WLAN client that has the same IP address as the Ethernet device behind the client, configure the SCB port (see below).

SCB port Defines the SCB port of the WLAN client to which the Ethernet device is connected. In this case, PLCnext Engineer tries to reach the discovered Ethernet device via the selected port.

Discover additional neighbors with LLDP Enabled If selected, the network is scanned for neighboring devices (devices directly connected to a device) by analyzing the LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) information of the discovered network device via SNMP.
Background information

LLDP is a neighbor-discovery protocol that allows a network device to advertise information about itself to neighboring devices on the local network (LAN). Each network device for which LLDP is enabled sends and receives LLDP messages. The LLDP information is stored in the Management Information Base (MIB) of the network device.

The LLDP setting has no influence on whether the network connections are also examined with the LLDP protocol.

'Scan details'

The 'Scan details' category provides several parameter groups with additional scan options. These options are used, for example, to analyze the connections between the devices or to read out additional information from the network devices when scanning it with the configured 'Scan Sources' (see above).
The scan options are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to enable individual or multiple scan parameters simultaneously. To enable a scan option, activate the 'Enabled' checkbox in the corresponding parameter group.

Editor area Parameter Meaning

Detect connections by bridge information Enabled If selected, connections between devices are detected by analyzing the learned Media Access Control (MAC) addresses stored in the MAC table of the bridge. With deactivated checkbox, only LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) is used to discover the direct connections between the devices. You should activate the checkbox, if not all devices in the network have LLDP activated. (If all devices in a network have LLDP activated, the scan process can be accelerated by deactivating the checkbox.)
Background information

Bridges use the MAC addresses to forward data frames to the destination device. When the data frame arrives at the bridge, the bridge checks whether the destination MAC address is located in its MAC table. If so, then the bridge only sends the frame out of the port that is connected to the destination device. If the destination device is not listed in the MAC table, then the bridge sends the frame out of all ports except the port on which the frame was received. If a device responds to the frame, the bridge learns the MAC address of the sending device in its MAC table.

Repeat reading bridge information If selected, the MAC address table of the bridges are read multiple times during the network scan. The checkbox should be activated, if the network contains devices which do not provide the MAC table entirely.

Detect ambiguous connections Enabled If selected, all connections of a network device are analyzed when scanning the network. This also includes ambiguous connections. Ambiguous means, PLCnext Engineer could not detect to which port the connection is routed. With deactivated 'Enabled' checkbox, all connections which could not be uniquely identified, are not shown in the physical topology.

Cyclic scan The settings made in this category refer to the cyclic scan mode which is turned on/off through the button on the toolbar of the Physical Topology editor.

Interval (s) Sets the time interval in [s] between two successive scan operations (default value: 300 s). This means the scan operation is executed repeatedly with the specified interval when the cyclic scan mode is turned on.

Enable logging If selected, information about changes in the physical topology detected by the scan operations are logged in the MESSAGES window.

Editor area	Parameter	Meaning
Detect connections by bridge information	Enabled	If selected, connections between devices are detected by analyzing the learned Media Access Control (MAC) addresses stored in the MAC table of the bridge. With deactivated checkbox, only LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) is used to discover the direct connections between the devices. You should activate the checkbox, if not all devices in the network have LLDP activated. (If all devices in a network have LLDP activated, the scan process can be accelerated by deactivating the checkbox.) Background information Bridges use the MAC addresses to forward data frames to the destination device. When the data frame arrives at the bridge, the bridge checks whether the destination MAC address is located in its MAC table. If so, then the bridge only sends the frame out of the port that is connected to the destination device. If the destination device is not listed in the MAC table, then the bridge sends the frame out of all ports except the port on which the frame was received. If a device responds to the frame, the bridge learns the MAC address of the sending device in its MAC table.
Repeat reading bridge information	If selected, the MAC address table of the bridges are read multiple times during the network scan. The checkbox should be activated, if the network contains devices which do not provide the MAC table entirely.
Detect ambiguous connections	Enabled	If selected, all connections of a network device are analyzed when scanning the network. This also includes ambiguous connections. Ambiguous means, PLCnext Engineer could not detect to which port the connection is routed. With deactivated 'Enabled' checkbox, all connections which could not be uniquely identified, are not shown in the physical topology.
Cyclic scan	The settings made in this category refer to the cyclic scan mode which is turned on/off through the button on the toolbar of the Physical Topology editor.
Interval (s)	Sets the time interval in [s] between two successive scan operations (default value: 300 s). This means the scan operation is executed repeatedly with the specified interval when the cyclic scan mode is turned on.
Enable logging	If selected, information about changes in the physical topology detected by the scan operations are logged in the MESSAGES window.

'Network load'

The 'Network load' category provides parameters which are used to adjust and control the network load that is generated when performing any network operations. Here you can, for example, control the intensity of polling that is applied to a single network device or all devices in the network.

Editor area Parameter Meaning

General Maximum concurrent requests Defines the maximum number of requests that PLCnext Engineer simultaneously sends to the network devices. This includes the ping requests and the SNMP requests. A higher value will deliver faster results but increases the network load. Value range: 1 to 99 (default value is 20).

SNMP throttling The 'SNMP throttling' parameters allow you to control the intensity of SNMP polling that is applied to a single network device or all devices in your network. The settings affect the scanning of SNMP parameters and also the reading and writing of SNMP parameters from and to network devices.

Enabled If selected, SNMP throttling is activated.

Maximum requests per sec. Defines the maximum number of SNMP requests per second that PLCnext Engineer simultaneously sends to a single device or all network devices according to the setting for the 'Throttling type' parameter. Value range: 1 to 100 (default value is 10).

Throttling type Defines which device communication is affected by the throttling:

'Device': SNMP communication to a single device is affected.

'Global': SNMP communication to all network devices is affected.

Editor area	Parameter	Meaning
General	Maximum concurrent requests	Defines the maximum number of requests that PLCnext Engineer simultaneously sends to the network devices. This includes the ping requests and the SNMP requests. A higher value will deliver faster results but increases the network load. Value range: 1 to 99 (default value is 20).
SNMP throttling	The 'SNMP throttling' parameters allow you to control the intensity of SNMP polling that is applied to a single network device or all devices in your network. The settings affect the scanning of SNMP parameters and also the reading and writing of SNMP parameters from and to network devices.
	Enabled	If selected, SNMP throttling is activated.
	Maximum requests per sec.	Defines the maximum number of SNMP requests per second that PLCnext Engineer simultaneously sends to a single device or all network devices according to the setting for the 'Throttling type' parameter. Value range: 1 to 100 (default value is 10).
	Throttling type	Defines which device communication is affected by the throttling: 'Device': SNMP communication to a single device is affected. 'Global': SNMP communication to all network devices is affected.