Passwords with PLCnext

PLCnext Technology controllers are protected against unauthorized access and modifications with PLCnext Engineer by a controller password. To protect the controller configuration and operation mode, user roles with specified access rights can be defined for PLCnext Technology controllers. The access data of the users who are authorized to access the controller and the user roles containing the permissions for the user are managed in the WBM (Web Based Management) of the controller. Here you add users, set the user password and assign the user roles. You can choose one or more user roles containing different permissions for each user. These permissions control the access to the controller.

Further Info See the topics "Network Security: Authentication with User Role and Password" and "Controller Security (Settings via WBM)" for further details. For details about the user roles and their assigned access permissions in the WBM of the controller, see the "Security - User Authentication page" description in the PLCnext Technology community.

The Safety PLC is protected by a controller password. The password protects the Safety PLC against unauthorized access. Writing data to the Safety PLC (for example, writing the project to the controller or modifying any controller parameters), switching the operation mode or executing debug commands is only possible once you have entered the Safety PLC password in PLCnext Engineer. When logged off from the Safety PLC, the safety-related data can only be read from the controller and displayed but not debugged in the online editors.

Further Info See the topic "Safety PLC Password Protection" for further details.

The project password protects the safety-related logic in the PLCnext Engineer project with a safety-related controller against unauthorized modifications. The project password is required when you want to edit (create, modify, or delete) safety-related devices in the PLANT, the COMPONENTS area and safety-related POUs. Safety-related parts of the project can only be edited while being logged on to the Safety-related Area which is an area of responsibility restricted to authorized members. When logged off, safety-related data are displayed in read-only mode.

The project password must be created when you insert a Safety PLC into an empty project.

Further Info See the topics "Safety-Related Area: Defining/Changing a Password" and "Safety PLC Password Protection" for further details.