Reviewer details
Name: Kovilan Naicker
Position: Advance Production Solutions director
Company: ITmatic
Phone: +27 (0)28 870 8295
E-mail: [email protected]
Product details
Vendor: Siemens
Product(s): WinCC v6.2 SP2
Phone: +27 (0)11 652 2000
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.siemens.co.za
Application
Industry: Food and beverage
Server OS: Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Client OS: N/A
Front end: One Siemens S7-300 PLC (315-2DP CPU)
Tag count: 254 tags
Updates per day: Approximately 864 000 (50 tags @ 10s intervals)
General
Q: Briefly describe the application including information on any pre-existing system that was in place.
A: This was a greenfields project at Mychophiles (a gourmet mushroom spawn laboratory). The application was developed to monitor and control a mushroom cultivation facility.
Q: Who performed the scada configuration?
A: ITmatic scada engineers.
Q: Approximately how many man-hours did the scada configuration take?
A: 120 man-hours.
Q: Was a structured process followed to determine expected performance under full load and during abnormal failure conditions?
A: Not prior to implementation. Rigorous factory acceptance tests were conducted with the client to ensure proper functionality and to demonstrate system behaviour during abnormal conditions. These include loss of communication to the PLC, removing of power to the scada server and other potential failure conditions.
Q: What sort of licensing agreement applies to this particular system?
A: The scada package is licensed on a tag count, ie, number of connections to the PLC. This implementation did not require any additional add-on modules, however if there was a requirement for these they would have to be licensed separately.
Q: What upgrade agreements are in place? Are patches and version upgrades free, covered under annual maintenance or managed in some other way?
A: There is currently no upgrade agreement in place; however this is available from the vendor.
Q: How is after-sales support handled?
A: The SI offers a 12 month guarantee on the implementation and thereafter a service level agreement can be signed to offer 24 hour support on the project implementation.
System architecture
Q: What impresses you most about the architecture?
A: The architecture allows for easy expansion and migration of the project to later versions. Additionally the current version includes Microsoft SQL 2005 which allows for specialised database storage techniques. Along with database technology, the SQL package includes Microsoft Reporting Services, which facilitates the production of web-based reports without purchasing a specialised reporting architecture. WinCC also supports C and VB programming languages making it easy to integrate with many Microsoft based programs such as Excel and Access for reporting and publishing.
Q: What are the key physical communication layers and communication protocols employed in the system?
A: Ethernet over copper to other office PCs and to PLC.
Q: Is the scada system integrated onto an intranet or the Internet? If so, what level of remote monitoring and control is configured?
A: No. However, a free third-party application (LogMeIn) was installed on the scada server to allow for full remote access to the PC. MS Remote Connection produced problems across the Internet whereas the free software worked with minimal effort.
Q: Does the application utilise web services?
A: MS Reporting Services.
Q: What redundancy is incorporated in this scada application?
A: None.
Graphics
Q: Describe the graphics development process.
A: ITmatic library images were used as well as a few which were custom created for the client.
Q: How would you describe the library of graphic images?
A: The library contains standardised images which cater for a wide spectrum of industries. Customisation is also possible.
Q: What human factors were taken into consideration in the HMI design process?
A: The scada development was done using a 1280 x 1024 resolution. Colour conventions were utilised to immediately recognise device status. Running = Green, Faulty = Yellow, Stopped = Red and Interlocked = Blue. The scada mimics were engineered to avoid cluttering.
Q: Did you use any ‘special’ images or video technology?
A: The faceplates include an informative photographic image of the actual device. This helps to ensure that the operator controls the right device.
Compatibility
Q: Do you run the scada in conjunction with any third-party application software?
A: No.
Q: Was any custom code or scada scripting written for this project?
A: VB scripts were used to communicate with Microsoft SQL 2005. Specific tag data is stored in SQL and is then later used to publish specialised reports and trends.
Management reporting and integration
Q: Is a trending and historical data reporting system included?
A: The package offers live and historical trending functionality. It also offers a static reporting package which affords the user information on archived tags.
Q: Is a management reporting system included in the package?
A: WinCC V6.2 ships with a fully licensed Microsoft SQL2005 Microsoft Reporting Services packages. These packages were engineered to fulfil the management reporting requirements for this project via web-based reporting.
Q: Is the system integrated with an MES / ERP or other management reporting or control system?
A: No.
Q: Are any production benchmarking tools configured as part of the scada system?
A: A trend was created to display specialised data and to estimate certain outcome scenarios depending on input data.
Q: Does the application include asset management functionality?
A: No.
Q: Does the application include GIS (geographic information systems) integration?
A: No.
System safety, security and data protection
Q: What alarm management standards or best practices were adopted in configuring the scada system?
A: The WinCC standard alarm management protocol was used.
Q: How were the potential consequences of abnormal process conditions taken into consideration during the HMI design process?
A: Due to the nature of the application and limited devices being controlled and monitored this aspect was not explicitly addressed.
Q: Does the design make provision for a DMZ and firewall segregation of process network and business networks?
A: No.
Q: What intrusion detection is incorporated on the plant network(s) on which this scada system exists?
A: None.
Q: What configuration backup and archive backup methodologies have been adopted?
A: Zip backup using the archive utility within Siemens Simatic Manager.
Conclusion
Q: What was the predominant feature(s) that made you decide to employ this scada, rather than another?
A: The successful system integrator, ITmatic, has standardised on Siemens WinCC as a scada package. ITmatic has compiled a library of standards with regard to devices, templates and faceplates allowing it to be very competitive with respect to engineering costs.
Q: What impresses you the most about the system?
A: The incorporation of SQL 2005 and Reporting services without additional licensing is a winning combination.
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