SITIA
Contents
Contents
SITIA Driver ............................................................................................................ 3
Driver specifications ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Adding a communication driver to your project ............................................................................................................................ 6
About driver worksheets .............................................................................................................................................................. 7
Adding and configuring a Standard Driver Sheet ......................................................................................................................... 7
Configuring the Main Driver Sheet ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Checking the Driver Runtime task.............................................................................................................................................. 10
Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Revision history.......................................................................................................................................................................... 13
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SITIA Driver
SITIA Driver
SITIA SIEMENS S7-1200/S7-1500 Driver (version 1.7, last revised Dec 05 2018).
The SITIA driver enables communication between the Studio system and remote devices using the Siemens S7
Protocol protocol, according to the specifications discussed in this document.
This document assumes that you have read the "Development Environment" section in the main Studio
documentation.
This document also assumes that you are familiar with the Microsoft Windows 7/8/10 environment. If you are
not familiar with Windows, then we suggest using the Help and Support feature (available from the Windows Start
menu) as you work through this document.
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SITIA Driver
Driver specifications
This section identifies all of the software and hardware components required to implement communication between the
SITIA driver in Studio and remote devices using the Siemens S7 Protocol protocol.
Driver files
The SITIA driver package comprises the following files, which are automatically installed in the Drv folder of the Studio
application directory:
• SITIA.DLL: Compiled driver.
• SITIA.INI: Internal driver file. You must not modify this file.
• SITIA.MSG: Internal driver file defining error messages for the possible error codes. (These error codes are described in
detail in the Troubleshooting section.) You must not modify this file.
• SITIA.PDF: This document, which provides complete information about using the driver.
Note: You must use a compatible PDF reader to view the SITIA.PDF file. You can install
Acrobat Reader from the Studio installation CD, or you can download it from Adobe's website.
You can use the SITIA driver on the following operating systems:
• Windows 7/8
Device specifications
To establish communication, your target device must meet the following specifications:
• Manufacturer: Siemens
• Compatible Equipment: S7-1500 PLCs, S7-1200 PLCs with firmware v4.0 and higher
• Programmer Software: Siemens TIA portal v13 and higher
Network specifications
To establish communication, your device network must meet the following specifications:
• Device Communication Port: 102
• Physical Protocol: Ethernet
• Logic Protocol: Siemens S7 Protocol
• Device Runtime Software: None
• Specific PC Board: None
• Cable Wiring Scheme: Regular Ethernet cable
Additional specifications
For using SITIA driver v1.4 and lower:
To ensure successful communication between this driver and the PLC program, use Siemens TIA Portal (i.e., the PLC
programming software) to do the following:
1. Make sure the program is not password protected. In other words, in the program's Protection properties, set the
access level to Full access (no protection), with HMI, Read, and Write access enabled for all users.
2. Also in the program's Protection properties, under Connection mechanisms, select Permit access with PUT/GET
communication from remote partner (PLC, HMI, OPC, …).
3. Make sure Visible in HMI and Accessible in HMI are selected for all program tags that you want this driver to be able to
read/write.
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SITIA Driver
4. Whenever new tags are created in the program, recompile the program and then download it to the target device.
For using SITIA driver v1.5 and higher with support for authentication:
To ensure successful communication between this driver and the PLC program, use Siemens TIA Portal (i.e., the PLC
programming software) to do the following:
5. Make sure you know the password for the program that password protected. In other words, in the program's
Protection properties, set the access level to No access (complete protection), with HMI, Read, and Write access
enabled for appropriate levels and with specific passwords
6. Also in the program's Protection properties, under Connection mechanisms, the Permit access with PUT/GET
communication from remote partner (PLC, HMI, OPC, …) will be grayed out after any password is enabled.
7. Make sure Visible in HMI and Accessible in HMI are selected for all program tags that you want this driver to be able to
read/write.
8. In the driver settings of SITA, Select Authentication and enter in the station field the IP of the PLC exactly as would be
entered in the Main Driver Sheet. In the user use any generic value like user, user1 etc. since there is no user field in
this protocol spec of the Siemens PLCs (this interface is used by some other drivers). In the password field specify the
appropriate password for any specific level of access as specified on the PLC. If different access levels have different
passwords and will be used by the driver, create multiple entries with the same station IP and different
users/passwords.
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SITIA Driver
9. Whenever new tags are created in the program, recompile the program and then download it to the target device.
Adding a communication driver to your project
This section explains how to add a communication driver to your project.
1. On the Insert tab of the ribbon, in the Communication group, click Add/Remove Driver.
The Communication Drivers dialog is displayed.
Communication Drivers dialog
2. In the Available drivers list, click the communication driver that you want to add.
3. Click Select.
The driver is added to the Selected drivers list.
4. Click OK.
The Communication Drivers dialog is closed and the selected driver is inserted in the Drivers folder in the Project
Explorer.
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SITIA Driver
About driver worksheets
Like the other parts of your project, communication with remote devices is controlled by worksheets. This section
explains how to add worksheets to your project and then configure them to associate project tags with device
registers.
Each selected driver includes a Main Driver Sheet (MDS) and one or more Standard Driver Sheets (SDS). The Main
Driver Sheet is used to define tag/register associations and driver parameters that are in effect at all times,
regardless of project behavior. In contrast, Standard Driver Sheets can be inserted to define tag/ register
associations that are triggered by specific project behaviors.
The configuration of these worksheets is described in detail in the "Communication" chapter of the Technical
Reference Manual, and the same general procedures are used for all drivers. Please review those procedures before
continuing.
For the purposes of this document, only SITIA driver-specific parameters and procedures are discussed here.
Adding and configuring a Standard Driver Sheet
By default, a communication driver does not include any Standard Driver Sheets. This section explains how to add a
Standard Driver Sheet to your project and then configure it.
The SITIA driver must be added to the project before you can configure any of its worksheets. For more information,
see Adding a communication driver to your project on page 6.
Standard Driver Sheets can be inserted to define additional tag/register associations that are triggered by specific
project behaviors.
Note: Most of the settings on this worksheet are standard for all drivers; for more information
about configuring these settings, see the “Communication” chapter of the Technical Reference
Manual. The Station and I/O Address fields, however, use syntax that is specific to the SITIA driver.
1. Do one of the following.
• On the Insert tab of the ribbon, in the Communication group, click Driver Sheet and then select SITIA
from the list.
• In the Comm tab of the Project Explorer, right-click the SITIA folder and click Insert on the shortcut
menu.
A new SITIA driver worksheet is inserted into the SITIA folder, and then it is automatically opened for
configuring.
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SITIA Driver
Standard Driver Sheet
Note: Worksheets are numbered in order of creation, so the first worksheet is SITIA001.drv.
2. Configure the Station and Header fields as described below.
Station
Specify the IP Address of the PLC, port number is optional. Examples are given in the table
below.
IP Address : [Port Number]
Where:
IP Address: is the IP address of the device. (This value is mandatory)
[Port Number]: This is the port number for the SITIA protocol (default: 102). (Optional)
You can also specify a tag in curly brackets to change the station during the runtime (e.g.
{Station}), but the tag that is referenced must follow the same syntax and contain a valid
value.
Station Formats
Station Examples
IP Address:[Port Number] 192.1.168.125
192.1.168.125:102
Header
The only header supported is Header TAG
3. For each tag/register association that you want to create, insert a row in the worksheet body and then
configure the row's fields as described below.
Tag Name
Type the name of the project tag.
Address
Specify the tag name you want to communicate with. Where: tag
name is the name of the tag configured on the PLC via TIA Portal
Note: Tag names can contain alphanumeric characters and
"_" (underscore).Other characters in the tag name may not communicate
successfully.
Note: Each Standard Driver Sheet can have up to 4096 rows. However, the Read
Trigger, Enable Read When Idle, and Write Trigger commands attempt to
communicate the entire block of addresses that is configured in the sheet, so if the
block of addresses is larger than the maximum block size that is supported by the
driver protocol, then you will receive a communication error (e.g., "invalid block size")
during run time. Therefore, the maximum block size imposes a practical limit on the
number of rows in the sheet.
For examples of how device registers are specified using Header and Address, see the following table.
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SITIA Driver
Examples of Address fields in Standard Driver Sheet
Address on Studio
motorSpeedRPM
PLC_Tag
currentMotor[100]
WaterLevelTank2000
Tank[5].waterLevel.Average
Datablock_1.Classtag.Array[1].temperatureRoom1
For more information about the device registers and addressing, please consult the manufacturer's
documentation.
4. Save and close the worksheet.
Configuring the Main Driver Sheet
When you add the SITIA driver to your project, the Main Driver Sheet is automatically included in the SITIA folder in the
Project Explorer. This section describes how to configure the worksheet.
The SITIA driver must be added to the project before you can configure any of its worksheets. For more information, see
Adding a communication driver to your project on page 6.
The Main Driver Sheet is used to define tag/register associations and driver parameters that are in effect at all times,
regardless of project behavior. The worksheet is continuously processed during project runtime.
Note: Most of the settings on this worksheet are standard for all drivers; for more information
about configuring these settings, see the “Communication” chapter of the Technical Reference
Manual. The Station and I/O Address fields, however, use syntax that is specific to the SITIA driver.
1. Do one of the following.
• On the Insert tab of the ribbon, in the Communication group, click Main Driver Sheet and then select SITIA from
the list.
• In the Comm tab of the Project Explorer, expand the SITIA folder and then double-click MAIN DRIVER SHEET.
The Main Driver Sheet is displayed.
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SITIA Driver
Main Driver Sheet
2. For each tag/register association that you want to create, insert a row in the worksheet body and then configure
the row's fields as described below.
Tag Name
Type the name of the project tag.
Station
Please see station for standard driver sheet.
I/O Address
There is no supported header for the Main driver sheet and the address is tag name
Note: The Main Driver Sheet can have up to 32767 rows. If you need to configure more than
32767 communication addresses, then either configure additional Standard Driver Sheets or
create additional instances of the driver.
3. Save and close the worksheet.
Checking the Driver Runtime task
This section describes how to check the status of the Driver Runtime task in the list of execution tasks.
The Driver Runtime task handles communication with remote devices and the processing of the driver
worksheets. By default, the task is configured to start up automatically when the project is run, but you can
check it for yourself.
1. On the Home tab of the ribbon, in either the Local Management or the Remote Management group
(depending on where you project server will be running), click Tasks.
The Project Status dialog is displayed.
Project Status dialog
2. Verify that the Driver Runtime task is set to Automatic.
• If the setting is correct, then proceed to the next step.
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SITIA Driver
• If the Driver Runtime task is set to Manual, select the task and then click Startup to change the task to
Automatic.
3. Click OK to close the Project Status dialog.
Troubleshooting
This section lists the most common errors for this driver, their probable causes, and basic procedures to
resolve them.
Checking status codes
If the SITIA driver fails to communicate with the target device, then the database tag(s) that you configured for
the Read Status and Write Status fields of the driver sheets will receive a status code. Use this status code and
the following tables to identify what kind of failure occurred and how it might be resolved. Status codes for the
driver
Error Description Possible Causes Procedure To Solve
0 OK Communication without None required
problems.
1 Invalid Station Invalid Station specified on Check the correct format on this manual.
the driver sheet.
2 Error communicating with PLC offline, problem with Check connections, check if PLC is set to
device connections Run mode.
3 Failed resolving tags, check Some of specified tags are Check the output window for detailed
the tags configured (Check not available on the PLC. information on the invalid tags.
Output Window for more
information)
4 Error reading PLC offline, problem with Check connections, check if PLC is set to
connections Run mode.
5 Internal Error - Contact Support
6 Error writing Tag is read only Check the tag specified on the TIA Portal
Common status codes
Status Description Possible Causes Procedure To Solve
Code
0 OK Communicating without error. None required.
-15 Timeout waiting for • Disconnected cables. • Check cable wiring.
message to start
• PLC is turned off, in stop mode, • Check the PLC mode — it must be RUN.
or in error mode.
• Check the station number.
• Wrong station number.
• Increase the timeout in the driver's advanced
• Wrong parity (for serial settings.
communication).
• Check the RTS/CTS configuration (for serial
• Wrong RTS/CTS configuration communication).
(for serial communication).
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SITIA Driver
-33 Invalid driver The driver configuration file Reinstall the driver.
configuration file (drivername.INI) is missing or
corrupt.
-34 Invalid address The specified address is invalid or Check the supported range of addresses
out of range. described in this document, and then correct the
address.
-35 Driver API not The driver library was not initialized Contact technical support.
initialized by the driver.
-36 Invalid data type The specified data type is invalid or Check the supported data types described in this
out of range. document, and then correct the data type.
-37 Invalid header The specified header in the driver Check the supported range of headers described
worksheet is invalid or out of range. in this document, and then correct the header.
-38 Invalid station The specified station in the driver Check the supported station formats and
worksheet is invalid or out of range. parameters described in this document, and then
correct the station.
Status Description Possible Causes Procedure To Solve
Code
-39 Invalid block size Worksheet is configured with a range Check the maximum block size number of registers
of addresses greater than the described in this document, and then configure your
maximum block size. driver worksheet to stay within that limit. Keep in
mind that you can create additional worksheets.
Note: If you receive this error from a Main
Driver Sheet or Tag Integration
configuration, please contact Technical Support.
-40 Invalid bit write Writing to a bit using the attempted
• Writing to a bit using Write Trigger is not
action is not supported.
supported in some drivers. Modify the driver
worksheet to use Write On Tag Change.
• The bit is read-only.
-42 Invalid bit number The bit number specified in the Check the addresses to see if there are bit numbers
address is invalid. The limit for the bit configured outside the valid range for the registry.
number depends on the registry type.
-43 Invalid byte number The byte number specified in the Check the addresses to see if there are byte numbers
address is invalid. The limit for the configured outside the valid range for the registry.
byte number depends on the registry
type.
-44 Invalid byte write Writing to a byte using the attempted The byte is read-only or inacessible.
action is not supported.
-45 Invalid string size The string is more than 1024 Modify the addresses that have string data type to be
characters. less than 1024 characters.
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SITIA Driver
Monitoring device communications
You can monitor communication status by establishing an event log in Studio's Output window (LogWin module).
To establish a log for Field Read Commands, Field Write Commands and Serial Communication, right-click in the
Output window and select the desired options from the pop-up menu.
You can also use the LogWin module to establish an event log on a remote unit that runs Windows Embedded.
The log is saved on the unit in the celog.txt file, which can be downloaded later.
If you are unable to establish communication between Studio and the target device, then try instead to establish
communication using the device's own programming software. Quite often, communication is interrupted by a
hardware or cable problem or by a device configuration error. If you can successfully communicate using the
programming software, then recheck the driver's communication settings in Studio.
Contacting Technical Support
If you must contact Technical Support, please have the following information ready:
• Operating System and Project Information: To find this information, click Support in the Help tab of the
ribbon.
• Driver Version and Communication Log: Displays in the Output window (LogWin module) when the driver is
enabled and the project is running is running.
• Device Model and Boards: Consult the hardware manufacturer's documentation for this information.
Revision history
This section provides a log of all changes made to the driver.
Revision history
Driver Revision Date Description of Changes Author
Version
1.0 Jan, 25, 2016 Paulo Balbino
• First driver revision
1.0 Apr, 11, 2016 •Improved driver documentation: Added Additional Anushree Phanse
Specifications, modified station configuration and
examples. No changes in driver.
1.1 July, 05, 2016 • Fixed the bug of tags on read showing an incorrect Anushree Phanse
timestamp.
1.2 August, 08, 2016 Anushree Phanse
• Fixed the issue of driver crashing when trying to
communicate with an invalid station IP address.
1.3 February, 09, 2017 Anushree Phanse
• Added support to communicating with S7-1500 firmware 2.0
1.4 August, 22, 2017 Anushree Phanse
• Fixed issue of reading LREALS with poor precision and now
they read as 64 bit reals
1.5 March 27, 2018 • Added support for S7-1200 PLCs which have firmware v4.0 Anushree Phanse
and higher.
• Added support for authentication when communicating with
PLCs which use different password protected access levels.
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SITIA Driver
1.6 June 21, 2018 Anushree Phanse
• Added support for simultaneous requests using Advanced
Settings
1.7 Dec 05, 2018 Fixed SITIADBExporter.dll (present in the installer) to correctly Anushree Phanse
find tag names with spaces present in them when using S7-
1200/S7-1500 tag Integration
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