Beckhoff TwinCAT 3

Agent Requirements

Below are the Agent system requirements to configure a Copia Agent for the backup of Beckhoff Twincat3 projects:

Installation of Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 (at least Build 3.1.4024.29) with the standalone TcXAEShell option (i.e. not the Visual Studio add-on).
Any additional vendor software required for project backup from the devices must be licensed and installed on PC running the Copia Agent. (i.e. Add-on's etc.)
The Agent should be tested using the installed Beckhoff software, and proven able to backup the project without error.

Setting up the TwinCAT Route to the Device

To back up a Beckhoff device, Beckhoff TwinCAT requires a preconfigured route from the agent machine to the device. This is a bit like Bluetooth pairing -- the devices may be on the same physical network before this step, but without setting this up they can't do anything that requires TwinCAT communications, like a backup. Here are the necessary steps:

Click the Beckhoff tray icon. It looks like this:

Click Router > Edit Routes:
Click Add > Broadcast Search:

Click on the device you want to add, then click Add Route:

At this point you'll need the login information of the device you're setting up. Once you enter the username and password, click Add Route. You should see a little icon like this under Connected in the Routes dialog if everything works:

Linking to a Project

Now that you've created your Device, it's time to link it to your Project. Click the caret in the device card and choose Edit Device.

Setting up the TwinCAT Route to the Device

To back up a Beckhoff device, Beckhoff TwinCAT requires a preconfigured route from the agent machine to the device. The devices may be on the same physical network before this step, but without setting this up they can't do anything that requires TwinCAT communications, like a backup. Here are the necessary steps:

Click the Beckhoff tray icon
Click Router > Edit Routes
Click Add > Broadcast Search
Click on the device you want to add, then click Add Route
At this point you'll need the login information of the device you're setting up. Once you enter the username and password, click Add Route.

New Project Configuration

To configure a new project for Beckhoff TwinCAT 3, you will need a target repository for the project folder. You may either:

Already have a Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 project folder created in this repository (see the Beckhoff Configuration section of Git-based Source Control)
or, you may create an empty project folder in the repository during the process below, and "upload" the project into the folder from the device

In the both cases, you will need to know the communication parameters for the device, which are stored in the project, to fill out all of the required fields.

Click either of the Add a Project buttons in the Projects tab.

The Add a new project configuration dialog will appear which allows you to fully configure the project, devices and job for the project.

Any items highlighted with an asterisk are required.

This is a multi-step process with each section explained in detail. At any time, you can edit the prior section of this workflow.

The project can be edited after creation. Devices and Jobs can also be edited or created directly, using the Devices or Jobs tab. The steps for creation are similar to the steps provided below for those sections.

Define the Project

To get started, we will first select the Project Type from the list provided, and then select an Agent. If you have not already created an Agent, you can create and assign an Agent at a later time. See more about this in the Agents section of the documentation.

When complete, press Save and Continue.

You will now select the Project Path, which is the location (Repo/Branch) that the project is, or will be stored.

You can edit the previous steps at any time.

For Beckhoff TwinCAT3, you can either select an existing project folder, or create a new empty project folder (so that you can upload a copy from the device) for an initial revision. You can make this choice after you have selected the repository and branch for the project folder.

If you choose to select an existing folder, you should select the folder which contains the .tsproj file as the TwinCAT3 project folder.

In this example, we will create a new empty project folder.

Once complete, press Save and Continue to proceed.

The project details allows you to update the Project name, and description if desired. In addition, you will need to select the filelist for a Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 backup. This tells Copia what to copy when making a backup. Copia has provided a recommended default filelist that you can select, or you can choose to create your own.

Once complete, press Save and Continue to proceed.

Define the Device(s)

The Device Setup section is for defining the device information (PLC, communication path, etc) that is in your project. If you have pre-created devices, you can add existing devices, otherwise you can Add a Device as seen.

For Beckhoff TwinCAT3, the Communication Path will be the AMS Net ID of the project.

The AMS NET ID can be found on the Copia Agent, according to the routes that have been configured and tested during initial setup.

Press Save Device when complete.

Though more devices can be added, Copia only supports a single device per project at this time.

Once complete, you can proceed to Add a Job.

Define the Job(s)

Creating Jobs is similar for all vendor types, and is described in the Creating Jobs section. It is recommended to review that section while completing a job configuration, and press Save to save the job. You can create more than one job for a device if desired.