Rockwell Studio/RSLogix 5000

Agent Requirements

Below are the Agent system requirements to configure a Copia Agent for the backup of Rockwell Logix Designer projects:

• You will need a licensed copy of Rockwell Studio 5000 Logix Designer or RSLogix 5000 (see supported versions) that is capable of backing up the entire Project from a Device, which typically equates to Service Edition, Standard Edition, or higher. Refer to the Rockwell documentation to ensure that the version installed is adequate for this purpose, based on your local usage requirements.

  • If there are many versions of a Project that will be managed by the Agent, each version should be installed.

• In addition, any additional vendor software must be licensed and installed on PC running the Copia Agent. (i.e. EDS files, Add-on's etc.)

• Copia recommends starting RSLinx as a service from the RSLinx Classic Launch Control Panel:

• The Agent should be tested to confirm that it can backup the PLC using the vendor software.

  • Please refer to the Rockwell documentation regarding port requirements for communication requirements for RSLinx Classic.

• Studio 5000 must be configured to use the appropriate communication software for the devices the Agent will back up. You can set this by opening Studio 5000 Logix Designer or RSLogix 5000 on the Agent machine, and (without any project open) choose the correct version, based on the menu options shown.

Screenshot showing how to select the communication software in Studio 5000

Copia only supports the use of RSLinx Classic on the Agent. FactoryTalk Linx communication software is not supported. If using FactoryTalk Linx, you must recreate your Drivers in RSLinx in order to perform automated backups with the Copia DeviceLink Agent.

New Project Configuration

To configure a project for Rockwell Logix Designer, you will need to already have a repository created with the Rockwell .acd file.

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 (Repository/Branch) where the project file is stored.

You can edit the previous steps at any time.

You will only be allowed to select the appropriate filetype or folder that is allowed for the Project Type. In some cases, a project is required to perform a backup, in other cases, the backup can create the initial backup into an empty project folder.

Once selected, press Save and Continue to proceed.

The Project Details section allows you to set the Project name and add a description if desired.

Define the Device(s)

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

Fill in all required fields and any additional fields that are applicable. For the "Device Name" field, it is suggested to use the same name as the Project.

DeviceLink requires configuration of the Communication Path in both the agent and the web application.

This on-agent configuration has to be performed for every device you wish to back up. You will need to use the Linx software to browse down to each device.

RSLinx Classic (Recommended)

RSLinx Classic is the recommended Communication Software for use with the Copia Agent.

First, you must use the RSLinx Classic utility on the agent to browse down to the slot associated with each device you wish to back up.

This can be done via the "Who Active" dialog inside Studio 5000 (pictured below) or the RSLinx Classic application.

The "Who Active" dialog box can be found under the "Communications" menu.

Once you browse down to the device in the Linx browser, you should be able to view the full device Communication Path.

In this example, the full communication path would be {Redacted_Driver_Name}/10.23.37.6/PointBus/0

This path must be entered in the Communication Path field in the web application. You must use the fully qualified communication path including the communication bus (e.g. Backplane, PointBus, CompactBus, etc.). This is typically in the form of: drivername\ipaddress\commbus\slotno. Note that the name of the communication bus is case-sensitive. For example:

• AB-ETHIP-1\192.168.1.21\Backplane\0

• AB-ETHIP-1\192.168.1.21\CompactBus\0

• AB-ETHIP-1\192.168.1.21\PointBus\0

The DeviceLink Agent is unable to back up devices that have a Communication Path that routes through another parent device, such as a PLC backplane. Example of such a Comm Path: PLC_1\192.168.1.1\Backplane\2\A\192.168.1.3\CompactBus\0

If you wish to back up a device that is networked in this configuration, you will need to adjust your network layout and Comm Path so the RSLinx path does not route through a parent device.

After successfully backing up all of the devices linked to a given agent, Copia recommends copying your RSLinx configuration. This way, if RSLinx gets corrupted, you can restore the configuration without manually re-browsing to each device. Your RSLinx configuration is created via the "RSLinx Classic Backup and Restore Utility" installed along with RSLinx. You can manually upload this configuration file to your Copia repository to keep it in the Cloud.

Web UI

If you have configured your agent to use RSLinx Classic as recommended, you will enter the full communication path here. Press Save Device when complete.

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.

Submit the Configuration

Once complete, press "Submit Project Setup" at the bottom of the form to create the Project, Device(s) and Job(s).

Don't forget to enable/disable the Watch button, based on your preferences for project Notifications.