Dear Experts,

Please i would like to know how i can do backup of about 4 PLCs (AB PLC 5/40):

1. Normally

2. Automated\online back from a single pc/server

what i will soon do is to network all the 4 PLCs on a DH+ network using Beldon cable, all the PLC will be monitored and controled by a central scada system on a remote location.
(I will also like to hear your views about the viability of doing this?)


please i will like to hear your suggestions as soon as possible.
best regards

For our automated backups we use MASS Autosave from MDT Software. http://www.mdtsoft.com/ it works OK.

RA also makes a product to do what you describe. I cannot comment on it.

Without relying on custom/non-AB software the recommended way to do this from AB is with Asset Centre. The basic system just provides much better access control and centralized database storage for all of your control system files. Price is about $5K US last time I looked at it. Asset Centre has a captive version of RS-Linx Gateway and all PLC communication for programming purposes is intended to go through the Asset Centre to maintain security/data files. It's a very slick system with access control, the ability to check in/check out code (or other documents), and logs of who changed what and when. The only caveat is that it relies on everything being networked together. If I walk into the plant with a laptop loaded with the programming software and RS-Linx and connect to the PLC without using a standalone machine not configured to use AssetCentre, I can bypass everything you did and make arbitrary changes. So you've got to consider how you control this scenario.

The upgraded version of AssetCentre adds "Disaster Recovery" for another $5K US plus additional licenses for how many assets it is intended to protect. This version automatically goes out on a periodic basis and downloads/backs up every PLC (or other products) that it is intended to protect. This version definitely gets around the "rogue laptop" problem because even if unauthorized changes are made, AssetCentre still captures those changes. And it goes one step further in that it is picking up even the data in your PLC's that is changing over time. The reason why it's called a disaster recovery system is that in the event that you lose a PLC, you can fix the hardware problem and AssetCentre will then restore the code and data on that PLC right back to the point it was at during the last backup.