6D Systems LLC

I believe the only way to get into a PLC that's been locked is to send it to Rockwell to be reset (which will erase the program on it). You can also try to do a firmware upgrade (and use the same firmware) to wipe it out, but I don't think there is anyway to recover a lost password.

Wireshark is great for analyzing data from one particular computer to a particular device. The problem you may have with Wireshark is that it mostly captures packets from the computer it's installed on to the device you are interested in (and you can use filters to weed through the junk). If you are trying to watch for a PLC that just "drops off the network", all Wireshark is going to show you is that the device is no longer sending packets out. If it really is dropping off the network, and depending how you have RSView set up (client/server or just clients), then you'll just see a break in communications with that IP address. What you might also have to keep in mind is the amount connections you are using. Each PC uses at least one connection to a PLC, and if you are using RSLinx, it can use many more. Depending on the firmware revision and network interface on your PLC, they support a limited number of connections. The best AB network cards right now support (I believe) 64 connections max. Your PLC-5 may be hitting your max connection limit or have a backlog for data. Try setting Wireshark to Promiscuous mode (Capture>Interfaces>Options>Capture Packets in Promiscuous mode) so that you read all the packets that pass by your network card. Set the Filter to ip.src == 192.168.1.XXX (or whatever your PLC IP address is), and watch the data go by. If you have intelligent network switches between your computer and the PLC though you may not capture all the data, the only way around it is to put an un-managed hub going from the PLC, then the PC that you are using Wireshark on needs to be plugged into that hub. If RSLinx is your culprit, then make sure you set up all the logging in RSLinx so that you can see what it's doing with the PLC when it drops out. You can also try to move the PLC to a different location (obviously put the right program on it) and see if the problem follows the PLC, if it does then you may have a hardware issue in the PLC itself.

Hey guys... We now have the first version out. There are tons of features that a lot of other libraries don't support, such as enumerating the tags on the processor, custom defined types by extending a LogixUDT data type, implicit conversions to native types, events on processor state change (key switch, fault state, OK LED state), and more. Using an optimization method on the processor by reading arrays instead of individual tags, we are reading up to 15,000 data points per second. Feel free to check out the product page: http://eshop.6dsystems.com/?product=controllogixnet (downloadable 15 minute demo on that page for Windows, Mono coming soon) You can also check out our knowledgebase (growing every day): http://kb.6dsystems.com And lastly, you can browse our online help for the library to get a feel for using the library here: http://help.6dsystems.com/ControlLogixNet/ (will be updated almost daily until we are happy with it). Any questions please feel free to contact out development team, devteam (-at ) 6dsystems (.) com Thank you!

I'm new around here (posting wise, I frequent the forum for reading quite often), so I hope I'm not pushing a rule of any sort. First, a little about me and 6D Systems LLC... I'm the owner of 6D Systems LLC, a small automation consulting firm and software developer. I've been in the automation world for about 10 years, mostly working in the marine environment. I have software running on some very mission critical systems like U.S. Navy ships, ballast control/monitoring for oil rigs and dry dock barges, the U.S. Coast Guard, and others. I've written a lot of HMI's in .NET (even after reading how negative a lot of people are about it), because of it's rapid development time and stability (some of my HMI's have been running for 3 years non-stop). A couple months ago I decided to take the plunge and start 6DS with the idea of doing consulting, but primarily writing better automation software. I already have a full HMI designer suite in beta test (an add-on to Visual Studio), but it's using a third-party driver for talking with ControlLogix PLC's (until ControlLogixNET exits the beta period, read on...). I noticed there was a big disconnect in the Linux world. There used to be TuxPLC (you can still find the source if you are really crafty), ABEL/ has gone from free to $875 and still doesn't get you to the data you need. Even the Windows platform doesn't have a lot of .NET ControlLogix/PLC5/PLC2/SLC drivers out there. A lot of people were stuck buying expensive OPC drivers and muddling through the wonderful world of DCOM, and still stuck with Windows. So 6DS has developed a ControlLogix driver that is compatible with both Windows and Linux (on Mono) that does not require any AB software. We also have a generic Ethernet/IP / CIP messaging library that works on both Windows and Linux, but the stack requires a lot of knowledge of the Ethernet/IP / CIP protocol to implement (you have to know how to stick an MR Request in a Connected Data Item, in a Common Packet Format, into an RR Data Request, and then into the Encapsulation Header for example). What we need are 4 beta testers, 2 for Linux, and 2 for Windows. ------ What you will get ------ Beta participants will get a full developers seat copy of the ControlLogix and Ethernet/IP library for free. ------------------------------------ ------ Requirements ------ 1. Beta participants need to be proficient in the C# or VB .NET languages. 2. Linux participants need to have a working knowledge of how to run MONO applications. 3. No GUI experience required, you can beta test using only console applications if desired. 4. Must have access to a ControlLogix processor (L55, L61, L63, L35, etc) 5. Must be willing to sign an NDA. 6. Must be willing to agree to the license terms (available by email, standard terms though). ---------------------------------- ------ How to Apply ------ 1. Meet the requirements :) 2. Send an email to beta (at-) 6dsystems (dot.) com 3. In the email, please state the following: - Your name (don't have to give the full name, just would like to know what to call you) - Your experience level with ControlLogix processors. - Your experience level with C# or VB.NET - If you want to be a Windows or Linux (or both) tester. - Type of processor you have access to. - Information about your computer (Ghz, Memory, Operating System, etc). - Company you work for, and years in the industry you are in. ------------------------------- Any questions or concerns are greatly appreciated and I will do my best to answer them here or by email. You can email me anytime at ron (-at) 6dsystems (-dot.) com. If you have any protocols you would like to be added to a .NET Linux/Windows library let me know, currently in the pipeline are the DH+ PLC's, Omron FINS, and Siemens. -Ron B.