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strantor

PLC that hosts a programming web page

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With my previous company, instead of using taditional PLCs, they used DIN-rail mounted Beckhoff SBCs. You could plug in a laptop with ethernet into the SBC, go to your web browser, and type in the IP address of the SBC and a web page which was hosted on the SBC would appear. The SBC was also connected via ethernet to I/O modules. From the SBC-hosted page, you could monitor the I/O, and network status. I believe all the software on the SBC was written by software engineers within my company, so if I were to buy one of these SBCs I would not automatically have that same capability. After a series of unfortunate events & much frustration today with Allen Bradley's crappy crap, I started to think about these SBCs. I was thinking it would be so damned easy to use a PLC where the programming software is already in the PLC. Just plug in ethernet, type in the IP address in the browser, and a Java-based programming page appears. No more special 300$ cable for each and every different model# of PLC. No more compatibility issues. No more fussy sofware, with fussy installation proceduress & windows version conflicts. No more memory-hogging expansive software suites and fussy licensing procedures. No more monthly patches & updates. No more going into configuration to change the backplane layout - I/O modules are plug & play hot-swappable, stackable in any order - need another one, just slap it on the end. No more staking your livelihood on the hopeful survival of a single-point failure laptop that has all your kilobucks worth of special software on it, and watching it go down the drain as someone trips over your power cord and brings it down to the deck in 5 pieces; you can use ANY computer that might be around; windows, linux, unix, mac, makes no difference - if it can display a web page and all the keys work, it can be your PLC programmer (you could even use a HMI that might be already connected via ethernet). No more need for using outdated laptops because they're the only ones with serial ports. Then I started to think, well if I've thought about it, someone else probably already has, and beat me to the punch, as usual. So I'm asking here, is there anything on the market that meets my description?

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Nope. PLCs with web technology use it for monitoring, and for good reason. Do you realize how dangerous that could be for the process if the programming software could be opened in any web browser? Someone breaks through the plant firewall and has full access to reprogram all your PLCs? Or anyone in a plant who can gain access to a web browser on a tablet or smartphone could modify your devices? Of course there would have to be ways to password protect it, but you know from the Internet just how functional those are. Any password or security can be defeated with enough effort.

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Look at the GEIP PAC some of their CPUs and Ethernet modules have web publishing capability.

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He asked about programming via web, which I do not believe any PLC supports. Too many security issues with that.

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yes, via web. Exactly the same way a router works. When you initially setup a router, you plug into it with ethernet, type in it's IP address, and a web page comes up from which you can change router parameters. If it's secure enough for a router, why isn't it secure enough for a PLC?

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Routers can't kill people.
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When you configure a router, all you are doing is configuring security of a network. As Ken said, that can't kill people. PLCs are used for everything from simple conveyor control to large press control and elevator control. Would you feel comfortable getting into an elevator with a web page where anyone can hack a password and change the operation of the elevator?

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good point. When I originally thought of this, I wasn't envisioning it being connected to a network & the internet. But, the likelihood that someone would connect it to the net is probably 100%.

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