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Coexistence and Compatibility of SIMATIC PCS 7, WinCC V7.4, and SIGRA on a Single Station

Coexistence and Compatibility of SIMATIC PCS 7, WinCC V7.4, and SIGRA on a Single Station

Installing Siemens SIGRA fault record analysis software on the same physical workstation as SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 or WinCC V7.4 is officially not recommended due to shared software component conflicts, SQL Server instance collisions, and communication driver interference. While both applications utilize Automation License Manager, SIGRA is designed for protection relay engineering (SIPROTEC) rather than real-time process control. To maintain plant stability and manufacturer support, SIGRA should be hosted on a separate engineering laptop or deployed within an isolated virtual machine running on the station's hypervisor.

Table of Contents

Architectural Scope and Purpose of SIGRA vs PCS 7

When designing electrical substation automation interfaces within industrial process plants, engineers often evaluate whether utility-grade software tools can share hardware with the central Distributed Control System (DCS):

  • SIMATIC PCS 7 / WinCC V7.4: A validated real-time process control and SCADA environment requiring hardened Microsoft SQL Server runtime instances, deterministic plant bus drivers (SIMATIC NET), and exclusive process image synchronization.
  • Siemens SIGRA: A specialized post-fault analysis tool used to evaluate COMTRADE transient fault oscillograms generated by protective relays (such as SIPROTEC 4 and SIPROTEC 5). SIGRA operates as an analytical desktop tool rather than a real-time SCADA engine.

While both products originate from Siemens, they belong to different product divisions (Process Automation vs. Smart Grid / Energy Management) and undergo independent release qualification cycles.

Shared Component and Database Conflicts

Installing SIGRA on a dedicated PCS 7 Engineering Station (ES) or Operator Station (OS) introduces significant technical risks:

  1. Automation License Manager (ALM) Version Clashes: While both products rely on ALM, installing an older or newer release of SIGRA can install an unaligned ALM build that desynchronizes floating license recognition.
  2. Microsoft C++ Redistributable and .NET Framework Overwrites: SIGRA installation setups often bundle specific Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable packages that may replace or downgrade runtime DLLs required by WinCC graphics and script engines.
  3. Communication Stack Interferences: SIGRA integrates DIGSI communication drivers that interact with network adapters. Modifying network interface bindings can disrupt the Simatic Shell broadcast subsystem or interfere with Industrial Ethernet ISO protocols utilized on the Plant Bus.
  4. Siemens Compatibility Matrix Validation: The official Siemens Compatibility Tool does not list SIGRA as a certified co-installed product on PCS 7 V9.0 or WinCC V7.4 platforms. Installing uncertified software invalidates formal system support guarantees.

Evaluating Coexistence Feasibility on Windows 10 and Server 2016

If operational requirements demand that an engineer analyze COMTRADE files at the operator console:

  • OS Server / Redundant Server Prohibition: SIGRA must never be installed on an active WinCC OS Server or OS Single Station. Any CPU or memory spike during oscillogram rendering can cause WinCC runtime thread starvation, leading to redundancy split-brain states or delayed alarm processing.
  • Engineering Station Coexistence: On an offline Engineering Station (ES), installation may physically succeed without immediate errors, but future PCS 7 Service Pack updates or Hotfix installations frequently fail due to shared registry locking.

Recommended Virtualization and Separation Architectures

To achieve seamless SIGRA fault analysis without jeopardizing PCS 7 system integrity, deploy one of two certified architectures:

Solution A: Isolated Virtual Machine (Recommended)

  1. On the physical PCS 7 Engineering workstation, enable the virtualization hypervisor (VMware Workstation or Microsoft Hyper-V).
  2. Deploy a clean, isolated virtual machine (e.g., Windows 10 Enterprise).
  3. Install SIGRA within this guest VM.
  4. Map a shared read-only folder between the host and guest OS to allow SIGRA to import COMTRADE oscillogram files (.DAT, .CFG) retrieved from SIPROTEC relays via PCS 7 or IEC 61850 communication.

Solution B: Dedicated Substation Engineering Laptop

  1. Host SIGRA and DIGSI on a dedicated portable Field PG or engineering laptop connected to the substation electrical network.
  2. Maintain complete physical and software separation between electrical protection engineering and plant DCS process control.

Verification

Confirm system stability and software isolation:

  1. WinCC Runtime and Graphics Health:
    * Launch WinCC Explorer and activate runtime.
    * Verify that graphic pictures load without script execution errors.
    * Open the WinCC channel diagnosis tool (WinCC Channel Diagnosis); confirm that all AS S7 connections report green OK status.
  2. License Integrity Audit:
    * Open Automation License Manager.
    * Select File -> Check License Keys. Confirm that all PCS 7 and WinCC licenses report valid status without corruption.
  3. SIGRA Functionality Check:
    * In the isolated VM or separate PC, launch SIGRA.
    * Open a sample COMTRADE fault file; verify that analog waveforms, vector diagrams, and impedance circle loci render cleanly.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

  • Separate Software Licensing: SIGRA requires its own dedicated license key (e.g., SIGRA Basic or Professional) managed via Automation License Manager; PCS 7 engineering licenses do not authorize SIGRA usage.
  • No Direct Process Tag Linking: SIGRA cannot dynamically subscribe to WinCC real-time tags; it operates strictly on exported historical oscillogram records.
  • Avoid Modification of Security Controller: Never allow third-party software setups to override firewall rules or DCOM permissions established by the Siemens Security Controller on a PCS 7 node.

Engineer FAQ

  • Can SIGRA and WinCC V7.4 be installed on the same computer?
    While installation may run without immediate installer blocks, Siemens does not officially support or test coexistence; it risks DLL conflicts and driver interference.
  • What is the recommended method to run SIGRA on a PCS 7 Engineering Station?
    Host SIGRA inside an isolated VMware or Hyper-V virtual machine running on the engineering workstation, completely segregated from the PCS 7 host operating system.
  • What happens if SIGRA is installed on an active WinCC OS Server?
    High CPU/RAM utilization during fault analysis can degrade real-time WinCC process communication, potentially causing alarm delays or redundancy failovers.
  • Does SIGRA use Automation License Manager for licensing?
    Yes, modern versions of SIGRA utilize Automation License Manager (ALM) to manage floating and single-user license keys.
  • Can SIGRA open COMTRADE files generated by non-Siemens protection relays?
    Yes, SIGRA adheres to the IEEE C37.111 / IEC 60255-24 COMTRADE standard and can open fault records from any compliant manufacturer relay.
  • Where does the Siemens Compatibility Tool document SIGRA and PCS 7 coexistence?
    In the online Siemens Compatibility Tool, searching for PCS 7 and SIGRA reveals no certified co-installation profile, indicating unsupported status.
  • Can WinCC display COMTRADE fault curves directly without SIGRA?
    WinCC can display exported CSV or trend data in standard TrendControl, but advanced protection features (vector diagrams, harmonic analysis, fault distance) require SIGRA.
  • Does installing SIGRA overwrite Microsoft SQL Server instances?
    SIGRA does not typically overwrite SQL Server, but its pre-installation dependencies can conflict with runtime libraries required by WinCC's SQL Server instance.
  • How are COMTRADE files transferred from SIPROTEC relays to SIGRA in a PCS 7 plant?
    Files can be retrieved via DIGSI across the electrical network, or transferred via IEC 61850 Station Gateway into a shared engineering network directory.
  • What operating system does SIGRA support?
    SIGRA V4.x supports standard desktop operating systems including Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise (64-bit).

Technical References

  • Siemens Industry Online Support (SIOS) Portal: Siemens Compatibility Tool for Automation and Drive Technology.
  • Siemens Smart Grid / Energy Automation: SIGRA V4 Operating Manual, Siemens AG.
  • SIMATIC PCS 7 PC Configuration and Installation Guide, Siemens AG.

Related Articles

Related Tags

PCS 7, WinCC, SIGRA, SIPROTEC, COMTRADE, Compatibility, Virtualization, Substation Automation

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