Compare SIMATIC Manager and HW Config Downloads for a PC Station
Check the selected object, target and generated data rather than assuming SIMATIC Manager and HW Config downloads have identical scope. Siemens documents a station-level PC download to activate network settings after configuration. However, the supplied release is unspecified, so the claim that HW Config necessarily excludes all connection data cannot be treated as a universal rule. Use the applicable PC-station sequence and verify hardware and communication results separately.
Table of Contents
- Compare the Selected Data and Target
- Use the Documented PC-Station Sequence
- Keep the Four Engineering Operations Distinct
- Verification
- Limitations and Operational Precautions
- Engineer FAQ
- Technical References
- Related Articles
- Related Tags
Compare the Selected Data and Target
A reply asserts that selecting the PC station in component view downloads hardware and connections, whereas HW Config downloads hardware only. The exact release and configured PC components are not identified, and that exclusion has not been independently established for this configuration.
The manufacturer tutorial documents a station-level PLC > Download after PC configuration to activate its network settings. The STEP 7 hardware/network manual describes PC configuration data containing connection descriptions and addresses. These facts support checking scope explicitly rather than assuming that similarly named commands are interchangeable. Tutorial, section 4.4.2.5; STEP 7, chapter 6.
Use the Documented PC-Station Sequence
For the opened V8.0 SP1-or-higher tutorial:
- Configure and compile the PC station and its NetPro connections.
- Select the intended PC station in SIMATIC Manager and use PLC > Configure.
- Complete configuration transfer; after its successful-transfer indication, close that dialog.
- With the station selected, use PLC > Download for the documented network-activation step.
- Review the system-data replacement and stop-target prompts before proceeding on the approved target.
Getting Started, sections 4.4.2.4–4.4.2.5. This is a concrete documented path, not a universal characterization of every HW Config download.
Keep the Four Engineering Operations Distinct
STEP 7's historical manual also distinguishes newer directly loadable PC configurations from older configuration-file arrangements. Therefore, the actual STEP 7/SIMATIC NET generation matters. Chapter 6. Do not use this comparison to infer a particular modern or unidentified release's download contents.
Verification
For an isolated representative configuration, record the intended component and connection changes before the operation. Afterward, inspect PC-station component state and the required communication separately.
If comparing commands experimentally, use an approved nonproduction setup and identical starting data. Record the actual scope offered and resulting configuration rather than treating a successful command as proof that every required connection was updated. No command comparison or station download was performed for this article.
Limitations and Operational Precautions
The requested software release and PC components are missing. The station-level workflow is manufacturer-documented, but the categorical HW Config-versus-component-view scope claim remains unresolved and requires review.
Back up the engineering project and target configuration. Confirm the target before accepting replacement or stop prompts. Keep PC communication downloads separate from AS changes and OS project deployment, and plan rollback for any change affecting operator communication.
Engineer FAQ
Do matching button names prove matching scope? No; inspect the selected object, generated data and release-specific behavior.
Is a PC-station download the WinCC OS project download? Treat them as separate engineering operations.
Is the source's hardware-only exclusion verified here? No; exact applicability remains unresolved.
Technical References
- Siemens: Getting Started Part 1 V8.0 SP1 or higher with APL, January 2013, A5E02779288-03, sections 4.4.2.4–4.4.2.5.
- Siemens: Configuring Hardware and Communication Connections with STEP 7 V5.4, A5E00706939-01, chapter 6, Configuring a SIMATIC PC Station.