Generating Hardware Diagnostic Screens in PCS 7 Maintenance Station vs WinCC

Creating hardware diagnostic screens in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.1 is achieved through the integrated SIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station (MS). The Maintenance Station automatically generates hierarchical plant diagnostic screens (@Diagnostics) derived directly from HW Config and the Plant Hierarchy, displaying real-time operational states for controllers, ET 200 distributed I/O racks, communication processors, and HART field instruments without manual graphic drafting. Licensing requires the SIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station Basic or Standard license package. For software C-script debugging rather than hardware asset management, insert a WinCC Application Window set to 'GSC Diagnostics' or run the standalone 'apdiag.exe' utility.

Diagnostic Screen Architectures: Plant Asset Maintenance vs Script Debugging

In SIMATIC PCS 7, the term 'diagnostic screens' refers to two completely different engineering requirements:

Plant Asset & Hardware Diagnostics (Maintenance Station): High-level plant overview screens monitoring physical automation hardware health (CPU operational status, redundant rack synchronization, power supply voltages, PROFINET cable breaks, and intelligent HART transmitter sensor drift compliant with NAMUR NE107).
WinCC Script & System Diagnostics (GSC Diagnostics): Low-level software developer windows used inside WinCC Graphics Designer to monitor runtime C-scripts and VBScript execution, capture printf() output, and inspect background task execution.

SIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station Architecture and Generation Rules

The SIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station (MS) eliminates the need to manually draw hardware mimics. It introduces a dedicated Diagnostic Plant Hierarchy (@Diagnostics folder) within SIMATIC Manager.

When the engineer executes Create/Update Diagnostic Screens, the system queries the project hardware configuration (HW Config) and network topologies in NetPro. It automatically creates nested picture displays (@MS_*.pdl) representing:
- Overview screen: Plant-wide hardware status summary with NAMUR traffic-light indicators (Failure, Maintenance Required, Maintenance Demanded).
- Subsystem screens: AS 410 controller pairs, Industrial Ethernet switches, and fieldbus segments.
- Rack screens: ET 200M, ET 200SP HA, and ET 200iSP racks with slot-by-slot card health.

Equipment Schedule - Maintenance Station Software and Licensing

The following Equipment Schedule specifies the software packages, licensing terms, and order numbers for PCS 7 Maintenance Stations:

Software Package / ComponentArticle Number (MLFB)License ScopeTarget StationSIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station Basic6ES7658-7GX18-0YA0Up to 100 Asset ObjectsCollocated on OS Server / Single StationSIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station Standard6ES7658-7HX18-0YA0Standalone MS Server; expandable assetsDedicated standalone MS Server PCSIMATIC PDM MS Integration6ES7658-3TX18-0YA5Enables field device parameter diagnosticsIntegrated into Maintenance StationGSC Diagnostics (Script Debugger)Standard WinCC FeatureFree / Built into WinCC RC/RTAny WinCC Runtime or Client workstation

[!IMPORTANT]
Commercial Accuracy Notice: Maintenance Station licensing scales by the number of monitored hardware devices (Asset Objects). > Final package MLFBs and capacity licenses must be confirmed against the active Siemens ST PCS 7 Catalog and authorized distributor quotations.

Step-by-Step Procedure to Generate Maintenance Station Diagnostic Screens

Define Diagnostic Settings in Plant Hierarchy:
- In SIMATIC Manager, select Options -> Plant Hierarchy -> Settings....
- Check Derive diagnostic screens from hardware configuration.
- In the target OS Server properties, designate the station as the Maintenance Station (MS).
Generate Diagnostic Screens:
- Right-click the OS Server project object -> select Plant Hierarchy -> Create/Update Diagnostic Screens....
- SIMATIC Manager parses all AS racks, distributed I/O stations, and bus couplers, generating @MS_*.pdl screens in GraCS.
Run OS Project Editor:
- Open WinCC Explorer on the OS Server -> open OS Project Editor.
- In the Basic Data tab, ensure Maintenance Station screen layouts and diagnostic navigation areas are selected.
- Click OK to update project system screens.
Compile OS and Download:
- Execute AS-OS compilation to transfer diagnostic messages and asset states into WinCC Alarm Logging.
- Download the OS project to the target station.
Configuring GSC Diagnostics for C-Scripts (Alternative Software Debugger):
- In Graphics Designer, open any screen -> drag an Application Window from the Object Palette.
- Set window type to Global Script -> GSC Diagnostics: save and launch Runtime to view real-time script debug strings.

Verification

Verify diagnostic functionality through the following checks:
1. In WinCC OS Runtime, click the Maintenance button in the top navigation area: confirm that the plant hardware overview screen displays.
2. Disconnect a field sensor or pull an I/O module on an ET 200M rack: verify that the rack symbol flashes yellow/red on the diagnostic screen and generates an automated maintenance alarm.
3. Double-click the faulted rack: confirm that the faceplate identifies the exact slot and channel reporting the wire break.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Do not manually edit or rename auto-generated @MS_*.pdl graphic files in Graphics Designer. Any subsequent execution of 'Create/Update Diagnostic Screens' or OS Project Editor will overwrite manual edits. Additionally, ensure that SIMATIC PDM device integration is properly synchronized; missing PDM device descriptions (EDDs) will leave intelligent field instrument diagnostic faceplates unresponsive.