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How to Obtain, Install, and License SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Historian and Information Server

How to Obtain, Install, and License SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Historian and Information Server

SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Historian (PH) and Information Server (IS) are not available as free standalone web downloads. They are distributed exclusively on the official PCS 7 installation media DVDs (DVD 2 / supplementary packages) or delivered digitally via Siemens Online Software Delivery (OSD). Process Historian requires a dedicated physical or virtual server running Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise, paired with a valid Process Historian Basic Package license and Tag Archive expansion licenses managed through Automation License Manager (ALM).

Table of Contents

Distribution and Media Packaging for Process Historian

Engineers frequently search Siemens Industry Online Support (SIOS) attempting to download SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Historian. However, Process Historian (PH) and its reporting companion, Information Server (IS), represent high-capacity enterprise software packages that cannot be downloaded as standalone freeware or basic trial setups:

1. Delivery Channels

  • Physical Media: Process Historian installation files are located on DVD 2 (Process Historian / Information Server) of the official SIMATIC PCS 7 Media Package.
  • Online Software Delivery (OSD): If purchased digitally, Siemens provides download links through the OSD portal under the specific customer contract number and license certificate.
  • SIOS Updates: Only Service Packs (SPs) and software Updates (Hotfixes) are published on SIOS, which require an existing base installation to apply.

2. Licensing Requirements

Process Historian enforces strict software and capacity licensing via Automation License Manager (ALM):
* Process Historian Basic Package: Mandatory base server runtime license (e.g., 6ES7652-7AX58-0YA0 or version-specific MLFB like 6ES7652-8AX18-0YA0).
* Archive Tag Packs: Scalable licenses that determine the maximum number of simultaneously archived archive tags (e.g., packages for 1,500, 5,000, 10,000, or 100,000 Archive Tags).
* Information Server Client Access Licenses (CAL): Required for concurrent web-based reporting users (e.g., 1, 3, 5, or 10 access licenses).
* Redundancy Package: Required if operating a high-availability redundant Process Historian pair.

[!IMPORTANT]
Always validate final license quantities, archive tag counts, and order numbers (MLFBs) against current Siemens product catalogs and obtain an authorized Siemens distributor quotation prior to procurement.

System Architecture and Hardware Prerequisites

Process Historian is an enterprise real-time archive server designed to store historical process values, alarms, batch archives, and audit trails across multiple PCS 7 OS Servers for years.

Architectural Rules

  • Dedicated Server Requirement: Process Historian must reside on its own dedicated server node. It must never be installed on a PCS 7 Engineering Station (ES), WinCC OS Server, or OS Single Station in a production environment due to heavy SQL Server disk I/O and memory contention.
  • Operating System: Requires 64-bit Microsoft Windows Server (such as Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012 R2, or 2016 depending on the exact PCS 7 release).
  • Database Engine: Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition (specifically customized and distributed with the PCS 7 PH installation media).
  • Storage Architecture: Siemens strongly recommends segregating physical storage drives using enterprise RAID arrays:
  • OS & System: RAID 1 (Mirrored SAS/SSD).
  • Database Log Files (LDF): RAID 10 (Fast write access).
  • Database Data Files (MDF): RAID 5 or RAID 10.
  • Archive Backup Target: Dedicated external NAS or high-capacity SAN volume.

Comparison Table - Process Historian Software Components

The following table details the key components, functions, and licensing requirements for the enterprise archiving suite.

Component NamePrimary FunctionInstallation LocationMandatory License RequirementProcess Historian (PH)Central long-term archive database for alarms and tagsDedicated Central ServerProcess Historian Basic Package (6ES7652-8AX18-0YA0) + Tag PacksInformation Server (IS)Web-based reporting engine (Excel, Word, PDF dashboards)PH Server or Dedicated Web ServerInformation Server Basic Package + Client Access Licenses (CALs)PH-Ready ComponentBackground service transmitting local WinCC segmentsAll WinCC OS Servers & OS Single StationsIncluded with standard PCS 7 OS Server runtime licensesIS-Ready ComponentData provider service connecting WinCC to ISOS Servers and PH ServerIncluded with standard PCS 7 WinCC installationsAutomation License ManagerFloating license handling and key validationAll servers and stationsStandard SIMATIC utility (no separate license)

Step-by-Step Installation and Initialization Procedure

To install and commission SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Historian, follow this engineering workflow:

  1. Prepare Server Operating System and Roles:
    * Install the qualified version of Windows Server.
    * Configure a static IP address on the Terminal Bus network adapter.
    * Join the server to the plant Active Directory domain or set up a synchronized workgroup with identical administrative credentials (SIMATIC HMI group).

  2. Mount PCS 7 Installation Media:
    * Insert DVD 2 or mount the ISO file obtained from Siemens OSD.
    * Run Setup.exe with administrative privileges.

  3. Select Installation Package:
    * In the setup wizard, select Custom Installation or Package Installation.
    * Check Process Historian Server and Information Server (if reporting is hosted on the same node).
    * Allow the installer to automatically configure the dedicated instance of Microsoft SQL Server.

  4. Transfer Licenses via ALM:
    * Open Automation License Manager.
    * Transfer the Process Historian Basic Server License, Archive Tag expansion licenses, and Information Server licenses onto the local C: drive.

  5. Execute Process Historian Database Installation Wizard:
    * After rebooting, launch the Process Historian Management Console / Database Setup Wizard.
    * Specify the physical directory paths for SQL database data (.mdf) and log (.ldf) files on high-speed RAID drives.
    * Initialize the database schema and start the Process Historian services.

  6. Establish OS Server Connectivity:
    * On each PCS 7 WinCC OS Server, verify that the Process Historian Ready service is running.
    * In WinCC Explorer on each OS Server, open the Process Historian configuration editor, verify the server name of the central PH, and set the status to active.

Verification

Verify that Process Historian is actively collecting and archiving process data using the following diagnostic checks:

  1. Check Process Historian Operating State:
    * Open the Process Historian Management Console on the PH server.
    * Verify that the overall status indicator displays a green Active badge (not Starting, Recovery, or Locked).
  2. Verify OS Server Pairing:
    * In the PH Management Console under Source Stations, confirm that all WinCC OS Servers are listed with status Connected and Configured.
  3. Monitor Live Segment Ingestion:
    * In the SQL database directory, verify that runtime segment databases (PH_...) are created and actively growing.
    * On an OS Server, verify that historical alarms and tag values are seamlessly accessible in WinCC Trend Control and Alarm Control over long time spans (e.g., 6 months prior) without local disk bloat.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

  • Prohibition of Local WinCC Runtime: Never run WinCC OS Runtime directly on the Process Historian server node.
  • Database Maintenance Overhead: Never execute manual SQL truncate or shrink commands against Process Historian tables using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS); doing so corrupts the internal segment catalog. Use only the built-in PH Management Console for database maintenance.
  • Network Segmentation: Process Historian should communicate with OS Servers over a dedicated high-bandwidth Terminal Bus (Gigabit Ethernet) to prevent archive traffic from interfering with plant bus control communications.

Engineer FAQ

Can Process Historian be downloaded from SIOS as a trial version?

No. Siemens does not offer downloadable trial versions of Process Historian due to SQL Server Enterprise bundling and licensing constraints. Evaluation systems must be procured through your regional Siemens sales representative or distributor.

What happens to OS Server archives if the Process Historian server is shut down for maintenance?

Each WinCC OS Server stores process tags and alarms in local circular archives (typically sized for 1 to 7 days). If Process Historian becomes unreachable, local buffering continues. Once PH reconnects, the PH-Ready service automatically synchronizes and transfers the missing historical segments.

Is Microsoft SQL Server included with the Process Historian installer?

Yes. The PCS 7 Process Historian media includes a customized, pre-licensed Microsoft SQL Server instance specifically tuned by Siemens for historical time-series storage.

Can Information Server be hosted on a separate machine from Process Historian?

Yes. In large corporate environments, hosting Information Server on an independent web server in the corporate DMZ is a best practice. This allows office clients to generate reports without direct access to the Process Historian database server.

Technical References

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Related Tags

  • Process-Historian
  • Information-Server
  • WinCC-Archiving
  • SQL-Server
  • Licensing
  • ALM
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