Sizing and Licensing Minimal PCS 7 V9.0 Configuration: ES-OS Master and OS Standby

Upgrading a minimal PCS 7 configuration consisting of an ES/OS Single Station Master and an OS Single Station Standby from V6.1 (2000 PO, 64K tags, 2x AS 417-4) to V9.0 requires careful alignment of hardware and software licensing. Pre-installed SIMATIC IPCs (such as 6ES7660-7DN41-3BD1) supply operating systems and software binaries but contain no PCS 7 runtime licenses. For non-redundant AS 417-4 controllers, standard Industrial Ethernet NICs with Basic Communication Ethernet (BCE) / SOFTNET-IE eliminate the need for costly CP 1623 cards and REDCONNECT licenses. Sizing for 2000 Process Objects requires procuring full ES/OS V9.0 software, AS RT PO expansion packs, OS Single Station Redundancy packages, and matching OS RT PO expansions.

Architectural Evaluation of the Minimal Redundant Configuration

A classic minimal architecture in process automation comprises one combined Engineering / Operator Station (ES/OS Single Station Master) paired with an Operator Station Standby (OS Single Station Standby), controlling one or more standard S7-400 controllers (e.g., two S7-417-4 CPUs, 6ES7417-4XL04-0AB0). In PCS 7 V6.1, licensing was defined primarily by runtime external tags (e.g., 64K tags) and early Process Object packages.

In PCS 7 V9.0, licensing is strictly divided into four pillars:

Engineering Station (ES) Licensing: Unlimited PO engineering license.
AS Runtime Process Objects (AS RT PO): Consumed by technological blocks in the S7-400 CPUs.
OS Runtime Process Objects (OS RT PO): Consumed by WinCC runtime objects on each server or single station.
OS Redundancy Packages: Enabling database cross-synchronization between Master and Standby.

Communications Hardware: BCE vs CP 1623 and REDCONNECT

A frequent procurement error when sizing PCS 7 communication interfaces is specifying expensive CP 1623 communications processors and HARDNET-IE S7-REDCONNECT licenses for standard controllers:

Standard S7-417-4 Controllers (Non-H): Standard S7-400 CPUs communicate via standard S7 connections over Industrial Ethernet. An ES or OS station requires only standard Gigabit Ethernet network adapters using Basic Communication Ethernet (BCE) powered by SOFTNET-IE S7 (6GK1704-1CW14-0AA0). CP 1623 cards and REDCONNECT are completely unnecessary.
Fault-Tolerant S7-400H Controllers: Only when communicating with redundant S7-400H controller pairs over redundant 4-way S7 connections are the CP 1623 (6GK1162-3AA00) and HARDNET-IE S7-REDCONNECT (6GK1716-0HB14-0AA0) licenses required on the PC stations.
Point-to-Point Serial Cable: A serial RS232 cable (6ES7902-1AC00-0AA0) was used in PCS 7 V6.x for WinCC redundancy heartbeat cross-talk, but is obsolete in PCS 7 V9.0; modern WinCC redundancy utilizes standard Ethernet crossover cables or dedicated network adapters for the redundancy link.

Hardware and Software Sizing and Licensing Reconciliation Matrix

The following table provides a verified procurement reconciliation for modernizing the minimal 2000 PO system:

Component RoleProposed Part NumberVerification / Corrected Order Number (MLFB)Licensing Status & NotesMaster IPC Hardware6ES7660-7DN41-3BD16ES7660-7DN41-3BD1 (SIMATIC IPC547G)Hardware only; contains OS & binaries, 0 licensesStandby IPC Hardware6ES7660-7DN41-3BD16ES7660-7DN41-3BD1 (SIMATIC IPC547G)Hardware only; contains OS & binaries, 0 licensesES / OS Master Bundle6ES7651-5AA58-0YA06ES7651-5AA58-0YA0 (ES Single Station)Includes ES Unlimited PO + 250 AS RT PO + 250 OS RT POAS RT PO Expansion2x 6ES7653-2BB00-0XB56ES7653-2BB00-0XB5 (1000 AS PO each)Provides 2000 AS RT PO for the 2x AS 417-4 CPUsOS Redundancy Package6ES7652-3AA58-2YA06ES7652-3AA58-2YA0 (Single Station Red.)Supplies WinCC Redundancy license + 250 OS RT POOS RT PO ExpansionProposed: 1x / 4x 100 PONeed 15x / 18x 6ES7658-2XA00-0XB0 (100 PO)Must scale each OS station to match 2000 process objectsNetwork InterfaceProposed: CP 1623 + RedconnectStandard Intel NIC + 6GK1704-1CW14-0AA0CP 1623 not required for non-H S7-417-4 CPUsRedundancy Cable6ES7902-1AC00-0AA0 (RS232)Standard CAT6 Ethernet Patch CableRS232 redundancy heartbeat is obsolete in V9.0

[!NOTE]
Commercial Accuracy Guardrail: Exact license requirements and MLFBs must be validated against Siemens Catalog ST PCS 7 and quoted by an authorized distributor. Never estimate Process Object consumption purely from tag count; AS RT and OS RT POs must be calculated using the installed PCS 7 engineering tools.

Migration Strategy: Staged Upgrade vs New Procurement

When moving from PCS 7 V6.1 to V9.0, two commercial and engineering paths exist:

Staged Software Upgrade (V6.1 -> V7.1 -> V8.2 -> V9.0):
- Historically, purchasing staged upgrade packages was cost-effective.
- However, legacy upgrade packages spanning older generations (e.g., V6.1 to V7.1) are currently in phase-out or discontinued in the Siemens active catalog. Sourcing legacy licenses requires special authorization.
Direct Procurement of Full V9.0 Licenses (Recommended):
- Purchasing new full licenses for PCS 7 V9.0 SP1 avoids complex multi-license chaining and guarantees immediate active warranty and technical support.
- Project engineering files are migrated offline across intermediate staging VMs (V6.1 -> V7.1 -> V8.2 -> V9.0) using temporary trial/migration software, then deployed onto the new V9.0 IPCs running fully licensed software.

Verification

Verify correct sizing and licensing in the running system:
1. Open Automation License Manager (ALM) on both Master and Standby IPCs. Confirm all required licenses (ES, OS RT, Redundancy, AS RT PO) indicate status 'OK' with zero missing license warnings.
2. In WinCC Explorer, start WinCC Runtime. Verify that the runtime tag count matches the expected process objects without triggering license demo mode popups.
3. Verify that WinCC Redundancy establishes active connection over the Ethernet cross-cable (@RedundancyState = 1).
4. In SIMATIC Manager, perform a test AS-OS compile. Verify that the Process Object counter books AS RT POs accurately.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Pre-Installed IPC Trap: Never assume an IPC delivered with 'PCS 7 pre-installed' includes operational software licenses. All licenses must be procured separately and transferred via ALM.
RS232 Redundancy Deprecation: Do not attempt to use RS232 serial cables for WinCC Redundancy on modern Windows Server systems; Ethernet redundancy communication is mandatory.
PO Overrun Behavior: Running an OS without sufficient OS RT PO licenses triggers WinCC Demo Mode, displaying recurring non-dismissible warning dialogs that obscure operator graphics.

Engineer FAQ

Does 6ES7660-7DN41-3BD1 come with any PCS 7 software licenses?

No. The IPC bundle MLFB 6ES7660-7DN41-3BD1 includes only the IPC hardware, Windows operating system, and pre-installed software binaries. Software licenses must be ordered separately.

Do I need CP 1623 cards to communicate with standard S7-417-4 CPUs?

No. Standard non-redundant S7-417-4 controllers communicate over standard Ethernet network cards using Basic Communication Ethernet (BCE) and SOFTNET-IE S7. CP 1623 is only needed for S7-400H redundant CPUs.

How many OS RT PO expansion licenses do I need for 2000 Process Objects?

Starting with 250 POs included in the base bundle, you need 1,750 additional POs, which requires eighteen 100 PO expansion packages (6ES7658-2XA00-0XB0) or two 1,000 PO packages (6ES7658-2XB00-0XB0).

Can I migrate a V6.1 project directly to V9.0 in SIMATIC Manager?

No. The database structures cannot be parsed directly. You must perform intermediate migration steps: V6.1 -> V7.1 -> V8.2 -> V9.0 using intermediate staging engineering environments.