Telecontrol Protocol Integration: Interfacing ABB RTU 560 with SIMATIC PCS 7 via IEC 60870-5-104

To interface third-party RTUs like the ABB RTU 560 with SIMATIC PCS 7, utilize the SIMATIC PCS 7 TeleControl optional package supporting the standard IEC 60870-5-104 telecontrol protocol over TCP/IP. Strict software version pairing is required: for SIMATIC PCS 7 V7.1 SP4, the exact compatible version is SIMATIC PCS 7 TeleControl V7.1 SP3 Upd3 running alongside SIMATIC WinCC V7.0 SP2 Upd10. In this architecture, TeleControl integrates the ABB RTU 560 directly into WinCC OS using Data Block Administration (DBA), providing time-stamped telecontrol events and standardized operator faceplates.

Telecontrol Architecture in SIMATIC PCS 7: Direct OS vs AS Telecontrol

In wide-area industrial operations such as water distribution networks, oil and gas pipelines, and electrical power substations, remote stations are geographically dispersed and communicated over low-bandwidth or latency-prone media (cellular, microwave, fiber, or satellite). Standalone Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), such as the ABB RTU 560 series, are widely deployed to manage local substation switchgear and remote I/O.

To integrate these external RTUs into a central SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS, Siemens provides SIMATIC PCS 7 TeleControl.

PCS 7 TeleControl supports two primary architectures:

Direct WinCC OS TeleControl (OS-RTU): The OS Server communicates directly with the ABB RTU 560 via IEC 60870-5-104 over TCP/IP. Process values and alarms are mapped directly into WinCC Tag Management without passing through an S7-400 AS.
AS-Level Telecontrol: The RTU connects to an S7-400 or CPU 410 controller via a CP 443-1 and specialized TeleControl driver blocks (SIPLUS RIC), allowing remote signals to participate directly in high-speed interlock logic in CFC.

IEC 60870-5-104 Protocol Integration for ABB RTU 560

The ABB RTU 560 natively implements the international telecontrol standard IEC 60870-5-104 (Telecontrol equipment and systems - Part 5-104: Transmission protocols - Network access for IEC 60870-5-101 using standard transport profiles).

Key capabilities leveraged by PCS 7 TeleControl include:

Chronological Sequence of Events (SOE): The ABB RTU 560 stamps electrical trips and breaker states with 56-bit CP56Time2a millisecond timestamps. TeleControl transfers these timestamps directly into WinCC Alarm Logging without time distortion.
Spontaneous and Interrogated Transmission: TeleControl polls the RTU during connection startup (General Interrogation / GI), after which the ABB RTU transmits state changes spontaneously on exception, saving network bandwidth.
Double Commands and Select-Before-Operate: Critical switchgear commands execute via a 2-step select-and-execute sequence to prevent accidental switching.

Strict Version Compatibility Requirements: PCS 7 V7.1 SP4 and WinCC V7.0

Telecontrol components interact directly with WinCC communication channels and internal database schemas. Consequently, strict compatibility matrices governed by the Siemens Compatibility Tool (Kompatool) must be followed:

PCS 7 V7.1 SP4: Requires SIMATIC PCS 7 TeleControl V7.1 SP3 Upd3.
WinCC Update Prerequisite: TeleControl V7.1 SP3 Upd3 is released exclusively for SIMATIC WinCC V7.0 SP2 Upd10. Attempting to install TeleControl on base WinCC V7.0 SP2 or intermediate updates causes installation aborts or broken channel DLLs.
Older PCS 7 Versions: Attempting to force modern TeleControl versions (V8.x or V9.x) onto PCS 7 V7.1 will fail due to incompatible Visual C++ runtimes and SQL Server versions.

Engineering Workflow with Data Block Administration (DBA)

PCS 7 TeleControl utilizes Data Block Administration (DBA) to automate tag and alarm generation:

Define RTU Station in DBA: Launch DBA from SIMATIC Manager. Add an IEC 60870-5-104 sub-network and create an RTU station referencing the IP address and Common Address of ASDU (CASDU) of the ABB RTU 560.
Configure Information Object Addresses (IOA): Map the binary inputs, analog measured values, and commands configured in the ABB RTU 560 configuration file into DBA.
Assign PCS 7 Block Types: In DBA, assign standardized TeleControl block types (e.g., TC_DI for digital input, TC_AnaVal for analog measurement, TC_Cmd for breaker control) to the signals.
Compile to WinCC OS: Execute DBA compilation. DBA automatically creates structured WinCC tags, message definitions, and links standard TeleControl faceplates in the WinCC OS project.

Telecontrol Protocol and Architecture Comparison

The following table compares telecontrol protocols supported in PCS 7 for third-party RTU integration:

Protocol StandardTransport LayerTimestamp ResolutionTypical RTU HardwareSupported ArchitectureIEC 60870-5-104TCP/IP (Port 2404)1 ms (CP56Time2a)ABB RTU 560, Siemens RTU3030CDirect OS & AS TeleControlDNP3TCP/IP or Serial1 ms (UTC time)Schneider SCADAPack, GE HarrisDirect WinCC TeleControl OSModbus TCPTCP/IP (Port 502)Polling cycle dependentGeneric Third-Party PLCs / RTUsStandard Modbus Driver (No native SOE)SINAUT ST7Industrial Ethernet / WAN10 ms (Standard ST7)Siemens TIM 3V/4R modulesFull AS-to-AS & OS TeleControl

Verification

Verify communication between PCS 7 and ABB RTU 560 through the following steps:

In Windows PowerShell on the OS Server, test TCP connectivity: Test-NetConnection -ComputerName <RTU_IP> -Port 2404.
Open WinCC Channel Diagnosis. Confirm that the IEC 60870-5-104 channel shows connection state 'Logical connection established'.
Perform a General Interrogation (GI) from the WinCC TeleControl faceplate. Confirm that all measured analog values and digital statuses update to green (healthy status).
Simulate a digital contact trip on the ABB RTU 560. Confirm that the alarm appears in WinCC Alarm Logging with the exact millisecond timestamp recorded by the RTU.

Commercial Accuracy Disclaimer: Software order numbers (MLFBs), package structures, and hardware capacity prerequisites vary across PCS 7 versions and hardware platforms. System integrators must confirm exact software entitlements and licensing requirements against the official Siemens Catalog CA 01 and obtain an authorized Siemens distributor quotation prior to purchasing.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Consider these operational rules when implementing TeleControl:

Never Route Hardwired ESD Trips Across TeleControl: Telecontrol networks over WAN links are subject to dropouts and jitter; critical safety instrumented functions (SIF) must never depend on telecontrol communication.
Time Synchronization: Ensure the ABB RTU 560 receives reliable GPS or NTP clock synchronization; if the RTU clock drifts from the PCS 7 central time master, historical alarms will appear out of order in the WinCC Alarm Logging database.
ASDU Address Consistency: The Common Address of ASDU (CASDU) configured in DBA must match the ABB RTU 560 configuration identically; a mismatch results in silent rejection of all spontaneous frames.

Engineer FAQ

What is the role of DBA (Data Block Administration) in TeleControl?

DBA is the engineering tool that imports RTU point lists (IEC addresses), maps them to standardized PCS 7 TeleControl block types, and compiles them into WinCC tags and faceplates.

What TCP port does IEC 60870-5-104 use?

IEC 60870-5-104 uses standard registered TCP port 2404 for all telecontrol transport connections.

How does TeleControl recover buffered data after a WAN communication outage?

Upon reconnection, TeleControl executes a General Interrogation and requests the RTU's historical event buffer, reconstructing the chronological sequence of events without data loss.