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Troubleshooting Process Historian 2014 Connection Failures and Empty WinCC Archiving Graphs

Troubleshooting Process Historian 2014 Connection Failures and Empty WinCC Archiving Graphs

In a SIMATIC PCS 7 and WinCC v7.3 long-term archiving architecture, when the SIMATIC Process Historian (PH) 2014 SP2 management console displays an 'Active' state with a populated upper graph (local database storage) but an entirely blank lower graph (data received from WinCC), the Process Historian is not establishing data communication with the WinCC OS Server. This failure occurs when Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) cannot transmit telemetry across machines due to missing Windows user group permissions (CC_PH_Users), mismatched user credentials, disabled Windows NetBIOS name resolution, or unconfigured Process Historian Editor settings in WinCC Explorer. To resolve this, engineers must synchronize administrative service credentials, bind the Terminal Bus in Simatic Shell, configure the PH server name in WinCC Explorer, and open MSMQ TCP port 1801.

Table of Contents

Process Historian 2014 Archiving Architecture and Data Flow

SIMATIC Process Historian (PH) serves as the centralized, high-capacity long-term data archiving hub for SIMATIC PCS 7 and WinCC systems, operating on Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise.
- WinCC OS Servers: Execute real-time plant operations, recording fast and slow circular tag logging and alarm events into short-term circular databases.
- Process Historian-Ready Component (PH-Ready): A background service (CCCAPHServer) installed on each WinCC OS Server. It intercepts closed archive segments and real-time telemetry packets, buffering them into local Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) queues.
- Process Historian Server: Receives message streams across the terminal bus via MSMQ, extracting telemetry and storing it permanently into organized, partitioned SQL database segments.

When properly paired, the Process Historian Management Console displays two real-time throughput graphs:
- Upper Graph: Local storage write activity into the SQL database.
- Lower Graph: Inbound data stream volume received from connected WinCC OS stations.

Understanding the Upper Graph vs Lower Graph in PH Management

When diagnosing a stalled Historian deployment:
- Upper Graph Active: Indicates that the local Microsoft SQL Server instance, the PH database engine (HistorianStorage), and local database maintenance tasks are healthy and operational.
- Lower Graph Flat / Zero / Blank: Proves conclusively that zero data packets are arriving from the remote WinCC OS station.
- This symptom isolates the problem entirely to the inter-station communication layer: the WinCC OS Server is either failing to transmit data, or the packets are blocked by security credentials, name resolution failures, or firewall rules between the two virtual or physical machines.

Root Causes of Empty WinCC Data Flow to Process Historian

Six specific configuration oversights cause the lower graph to remain empty:

  1. Unconfigured Process Historian Editor in WinCC Explorer: Unlike standalone SCADA, WinCC must be explicitly informed of the destination Historian. In WinCC Explorer, the Process Historian editor must be opened and the PH server must be selected and linked to the project.
  2. Mismatched User Credentials and Missing CC_PH_Users Group: In non-domain workgroup environments (such as test VMs), both the WinCC machine and the PH machine must have an identical Windows user account with the identical password. Furthermore, this user must belong to the local Windows security groups SIMATIC HMI, SIMATIC NET, and CC_PH_Users on both computers.
  3. Stalled Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ): If MSMQ is misconfigured or blocked, messages accumulate in the Outgoing Queue on the WinCC machine or fail to initialize entirely.
  4. Firewall Blocking TCP Port 1801 and 135: MSMQ uses TCP port 1801 for message streaming, while RPC endpoint mapping uses TCP port 135. If Windows Firewall blocks these ports, data transmission fails silently.
  5. Simatic Shell Terminal Bus Misbinding: If Simatic Shell on either VM is bound to a virtual loopback or internal adapter rather than the common virtual network adapter, discovery fails.

Step-by-Step Commissioning and Troubleshooting Procedure

Execute the following systematic procedure to establish communication:

Step 1: Align Windows User Accounts and Security Groups

  1. On both the WinCC VM and the PH VM, create an identical local administrator account (e.g., Username: phadmin, same password).
  2. On both machines, open Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Groups.
  3. Ensure phadmin is added to:
    - Administrators
    - SIMATIC HMI
    - SIMATIC NET
    - CC_PH_Users
  4. Log in as phadmin on both workstations.

Step 2: Configure Simatic Shell and Name Resolution

  1. On both machines, open Windows Explorer, right-click Simatic Shell, and select Settings....
  2. Select the identical network card communicating across the terminal bus.
  3. Ensure both machines can ping each other by Computer Name (e.g., ping PH_SERVER and ping WINCC_OS). If NetBIOS fails, add static entries into C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.

Step 3: Link Process Historian in WinCC Explorer

  1. Open the WinCC project in WinCC Explorer on the OS machine.
  2. In the project tree, double-click Process Historian.
  3. In the Process Historian Editor, click Search... or manually input the PH Server computer name.
  4. Verify that the PH server appears in the list with a valid connection status. Click OK.

Step 4: Verify and Start CCCAPHServer Service

  1. On the WinCC machine, open Windows Services (services.msc).
  2. Locate the service CCCAPHServer (Process Historian Ready Service).
  3. Right-click properties, switch to the Log On tab, and set it to run under the synchronized phadmin account.
  4. Restart the service.

Step 5: Check MSMQ Message Queues

  1. On the WinCC machine, open Computer Management > Services and Applications > Message Queuing > Outgoing Queues.
  2. Confirm that the outgoing queue targeting the PH server switches from paused/accumulating to actively transmitting messages.

Diagnostic Matrix for Process Historian Communication Failures

The table below outlines common Process Historian pairing faults and corrective actions:

SymptomUnderlying CauseCorrective ActionUpper graph OK, Lower graph emptyNo data received from WinCC OSConfigure Process Historian Editor in WinCC Explorer; verify MSMQProcess Historian Editor cannot find serverSimatic Shell misbound or name resolution failedBind Simatic Shell to terminal bus; add IP/hostname to hosts fileCCCAPHServer service fails to startInsufficient user logon permissionsRun service under synchronized admin user belonging to CC_PH_UsersMSMQ Outgoing Queue growing indefinitelyFirewall blocking TCP port 1801 or SQL 1433Open TCP ports 1801, 135, 1433, and 445 in Windows FirewallPH Console shows 'Disconnected'License missing or database dismountedVerify Historian server license in ALM; inspect SQL Server service

Verification

To confirm that Process Historian is actively receiving and storing WinCC data:
1. PH Management Console Lower Graph: Open the Process Historian Management Console; verify that the Lower Graph displays continuous, cyclic data throughput spikes corresponding to WinCC archive intervals.
2. WinCC Runtime Trend Verification: Open a trend screen in WinCC Runtime displaying long-term tags; request historical time ranges spanning past days; confirm that historical trends load seamlessly from the Historian.
3. SQL Database Record Audit: In SQL Server Management Studio on the PH server, query the active tag logging segment; confirm that new records with current timestamps are being committed.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Engineering teams must observe the following precautions:
- Process Historian requires dedicated server hardware and should never be installed on the same physical operating system as an active WinCC OS Server in production.
- Always validate final license quantities and MLFBs against the applicable Siemens catalog and authorized distributor quotation when procuring Process Historian and Information Server packages.
- Ensure automated database maintenance and backup routines are configured in Process Historian to avoid filling the hard disk array with unpruned historical segments.

Engineer FAQ

Can Process Historian run in a workgroup environment without an Active Directory domain?

Yes, but workgroup environments require exact user account synchronization: identical usernames and passwords must exist on all participating PC stations, and all users must belong to the CC_PH_Users group.

What is the purpose of the PH-Ready component on the WinCC OS?

PH-Ready packages process values and alarms into compressed MSMQ telegrams, guaranteeing store-and-forward resilience so no data is lost if the network connection to the Historian drops temporarily.

Can Process Historian 2014 archive data from multiple WinCC OS projects simultaneously?

Yes. A single Process Historian server can archive data from multiple OS Servers, redundant OS server pairs, and SIMATIC BATCH servers across the plant.

Technical References

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Related Tags

  • Process Historian
  • WinCC v7.3
  • MSMQ
  • Long-Term Archiving
  • Historian Troubleshooting
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