Take a backup

Hi All,

In my factory, I've several HMIs of SIEMENS.

Can you please tell me what is the best and fast way to take a back up of each HMI ?

Also, which cable I should use ?

Thanks,

Hi Aziz,

Siemens HMIs offer different communication ports that can be used for taking backup but here are a few things that you have to check:

1. See if the HMI has a memory card installed.

    If this is the case, you can get the archived backup file from the card by simply plugging it to your computers card reader. This option is best as you can edit the backup as per your requirements. But also it is the least utilized one. In most of the HMIs I have seen that the supplier never provides a memory card and sometimes even a backup! for obvious reasons.

2. You can use prosave to take a backup from HMI.

   Prosave is one of the best tool that can be used without any license on any computer to restore, backup, and os update as well as to transfer additional applications in case of advanced HMIs. Prosave can take backup using Serial, PPI, MPI, Ethernet as far as I have used it. There are however some issues which I must mention here...

a) Using MPI & PPI as a communication channel is tiresome and time-comsuming as it takes very long time to take a backup and also restoring (heard of upto 3 hours to do the same in some HMIs). Same can be said for the serial option.

b) If the HMI has a PPI/MPI option & you are at leisure, always try to use PPI cable as it is more reliable as seen by experience.

c) Ethernet is the best possible solution I must say due to the fact that it is much faster than MPI/PPI.

d) Prosave backups have an advantage of having firmware included so you have no need to seperately downloading the firmware which helps in decreasing the time required for commissioning the HMIs.

e) As obviously, Prosave backup is non-editable :)

3. The other option that I have used extensively is USB. If you have access to Control Panel in HMI and a USB port, You can directly backup the HMI contents to USB and also restore them to other HMI. This hardly take a minute or two generally for new generation HMIs.

4. For downloading projects that are developed by you, a Pack & Go method is one of the best I have used. It is already discussed in a previous post & helps in faster transfer.

Finally I would add that all other methods except 1 are suitable if both the devices are same i.e you are replacing a KTP 400 Basic PN with another KTP 400 Basic PN, for example.

The first method is best due to the fact that you have a possibility to Migrate (From Protool --> WinCC Flexible --> To TIA) your device as well as change your target HMI too...!

Hope it helps...

I look forward to others to add their valuable suggestions on this topic.

Regards

Egyptian Aziz

Hi All,

In my factory, I've several HMIs of SIEMENS.

Can you please tell me what is the best and fast way to take a back up of each HMI ?

Also, which cable I should use ?

Thanks,

 Hello Aziz, 

Prosave software is what you should use for taking the backups. 

There is no certain cable can be used with all HMI screens to take these backups. 

And you should know that the prosave backup is not editable. You can only restore it again on another HMI screens with the same part number. 

My suggestion that you contact your local Siemens representative if you don't have cables for making that backup. 

also if you are connecting directly with the HMI you need to use a crossed Ethernet Cable 

in my experience when i connected  Laptop directly to the HMI and run Prosave it will not detect it until i used a crossed ethernet cable but if there is a switch in between maybe this problem will not arise