I’m looking to find a way to upgrabe my X90 controler from J4.11 to J4.93 without the use of Automation builder for mass production need.
i have found this thread that tell the possibility, but is limited to AR 4.33 and higher…
Thanks
Hi Tommy,
The oldest supported Automation Runtime version I could find for the X90 PLC is E4.34 which is > version 4.33. Can you show us where you’re seeing J4.11? I want to make sure that’s not a typo.
Hello Tommy,
Welcome to the Community!
You can use the USB or DHCP methods indicated in the OPTION 5: USB INSTALL from AR J4.11. The post is incorrect that these functions are only available with AR 4.33+, as they are also available under older AR versions. I’ll reply to the Share Info thread with additional clarification on that topic (may be sometime this week, still got work to do 
).
It’s likely the BOOT AR version of the X90 which Tommy is seeing when they first receive the PLC. The BOOT AR versions are all lower than AR 4.33.
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I can confirm that the mentioned AR J4.11 is the BOOT AR of a new delivered X90
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Hi Austin, thanks for your support.
The USB installs is not very conviennent for mass production and still don’t work on my side.
I’m looking for an “Out of the Box” solution and with the help online, most solution has prérequis is "It must be activated in the controller.
If I need to be connected to the controller with automation studio, I’ll make the AR upgrade at that time…
I have heard that if you put the controller in a certain mode (Boot, Service, Diagnostique) the USB install will be configured active, but so far I have to fail to upgrade through USB.
I have 75 controller to upgrade and I search for a way to make a procedure easy and hasty.
Il will look further to the DHCP method, but it also said it must be activated in the controller so it’s not looking like it is an out of the box solution.
What is the default configuration for the J4.11 that will allow me to upgrade thought USB or network ?
Thanks,
Thanks for clarifying Austin. That makes much more sense.
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Hello Tommy,
When the X90 is in BOOT mode (booting AR J4.11), it will accept a USB installation and DHCP installation. BOOT is the booting mode of the X90 from B&R. You can also manually place the X90 into BOOT mode using the reset button (short press, release, long press and hold).
Based on the description of your challenge, here’s what I recommend:
Use USB installation for manual/one-off/remote installations. USB installation would be troublesome on a large number of X90 PLCs, as you have indicated you will be commissioning. I still think it’s important to have the USB installation setup for one-off and remote scenarios. The DHCP solution isn’t portable, so having a USB installation backup is handy for those edge cases in your deployment scenario.
The bulk of your software deployment should be through the DHCP + FTP server method. Using DHCP requires some buy-in by your IT department to setup, configure, and maintain the DHCP and FTP server(s). I recommend that this be a separate server/network for your production purposes to insulate from the wider company network.
The brief description is as follows:
• By default, a PLC in BOOT mode will attempt to obtain an IP address via DHPC server.
• DHCP server has ‘vendor-specific codes’ that can be requested by connected devices.
• Connect the X90 to a pre-configured DHCP server, and power it on.
• The X90 obtains an IP address from the DHCP server and will ask if it has a Vendor Class Identifier Code.
• The DHCP server will provide Vendor-Specific Option Code, which is a parameter string to the PLC based on that request.
• The PLC then uses that parameter string to connect to an FTP server where the remote installation package is located.
• The PLC then uses the remote installation package to install the project from the FTP server.
AS Help Links:
Old Diagram of the Ethernet/DHCP Remote Install Procedure.
Configuration of DHCP Server.
Configuration of FTP Server.
Good luck!
-Austin
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Thanks @austin.carpenter this is good information.
I was wondering if the boot mode initiated by RUC (Runtime Utility Center) is compatible with USB install and/or DHCP/FTP install.
In the X90 configuration, there is no FTP install options accessible for configuration.
Is this some kind of hide setting that is activated by default ?
From B&R Automation Studio:
From X90 SDM:
What function are you looking at in RUC are you looking at? I don’t recall off the top of my head a function to reboot a PLC into BOOT mode.
AS is telling you where the network install setting has been moved from the PLC Configuration - System configuration.
If we move over to the IF2 (ETH) configuration, we can find the network install setting as a child of the Mode configuration setting (get IP address from DHCP server). Enabling the network install feature only makes sense if the project is configured to obtain an IP address from DHCP server (ethernet install is dependent on it).
Thinking about this some more, there is another path. If you are familiar with RUC, you could make some sort of semi-manual configuration to push a project to a PLC. RUC can be setup to transfer a pre-compiled project to a PLC, but you would need some sort of trigger for it and you’d need to know the IP address when you launch the script. It would be programming/program scheduling work, rather than IT work.
I think i was able to achive this with Service mode.
You right and i also found :
It look like this is deactivate by default on IF2, i will make furter test to see if this is activate on boot mode.
II love to work with RUC, but “transfer to target” function i not compatible with J4.11. When i run the script it said explicitly is’t not compatible with my version of AR.
Otherwise with version E4.93 it work great.
honestly your requirements look similar to what is described under ‘Example 5’ here:
in this case we upgrade a CPU with AR < 4.33 to AR > 4.33 by RUC with help by of the external ‘brsnmp.exe’ (which is the base for this repository). ´
We would need an additional step e.g. downloading a ‘raw’ AR which can be found in .sxx files.
brsnmp.exe just adds some missing function in RUC which you normally find in AS in Online/Settings.
To say it simple: if AS can solve your requirements then RUC with brsnmp should be able to do that, too.
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@christoph.hilchenbac this is a fantastic script in RUC, after some try everything work great.
On the git it said (AR > 4.25) but i’t work in 4.11.
thanks for the solution
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You’re welcome.
Would be great if you would share your script or make a pull request, thanks.
@christoph.hilchenbac regardless of the fact I use and X90 and change the filter I use the script as is.
I test every line of the script to understand what I was doing and I can say is genius.
Hi @austin.carpenter and @christoph.hilchenbac.
After some testing the only solution working is the RUC solution and the “Automation studio 4.12”
The USB solution crash my controller ( R/E Solid Green and RDY/F Solid Orange).
The “brsnmp.exe” can find any controller after an update.
I got the same issue with the DHCP option, but at least can have a log of the transfered file to the controller, but same crash.
Once back in boot mode the logger just said, “Installation Package Failed.”
I wonder, there is a way to update the boot mode from j4.11 to a newer version .
If this is not possible, there is a way to create a USB/DHCP package like the “ARUpdate.br” file of the script :
Working Script.
Thanks,
Are there any errors reported in the log file on the USB drive? When AR attempts to load from a USB drive, it will log the action in a text file named “log_[hostname].txt” (where [hostname] is replaced by the host name of the PLC, vxTarget in BOOT mode).
Another hint is that you cannot be connected with Automation Studio when you perform a USB update, so make sure no AS (really, any INA/ANSL connection via PVI/RUC) is active.
Error 30649 is an indication that “The installation of a PIP has failed,” but includes additional information. See the error description in the AS Help, link. You should check your configuration and target restrictions.
Taking the last bullet point about the error number being included in the “Binary data” column, I see you have 00 78 in the screenshot. This is little endian (Intel) format, so we need to arrange the bytes properly, making it 0x7800 in proper written format. Converting 0x7800 from hex to decimal gives us 30720 (AS Help link), which indicates the link to the remote file server didn’t work.
The DHCP option indicates that the PLC cannot reach/login/successfully connect the remote file server.
All boot mode AR are < v4.33 at this time, so there is no upgrade path to those versions.
The Project Installation Package (PIP) generated by Automation Studio should generate a directory ending in “_RemoteInstall” where the X90 OS is loaded for AR versions < 4.33. You can see that in the example screenshot below. This contains the AR 4.93 OS, exactly like the Generate AR Update Structure command in the linked script.
-Austin
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There are only two errors link to a failure to remove files from USB:
No error on DHCP install:
Take note that bolt setup work without issue in J4.93 but not in J4.11.
If the communication failed, why it works in J4.93 and why the log said it works in J4.11?
Like i said earlyer, everything work in J4.93 but not in J4.11 so I’m pretty confidant that my file config is good, at least in J4.93 AR version, only the j4.11 boot mode refuse to work.
