Siemens SIMATIC IPC427E

The SIMATIC IPC427E is an embedded IPC with 6th generation Intel Core-i processors that can be used for control, data collection, or communication tasks at the machine or process level. It offers low mounting depth and different mounting possibilities, with all interfaces on one side for easy integration in existing plants.

For more information refer to the information materials provided by the manufacturer:

• Product page
• User manual

Device specifications

The table below contains the key specifications of the specific hardware model that has been certified for Nerve usage. Use the article number listed here when ordering the device from the manufacturer only. Note that other device variants are not supported as Nerve Devices.

If required, contact sales@tttech-industrial.com for help with ordering Nerve Devices.

Setting up the device for Nerve usage

Follow the instructions below to set up the hardware, install the Nerve software and make the node ready for use in the Management System. Note that the materials provided by the device manufacturer are also required to continue.

Requirements for the instructions below:

Refer to the user manual of the manufacturer to set up the hardware. Connect a keyboard and a monitor to the device and make sure that the device is ready to be powered on. Also, prepare a USB drive in case the BIOS version of the device needs to be updated.

BIOS update

To avoid possible issues and complications, the BIOS version on the SIMATIC IPC427E needs to be version 12 or later. Refer to the user manual of the manufacturer for information on how to update the BIOS version.

Required BIOS settings for Nerve

Certain BIOS settings need to be changed to ensure the desired performance of the Nerve system.

1. Power on the device.
2. Press Esc while the device is booting to enter the BIOS menu.

3. Change the following settings:

   Path	Setting
   Advanced > System Agent (SA) Configuration > VT-d	Enabled
   Advanced > Active Management Technology Support > Intel AMT Configuration Screens	Disabled
   Advanced > Memory Configuration > Max TOLUD	2 GB
   Power > CPU Configuration > Intel (VMX) Virtualization Technology	Enabled
   Power > Power & Performance > CPU - Power Management Control > CPU Power Level	Standard
   Power > Power & Performance > CPU - Power Management Control > Intel (R) SpeedStep(tm)	Disabled
   Power > Power & Performance > CPU - Power Management Control > Intel (R) Speed Shift Technology	Disabled
   Power > Power & Performance > CPU - Power Management Control > C states	Disabled
   Boot > Boot Type	Dual Boot Type
   Boot > Add Boot Options	Auto
   Boot > USB Boot	Enabled
   Boot > EFI Device First	Enabled

4. Save the changes and exit BIOS.

Installing Nerve

Requirements for installing Nerve on the device:

In addition, a workstation is required to prepare the bootable USB drive. Connect the monitor and the keyboard to the SIMATIC IPC427E.

Before beginning with the installation, make sure that the device will boot from the USB drive. Press Esc when the device is booting to enter BIOS and change the boot device settings.

On Windows

1. Download the Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img.tar.gz from the Nerve Software Center to a workstation.
2. Extract the Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img.tar.gz file to retrieve the Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img. Depending on the program used, the file might need to be extracted more than once.
3. Transfer the extracted Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img file to the USB drive using Rufus.
4. Plug the USB drive into a USB port of the Nerve Device.
5. Make sure that the device will boot from the USB drive and power on the device.

The setup will start automatically and take a few minutes to complete. Select OK when the installation is complete and remove the USB drive. The device will reboot and reach a log in screen, asking for host access log in credentials. Make sure that the device will boot from the hard disk before rebooting the device.

On Linux

1. Download the Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img.tar.gz file from the Nerve Software Center.

2. Enter the following commands to extract the Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img.tar.gz file and transfer the extracted file to the USB drive:

   tar xf Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img.tar.gz
   sudo dd if=Nerve_Blue_USB-installer_2.5.0_for_siemens-simatic-ipc427e.img bs=4M of=/dev/sd<drivename> status=progress
   sync
   

   Note

   Make sure to replace <drivename> with the system name of the USB drive.

3. Plug the USB drive into a USB port of the Nerve Device.

4. Make sure that the device will boot from the USB drive and power on the device.

The setup will start automatically and take a few minutes to complete. Select OK when the installation is complete and remove the USB drive. The device will reboot and reach a log in screen, asking for host access log in credentials. Make sure that the device will boot from the hard disk before rebooting the device.

Connecting the device to a network

The device needs to be connected to a network in order to communicate with the Management System and perform key features of Nerve. The Nerve system has a designated network interface for communication with the network — the wan interface. This interface is mapped to X2 P1 for this device. Connect an ethernet cable to X2 P1 for establishing network access and communication with the Management System. Note that communication with the Management System is happening over port 443 (HTTPS).

When setting up the device, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding network access:

• Where is the Management System hosted?
  The Nerve Management System is either hosted in the cloud by TTTech Industrial or on premise in the internal company network.
  When the Management System is hosted in the cloud, the node will likely require internet access. The easiest way of doing that is connecting an ethernet cable to X2 P1. The wan interface will then receive an IP address from a DHCP server and establish internet access automatically. However, contact the IT administrator on how to allow devices to connect to the internet inside of the internal company network. When the Management System is hosted on premise, nodes do not necessarily need internet access to communicate with the Management System. If that is the case, it is required to make sure that the Nerve Device and the Management System are located in the same network.
• License activation
  The license activation process is affected by the possible situations described above, making offline license activation necessary under certain conditions. If the Management System is hosted on premise, the node might not have internet access. If that is the case, a file-based offline license activation method is necessary to activate the Nerve license. However, a separate workstation with internet access is required to complete the license activation.

Accessing the Local UI

After the image installation, the device can be powered on after setup for product license activation. For that, a connection to the Local UI needs to be established.

1. Connect a workstation to port X1 P1.

2. Configure the network adapter of the workstation. The IP address has to be in the range from 172.20.2.5 to 172.20.2.254 with a 255.255.255.0 subnet mask.

   Note

   Do not use 172.20.2.27 for the network adapter IP address. This IP address is used internally by the Nerve system.

3. Open a browser window or tab.

4. Enter http://172.20.2.1:3333/ to access the Local UI.

At first, only the required elements to activate the Nerve product license are shown in the Local UI. The full extent of the Local UI is unlocked after product license activation and requires a login. For first time log in use the credentials from the customer profile.

Activating the Nerve license

After logging in to the Local UI, the product license can be activated so that Nerve can be used on the device. Make sure that the Local UI can be accessed as described above. License activation can be done either online or offline.

• Online activation
  When the node has internet access, the node will automatically connect to the licensing server. This is the most straightforward way of activating licenses.

• Offline activation
  In case of the node not having internet access, the license can be activated with a file-based method. However, note that a workstation with an internet connection is required for connecting to the licensing server in order to upload and download files. This might be the way to activate the license if the Management System is hosted on premise.

Refer to License activation in the user guide for more information.

Registering the device in the Management System

With the license activated, the node needs to be configured for use in the Management System through the Local UI. Afterwards the node needs to be registered in the Management System.

1. Make sure that the Local UI can be accessed as described above.
2. Follow this link to connect to the Local UI: http://172.20.2.1:3333/

3. Log in with the credentials from the customer profile.

   

4. Refer to Node configuration for information on how to configure the device for use in the Management System.

5. Refer to Adding a node for information on how to register the node in the Management System.

Additional device specific information

The following information below is device specific information for use with Nerve.

Physical ports and network interfaces

Below is a depiction of the node internal networking adapted to the SIMATIC IPC427E hardware. Refer to Node internal networking for more information. The table offers a quick overview of the network interfaces that can be reached through the physical ports of the SIMATIC IPC427E.