User Manual ControlFLASH® Firmware Upgrade Software Catalog Numbers ControlFLASH 12.00.
Important User Information Solid-state equipment has operational characteristics differing from those of electromechanical equipment. Safety Guidelines for the Application, Installation and Maintenance of Solid State Controls (publication SGI-1.1 available from your local Rockwell Automation sales office or online at http://www.rockwellautomation.com/literature/) describes some important differences between solid-state equipment and hard-wired electromechanical devices.
Table of Contents Preface Purpose of This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 What’s New in ControlFLASH Software, version 11.00.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Who Should Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ...................................................................6 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Contents 4 Rockwell Automation Publication 1756-UM105E-EN-E - October 2012
Preface Preface Purpose of This Manual This manual describes how to use the ControlFLASH® software to upgrade device firmware. What’s New in ControlFLASH Software, version 12.00.00 ControlFLASH v12.00.00 includes the following new features: • ControlFLASH v12.00.00 supports flashing PanelView 5000 using Large Packet (also known as connected messaging) service. If the target device supports connected messaging, ControlFlash uses the large packet service.
Preface • A basic understanding of networking concepts. • A basic familiarity of RSLinx Classic software.
Chapter 1 ControlFLASH Firmware Kit Introduction This chapter helps you get started with using the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit with your application. It includes the following content: • The firmware of devices to be upgraded. • The ControlFLASH software (including supported drivers and online help), which you can use to quickly upgrade the firmware for your devices.
Chapter 1 8 ControlFLASH Firmware Kit Rockwell Automation Publication 1756-UM105E-EN-E - October 2012
Chapter 2 Install the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit A version of ControlFLASH software is installed when you install RSLogix 5000 and Connected Components Workbench. A version is also included when you download firmware bundles from the My Support site at: http:// support.rockwellautomation.com/firmware.asp. Introduction To use this site, you must register a username and password, as well as provide a serial number of an RSLogix5000 product.
Chapter 2 Install the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit 3. Scroll down to find the firmware bundle you need, for example, the 1756L63, series A controller. 4. Click the disk icon. 5. Enter your serial number and click the Qualify For Update button. 6. After you have entered a qualified serial number, you will be able to download the firmware bundle. Install the Firmware Kit If you have already downloaded and installed a firmware bundle, a version of ControlFLASH may already be on your machine.
Install the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit Chapter 2 8. Read and agree to the license and click Next. 9. Click Browse to select the location of the installation. The default location is C:\Program Files\ControlFLASH\. Click Next to continue.
Chapter 2 Install the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit 10. If needed, click Disk Cost to view your drives available and the required disk space and click OK. 11. In the Confirm Installation dialog box, to enable FactoryTalk Security, select the Enable FactoryTalk Security check box. You will be prompted to log on to FactoryTalk when starting ControlFLASH. Click Next.
Install the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit Chapter 2 12. When the installation is complete, select the Yes, I want to launch ControlFLASH to launch ControlFLASH after installation check box. 13. Click Close to complete the installation.
Chapter 2 14 Install the ControlFLASH Firmware Kit Rockwell Automation Publication 1756-UM105E-EN-E - October 2012
Chapter 3 Configuring ControlFLASH Policy in FactoryTalk Policies Introduction This chapter tells you how to configure ControlFLASH security policy in the FactoryTalk Administration Console. IMPORTANT Configure ControlFLASH Policy The illustrations of the ControlFLASH software dialog boxes shown in this manual are samples. Because your system configuration is unique, the dialog boxes you see when running the tool may be different from the ones you see here.
Chapter 3 Configuring ControlFLASH Policy in FactoryTalk Policies 3. Double-click Feature Security. The Feature Security Properties window is displayed. Feature Security is included in FactoryTalk Services Platform 2.30 or later. 4. In the Firmware: Update category, click Browse. The Configure Securable Action window is displayed. 5. Configure the policy settings as RSLogix 5000 does. 6. Click OK to complete the configuration.
Chapter 4 Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH This chapter tells you how to upgrade firmware by using the ControlFLASH software. Introduction IMPORTANT The illustrations of the ControlFLASH software dialog boxes shown in this manual are samples. Because your system configuration is unique, the dialog boxes you see when running the tool may be different from the ones you see here. Before you begin, make sure that you have prepared your network and device for updating.
Chapter 4 Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH 2. Turn the key switch on your processor (if used) to Program mode. 3. Turn on power to the processor. Use the ControlFLASH Software to Upgrade Firmware Follow these steps to use ControlFLASH to upgrade the firmware on your devices. 1. Click Start > All Programs > FLASH Programming Tools > ControlFLASH. The Welcome to ControlFLASH dialog box appears.
Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH Chapter 4 This dialog box tells you to be prepared with the following information: · Catalog number of the target device · Network configuration information (optional) · Network path to the target device · Firmware revision for this upgrade If you have selected the Enable FactoryTalk Security check box during installation, you will be prompted to select the FactoryTalk Directory. Select Network or Local and click OK.
Chapter 4 Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH TIP A ControlFLASH menu is located in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Right-click on the ControlFLASH Icon. 2. After you have the information, click Next.The Catalog Number dialog box appears. 3. Click View Inventory... to...
Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH Chapter 4 4. 5. Select the catalog number of the target device and click Next. The device path dialog box allows you to specify the network path of the target module you are updating. The dialog box varies depending on the target module you are updating. – If you are updating a device with MicroXA or AB_ASA protocol driver, the RSWho dialog box is displayed. To specify the network path, navigate to the network where the device is located and select the target module.
Chapter 4 Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH To specify the network path, in the device path box, enter the IP address or host name of the target module. Cick OK to go to the Firmware Revision dialog box. For more information about the device you are updating, click Get Info. The information is displayed in the Device Identification area. For more information about AB_SNMP protocol driver, click Help. – If you are updating a device with AB_PLC5 protocol driver, the Device Path dialog box is displayed.
Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH Chapter 4 – To see all available revisions that you can update to, select the Show all revisions check box. – To locate another folder that contains the desired firmware revision, click Browse and select the desired folder. ATTENTION: Be sure that this upgrade is the correct one for your device. If not, an unpredictable system result could occur. Contact your technical support specialist for more information. 7. Click Next to go to the Summary dialog box.
Chapter 4 Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH 8. Click More Info to review more about the revision you selected, and click OK to close the dialog box. IMPORTANT Be sure that this update is the correct one for your device. If not, an unpredictable system operation will result. Check with your technical support representative if you are unsure about making the update. 9. Click Finish when you are ready to upgrade the device. 10. Click Yes to continue with the update. The upgrade is in progress.
Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH Chapter 4 12. To view the history of programming events, click View Log. 13. Click OK to complete the upgrade. TIP IMPORTANT If the upgrade does not complete successfully, refer to Appendix A of this manual for more information about errors. Test the operation of the device you upgraded before using it in its intended application.
Chapter 4 Upgrade Firmware with ControlFLASH Access Online Help There is additional information in the online help for this application. Access help from the button that appears on each ControlFLASH software dialog box. For additional information about error messages, press F1 while the ControlFLASH software displays the error message.
Chapter 5 Use the Command Line Introduction This chapter explains how to use the command line to update module firmware and simplify firmware management. You can flash mutiple modules automatically and save time because you do not need to navigate through the software and select each module to flash. Using the command line to flash modules provides the following benefits: · Create applications that flash upgrade groups of devices automatically without having to repeatedly use the ControlFLASH menus.
Chapter 5 Use the Command Line You can use the command line interface of ControlFLASH for flashing devices without user intervention. You can write a script file or some other Windows applications that pass the required parameters to ControlFLASH software. This can significantly improve the time required to flash large systems because each individual flash action does not have to be driven through the ControlFLASH GUI interface.
Use the Command Line Chapter 5 Table 1 - Parameter Options Parameter Description -C Catalog number of device as registered with the current installed ControlFLASH software. To identify installed kits, refer to the GUI version of ControlFLASH software. For example, -C 1756-L63/A -R Firmware revision you need to flash the device to. This revision must be registered for this device with the current install of the ControlFLASH software.
Chapter 5 Use the Command Line is determined by FactoryTalk Services Platform instead of ControlFLASH.. Parameter Description -O This parameter specifies FactoryTalk scope. Example: "-O Network" or "-O Local" Required If FactoryTalk Services Platform is not installed on your machine, then parameter O is regarded as an invalid parameter with an error message Invalid combination of switches displayed on the screen and written to log file.
Use the Command Line Chapter 5 Flash Multiple Devices When creating a script file, there is a switch in the header that lets you flash up to five devices simultaneously. ATTENTION: You should not use this option if flashing network or bridging type devices. ControlFLASH software may start flashing a network card that is currently being used as part of the path to flash other devices under that communication card.
Chapter 5 Use the Command Line Entry Description Version Version of the script file. AbortOnFail When flashing a device failed: 0 = continue flashing the remaining devices. 1 = stop flashing the remaining devices. SkipOnFirmwareMatch If a device to flash already has the matching firmware as stated in the script: 0 = do not skip flashing the device. 1 = skip flashing the device. NumberDevices Flash the first # of devices in this script file, begin with [Device1].
Use the Command Line Chapter 5 Example Script File Text [FlashScript] Version = 0.1 AbortOnFail = 1 SkipOnFirmwareMatch = 0 NumberDevices = 4 SilentMode = 0 MultiFlash = 0 [Device1] Catalog Revision Path [Device2] Catalog Revision Path [Device3] Catalog Revision Path [Device4] Catalog Revision Path [Device5] Catalog Revision Path = 1756-ENBT = 3.3.7 = AB_ETH-1,192.168.166.7,0 1,1 = 1756-CNBR/D = 5.45.10 = AB_ETH-1,192.168.166.7,0 1,2 = 1756-ENBT = 3.3.7 = AB_ETH-1,192.168.166.7,0 1,3 = 1756-DNB = 6.2.
Chapter 5 Use the Command Line Troubleshooting The first step to finding errors in your application is to use the ControlFLASH software log file. This file provides details about why your flashing script or command line request did not complete. This log file resides in the ControlFLASH directory. Before you spend a lot of time analyzing the log file however, make sure that you check the following: · Target devices you are flashing have the correct firmware kit installed.
Use the Command Line Chapter 5 Stop a Command Line or Script Application If you need to stop a flash operation that has already started, press CTRL+ALT+F. ControlFLASH stops executing the current script. ControlFLASH completes flashing any devices currently in the process of being flashed to prevent risk of damaging the target device. Other modules not started in the script are not flashed.
Chapter 5 36 Use the Command Line Rockwell Automation Publication 1756-UM105E-EN-E - October 2012
Chapter 6 ControlFLASH and Factory Talk AssetCentre Interaction Introduction ControlFLASH uses FactoryTalk AssetCentre to log user actions such as flashing a device or starting the application. The following information is included in the log: • Windows credentials • Device being flashed • Path to the device being flashed • Status of the operation The following information is also available in the ControlFLASH log file, as it was in previous versions.
Chapter 6 ControlFLASH and Factory Talk AssetCentre Interaction FactoryTalk AssetCentre FactoryTalk AssetCentre offers a centralized repository for tracking and auditing the changes made to a plant-wide system. Any information related to an application is logged in to the FactoryTalk AssetCentre server.
ControlFLASH and Factory Talk AssetCentre Interaction Chapter 6 The connectivity of the client to FactoryTalk AssetCentre server, if present, is identified with the help of the following registry entry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\ FactoryTalk AssetCentreClient\EventLog Key- Server Value- (Server Name) This registry search is done during the launch of the ControlFLASH application.
Chapter 6 40 ControlFLASH and Factory Talk AssetCentre Interaction Rockwell Automation Publication 1756-UM105E-EN-E - October 2012
Appendix A ControlFLASH Software Error Codes Introduction This appendix describes common error messages you may see when running the ControlFLASH software. Error Message Description Log Viewer Error The event log viewer (Notepad.exe) could not be found Verify that the Notepad application is installed on your system. Catalog Registry Error The catalog registry database could not be read. Check with your technical support representative to verify that the correct database is loaded.
Appendix A ControlFLASH Software Error Codes Error Message Description Out of Memory Error Log File Error The log file could not be accessed because of a file error. Either the log file could not be: • Opened. • Written to because of an error. • Written to because the disk is full. ATTENTION: Check with your application engineer or supervisor before deleting any files. Verify that you are not deleting any files necessary for system operation.
Appendix B Create a Custom Interface to Process Firmware Downloads Introduction This chapter gives you an overview on how you can create a custom interface to batch process firmware downloads. As discussed in previous chapters, you can automate firmware flashing by using a text file that lists devices and single command line. Create a text file that lists all the devices to be flashed and then use a single command line to flash everything on the list.
Appendix B Create a Custom Interface to Process Firmware Downloads Using the fields created, specify the path to the ControlFLASH executable, as well as the text script files you want to use. This example uses separate script files to flash controllers, I/O modules, communication modules, and drives, but it is not required that they be separated. Assuming that the location of the executable and the script files do not change, these configurations need to be set only once.
Create a Custom Interface to Process Firmware Downloads Appendix B While modules are flashing, the tool displays the progress on the right hand side of the window and success or failure messages in the status box at the bottom. Once all selected upgrades are run, the status box shows the overall completion status. How a Custom Upgrade Tool Works The tool in this example was created using Visual Basic .net, but any major programming language can be used.
Appendix B Create a Custom Interface to Process Firmware Downloads The tool then uses the System.Diagnostics.Process.Start function of the .NET framework to launch ControlFLASH software, giving as the arguments the path to the script file with a -T flag in front of it. Example: fileName = "C:\Program Files\ControlFLASH\ControlFLASH.exe" arguments = "-T C:\samplescript.txt" The tool then monitors the ControlFLASH process to detect when it has finished running so the tool can move on to the next step.
Create a Custom Interface to Process Firmware Downloads Appendix B After registering the two messages, an application must override the form's WndProc method to actually listen for these messages For more information, see MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ system.windows.forms.form.wndproc(VS.71).aspx Example: Protected Overrides Sub WndProc(ByRef recWinMessage As Windows.Forms.Message) In WndProc, you first need to determine if the message received is one of the two registered ones.
Appendix B Create a Custom Interface to Process Firmware Downloads In this tool, the progress messages are used to set the values of the progress bars, and the complete messages are used to trigger the success and failure status messages in the lower status box. IMPORTANT At the end of your override of the WndProc method, you must call the base class' WndProc method to handle any other messages sent, or your application will not work. Example: MyBase.
Rockwell Automation Support Rockwell Automation provides technical information on the Web to assist you in using its products. At http://www.rockwellautomation.com/support/, you can find technical manuals, a knowledge base of FAQs, technical and application notes, sample code and links to software service packs, and a MySupport feature that you can customize to make the best use of these tools.
