Technical data

Downloading and Uploading
19.3 Uploading from the Programmable Controller to the PG/PC
Programming with STEP 7
Manual, 05/2010, A5E02789666-01 431
19.3 Uploading from the Programmable Controller to the PG/PC
This function supports you when carrying out the following actions:
• Saving information from the programmable controller (for example, for servicing purposes)
• Fast configuring and editing of a station, if the hardware components are available before you
start configuring.
Saving Information from the Programmable Controller
This measure may be necessary if, for example, the offline project data of the version running on
the CPU are not, or only partially, available. In this case, you can at least retrieve the project data
that are available online and upload them to your programming device.
Fast Configuring
Entering the station configuration is easier if you upload the configuration data from the
programmable controller to your programming device after you have configured the hardware and
restarted (warm restart) the station. This provides you with the station configuration and the types
of the individual modules. Then all you have to do is specify these modules in more detail (order
number) and assign them parameters.
The following information is uploaded to the programming device:
• S7-300: Configuration for the central rack and any expansion racks
• S7-400: Configuration of the central rack with a CPU and signal modules without expansion
racks
• Configuration data for the distributed I/O cannot be uploaded to the programming device.
This information is uploaded if there is no configuration information on the programmable controller;
for example, if a memory reset has been carried out on the system. Otherwise, the Upload function
provides much better results.
For S7-300 systems without distributed I/O, all you have to do is specify these modules in more
detail (order number) and assign them parameters.
Note
When you upload data (if you do not already have an offline configuration), STEP 7 cannot determine
all the order numbers of the components.
You can enter the "incomplete" order numbers when you configure the hardware using the menu
command Options > Specify Module. In this way, you can assign parameters to modules that
STEP 7 does not recognize (that is, modules that do not appear in the "Hardware Catalog" window);
however, STEP 7 will not then check whether you are keeping to the parameter rules.