Backing Up and Restoring GSD Files in SIMATIC Manager V5.5 SP4

Overview

SIMATIC Manager V5.5 stores PROFIBUS DP GSD files, PROFINET GSDML files, and the corresponding device bitmaps in fixed subfolders under the STEP 7 install path. When migrating to a new PC, copying only the S7DATA\GSD folder leaves a subset of DP slaves displaying as the generic DP NORM placeholder in HW Config. The root cause is that the icon bitmaps referenced by many GSD packages are stored separately in S7DATA\NSBMP, and a missing bitmap causes the slave icon — and in some cases the catalog entry — to fall back to the generic DP NORM symbol even though the underlying GSD is correctly installed on the new system.

This reference documents the complete folder-level migration procedure, explains the GSD / GSDML / NSBMP architecture, lists the verification steps that confirm a clean transfer, and provides a troubleshooting matrix for residual post-migration defects. It applies to SIMATIC Manager V5.5 + SP4 + HF8 and to the structurally identical layouts of V5.4, V5.5 SP1–SP3, and V5.5 SP5. The typical master controllers in scope are the CPU 317-2 PN/DP, CPU 317F-2 PN/DP, and CPU 319-3 PN/DP from the S7-300 family, plus the IM 151-7 / IM 151-8 PN/DP and IM 154-8 PN/DP ET 200S heads used as DP master interfaces. The information aligns with the official STEP 7 V5.5 Programming and Operating Manual and the GSDML specification from PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI).

Prerequisites

• Local administrator rights on both source and target workstation.
• Source PC with the original SIMATIC Manager V5.5 + SP4 + HF8 installation accessible. A failing or partially broken install still retains the S7DATA tree in most cases; the framework does not need to be running while you copy files.
• Target PC with STEP 7 V5.5 + SP4 + HF8 already installed and successfully patched. The procedure does not reinstall the framework; it transfers device description data only.
• External storage or network share (USB 3.0 drive, NAS share, or a robocopy target) with at least 1 GB free. A heavy S7DATA library with hundreds of GSD/GSDML packages can reach 1.5 GB.
• OS architecture parity (32-bit ↔ 32-bit or 64-bit ↔ 64-bit). STEP 7 V5.5 is a 32-bit application; on 64-bit Windows the default install path is %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\Step7.
• Optional but recommended: an exported STEP 7 archive (*.zip) on the source PC as a fallback in case the S7DATA migration is incomplete.
• Stop the SIMATIC Manager, HW Config, NetPro, S7-PCT, SIMATIC PDM, and F-Configuration Tool on both PCs before any copy operation.

STEP 7 V5.5 Installation Folder Architecture

The relevant install path is %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\Step7 (Windows 7 / 10 / 11 x64) or %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Step7 (Windows XP / 7 x86). All device description data lives in the S7DATA directory:

The bitmap dependency is the critical detail: a GSD file's text section can be parsed by HW Config without the icon, but the catalog UI and DP master line drawing resolve the icon from NSBMP first. A broken icon lookup cascades into the DP NORM fallback that is reported in the field.

Step-by-Step Migration Procedure

1. Confirm the install path on both PCs. Open a command prompt and run echo %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\Step7 on the source and target. If the source is a 32-bit OS the path is %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Step7 without the (x86) segment; copy from the matching layout on the target.
2. Close STEP 7 and any related tools (SIMATIC Manager, HW Config, NetPro, S7-PCT, PDM, F-Configuration Tool) on both PCs. Do not have the framework reading the catalog while files are being copied.
3. Copy the GSD folder. Mirror the directory Siemens\Step7\S7DATA\GSD from source to the same path on the target. This contains the GSD text, GSDML XML, and any embedded bitmaps. Do not rename files; the catalog key is the device's manufacturer ID + product family string.
4. Copy the NSBMP folder. Mirror Siemens\Step7\S7DATA\NSBMP to the target. This folder is the canonical location for device bitmaps that HW Config loads at catalog startup. Skipping this step is the single most common cause of the DP NORM placeholder after migration.
5. Copy the CFG folder (optional). Mirroring Siemens\Step7\S7DATA\CFG preserves the recently used projects, hardware catalog cache, and STEP 7 user MRU. This step is not strictly required for the device descriptions to load, but it reduces post-migration annoyance with empty recent-project lists and broken catalog sorting.
6. Copy the S7FNS folder (optional). Required only if the migrated GSDs ship F-blocks, F-Slave libraries, or DP-V1 / PROFINET block libraries. The folder is empty on installs that never had F-device GSDs.
7. Preserve folder permissions. Use robocopy "<src>\S7DATA" "<dst>\S7DATA" /MIR /COPY:DAT /R:1 /W:1 to copy data, attributes, and timestamps. Avoid /COPYALL when the source and target are in different domains, as ACLs may break the install.
8. Defragment the catalog by deleting the local cache file S7DATA\CFG\Catalog.ini on the target. The next HW Config start rebuilds the catalog index from the freshly copied GSD / GSDML / NSBMP data.
9. Start SIMATIC Manager and open HW Config on the target. Wait for the "Building catalog…" progress bar to finish before opening any project. The first HW Config open after a migration can take 60–180 seconds because the catalog is reindexed.
10. Open the project that originally used the missing slaves. Right-click the DP master system and select Object Properties; the slaves should now resolve to their proper type names instead of DP NORM.

The NSBMP Folder: Why It Matters

STEP 7 V5.x stores PROFIBUS DP and PROFINET device icons in the NSBMP subfolder. The naming convention is SevenBMPx.bmp for the 16-color default, and additional palette-aware files for HiColor (24-bit) and TrueColor (32-bit) display modes. The folder also contains:

• S7_HMI.bmp — generic HMI panel icons.
• S7_PN.bmp — PROFINET device family icon.
• DP_NORM.bmp — the generic PROFIBUS DP slave icon used as fallback when no device-specific icon is found.
• Manufacturer- and family-specific bitmaps, typically named with the device order number or model string (for example 6ES7153-1AA03-0XB0.bmp for an ET 200S IM 153-1).

When a GSD is installed, the vendor's SETUP.EXE typically drops the icon into both GSD (so the file travels with the GSD installer) and NSBMP (so HW Config can render the icon at startup without scanning the GSD folder). If NSBMP is empty but GSD is populated, HW Config still recognises the GSD, but it cannot resolve the icon at render time. The catalog UI substitutes DP_NORM.bmp, and in the DP master line the slave is shown as DP NORM.

Understanding the "DP NORM" Placeholder

DP NORM is the generic PROFIBUS DP slave type that HW Config assigns when one of three conditions is true:

1. No matching GSD in the local catalog for the slave's vendor ID + product family combination.
2. Matching GSD is present but icon bitmaps are missing from the NSBMP cache (the symptom fixed by copying NSBMP).
3. Matching GSD is present but was installed by a different version of the SETUP that wrote the catalog entries to a private sub-catalog that HW Config does not scan on the next start. This typically occurs when the GSD was installed for STEP 7 V5.4 originally and copied to a V5.5 install without rebuilding the catalog index.

The slave's I/O configuration (slot mapping, GSD version, diagnostic address) is preserved in the STEP 7 project even when the icon is broken. Once the missing GSD or bitmap is restored, the slave re-attaches without losing configuration data. The only case where a project loses slave configuration is when the original STEP 7 project was archived with a non-default catalog path and the catalog path is missing on the new PC — this is independent of NSBMP and is fixed by re-archiving the source project or by re-installing the GSD on the target.

Verification Procedure

1. Open HW Config, click Options > Update Catalog. The catalog refresh should complete without an error dialog. If the update fails, check that the S7DATA\GSD directory is writable — a read-only catalog cannot be updated.
2. Insert a fresh DP slave from the catalog matching one of the previously DP NORM stations. If the slave appears with its proper manufacturer icon, the GSD and NSBMP data are both present.
3. Open the project that contained the DP NORM stations, double-click the DP master, and confirm each slave now shows a proper type name. Click Object Properties on each slave and verify the Module tab lists the correct I/O modules — this confirms the GSD is not just present but parseable.
4. Compile and save the HW Config (Station > Save and Compile). A clean compile means the catalog is fully rebuilt and no GSD references are dangling.
5. Optional: open S7DATA\CFG\Catalog.ini in Notepad and confirm the timestamp matches the time of the last HW Config open. If the timestamp is older than the HW Config session, the catalog was not rebuilt and a stale DP NORM symptom will persist.
6. Cross-check the GSD count: in the command prompt run dir /s /b "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\Step7\S7DATA\GSD\*.gsd" | find /c "\.gsd" on both PCs. The counts must match within a margin of 0–2 files (GSDs containing only GSG supplements do not produce a *.gsd file).

GSD File Version Compatibility Notes

PROFIBUS GSD files exist in five revisions (GSD Rev 1 through GSD Rev 5). STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 HF8 supports all five. The version is declared in the GSD text header (for example GSD_Revision = 5) and affects the syntax of the Module, Ext_Module_Prm, and Ext_User_Prm_Data sections. Newer GSDs (Rev 4, Rev 5) are forward-compatible with STEP 7 V5.5 but are not always backward-compatible with STEP 7 V5.3 or earlier.

PROFINET GSDML files are XML and follow the GSDML specification versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.25, 2.3, 2.31, 2.32, 2.33, 2.34, and 2.4. STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 HF8 supports GSDML up to 2.4. GSDML files with a higher specification version are not parsed by HW Config and the device falls back to DP NORM until STEP 7 is upgraded or the GSDML is downgraded by the device vendor.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Additional Best Practices

• Version the migration target. Create a _backup subfolder under S7DATA and store the previous catalog there before copying a new one. This lets you roll back if a new GSD breaks an existing project.
• Document the GSD set. Maintain a spreadsheet listing each installed GSD's vendor, product family, GSD revision, and install date. The list is essential when a project loaded on a foreign PC throws DP NORM.
• Use HW Config's "Install GSD File" workflow for individual devices, not bulk file copy, when you only need one new device. The interactive installer writes to both GSD and NSBMP and rebuilds the catalog index automatically.
• Use "Install HW Updates" (Options > Install HW Updates) to download GSD updates from the Siemens support server. This is the recommended path for SIEMENS-native devices, while bulk copy is the right approach for third-party vendor GSDs that are not on the Siemens update feed.
• Test F-Slaves with PCS 7 or F-Configuration Tool after migration. The F-Slave address and PROFIsafe parameter are stored in S7FNS and may be lost if that folder is not migrated.
• Verify GSD integrity after copy. Open one migrated *.gsd file in Notepad and confirm the file is plain ASCII text with a header containing #Profibus_DP and a terminating EndModule sequence. A truncated or zero-byte GSD was caused by a permission failure during the copy.
• Keep HF-level hotfixes in sync. Mixing STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 HF8 with vendor GSDs that were validated against HF7 can produce catalog drift. Always apply the latest HF to the target PC before migrating the GSD set.

Frequently Asked Questions