Configuring WinCC Advanced V13 SCADA Runtime for S7-300 with CP

1. Overview: SCADA Runtime for an S7-300 with TIA Portal V13

This reference covers a complete single-station SCADA build for a SIMATIC S7-315 PN/DP controller programmed with TIA Portal V13 (STEP 7 V13), supervised from a desktop PC fitted with a CP 5612 communications processor and running SIMATIC WinCC Advanced V13 (article number 6AV2102-0AA03-0AA5) as the runtime. The configuration described is a classic cell-level HMI: one engineering station, one runtime station, and one PLC. The same engineering PC hosts the TIA Portal project, the WinCC configuration, and the WinCC Runtime Advanced service that connects over PROFIBUS/MPI through the CP 5612 or over PROFINET through the CPU's integrated PN interface.

The article addresses the most common question raised in cell-level migrations: can the same PC be used as the TIA engineering station and the WinCC runtime station, and what software/hardware is required? The answer is yes. The TIA Portal V13 SP1 (or later) install includes both the STEP 7 engineering toolchain and the WinCC Advanced (TIA) configuration tool, plus the WinCC Runtime Advanced loader. With the right license, the same box runs the configuration and the runtime simultaneously. A CP 5612 (PCI) or CP 5612 A2 (PCIe) acts as the PROFIBUS master for the S7-300 if you do not want to use the CPU's PROFINET port, or as a redundant path if you do.

2. Hardware Components and Part Numbers

The CP 5612 (PCI, 3.3/5 V) supports PROFIBUS DP master class 1/2 with a maximum baud rate of 12 Mbps and includes an integrated MPI interface. The successor CP 5612 A2 is the PCI-Express variant (part number 6GK1 561-2AA01) and is recommended for any new build because the original CP 5612 is in product status PM230 (discontinuation announced). Both cards ship with the SIMATIC NET PC software DVD that contains the configuration tool SIMATIC NET PC-Software 2008 (V8.2) or later, plus the CP 5612 driver used by TIA Portal for routing and by WinCC Runtime for live tag polling.

3. Software Stack and Installation Order

Install the PC software in the order shown. TIA Portal V13 has a hard dependency on the SIMATIC NET runtime and on .NET / SQL components that WinCC Advanced expects.

1. Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit) or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 — Windows 10 is supported from TIA Portal V13 SP1 Update 9 with the Windows 10 compatibility patch.
2. SIMATIC NET PC Software 2008 (V8.2 SP1 or higher) — provides the CP 5612/CP 5612 A2 driver and the OPC server.
3. STEP 7 / TIA Portal V13 (DVD 6ES7 822-1AA03-0YA5 or higher) — STEP 7 Basic V13 + WinCC Basic V13.
4. TIA Portal V13 SP1 / SP2 (optional) — required only if the project uses V13 SP1 firmware-specific blocks.
5. SIMATIC WinCC Advanced V13 (article number 6AV2102-0AA03-0AA5) — bundled with the TIA Portal V13 DVD set or as a separate license.
6. WinCC Runtime Advanced V13 license (article number 6AV2102-0AA03-0BB5 for 128 PowerTags or higher counts 6AV2102-0AA03-0CB5/6DB5 for 512 / 2048 / 4096 PT) — see Section 9.

The TIA Portal V13 DVD contains a common installer that detects the products available in your license keys and installs only those. To add WinCC Advanced to an existing STEP 7 V13 install, run the same installer and toggle the WinCC Advanced option.

4. CP 5612 Configuration in SIMATIC NET and TIA Portal

After the SIMATIC NET install completes, launch "Communication Settings" (also called PG/PC Interface in older versions) from the Control Panel or from Start → Siemens Automation → Communication Settings.

1. Set the access point S7ONLINE to CP 5612 (PROFIBUS). If both PROFINET and PROFIBUS paths are used, leave S7ONLINE on PROFIBUS and create a second access point S7ONLINE_PN for the PROFINET route.
2. Set the CP 5612 node address to a unique PROFIBUS address — typically 0 for a programming device, 1 for an HMI/PC station. The PLC DP master port is usually 2.
3. Set the baud rate to Auto when the bus is not yet configured, or to the fixed rate used by the S7-300 project (1.5 Mbps, 3 Mbps, 6 Mbps, or 12 Mbps are common).
4. In the TIA Portal project tree, add the CP 5612 as a PC station under Devices & networks → PC systems. Insert the module CP 5612 and assign the same PROFIBUS address.
5. Create a S7 connection between the PC station and the S7-300 station. The connection resource is automatically assigned by the S7-300 CPU; for an S7-315-2 PN/DP you have up to 16 S7 connection resources available for HMI/PC use.

Compile the PC station with PC station → Compile and download to push the configuration into the CP 5612 firmware. Without this step the WinCC Runtime will not see the connection.

5. TIA Portal V13 Project Setup for S7-300 + WinCC

A single TIA Portal V13 project can hold the STEP 7 program for the S7-300 and the WinCC Advanced configuration for the HMI. The recommended layout is:

• Project name: Cell01_S7300_SCADA
• Devices and networks → PLC_1: SIMATIC S7-300 → CPU 315-2 PN/DP (order number 6ES7 315-2EH14-0AB0)
• Devices and networks → HMI_1: SIMATIC PC-Station → WinCC Runtime Advanced
• Devices and networks → HMI connection: S7 connection to PLC_1 via CP 5612 (PROFIBUS) or PN interface

Set the HMI connection parameters:

• Station: PLC_1
• Interface: PROFIBUS (CP 5612) or PROFINET (CPU integrated PN)
• Access point: S7ONLINE
• Connection resource: 1 (S7 connection 1, slot 0 of the CPU)
• Connection name: HMI_Connection_1

6. WinCC Runtime Advanced vs Runtime Professional — Choose Correctly

The TIA Portal V13 install exposes two distinct PC runtimes. They are not interchangeable.

For a single desktop PC + one S7-300 + CP 5612 configuration the right choice is WinCC Runtime Advanced V13. Runtime Professional is overkill and the licenses are more expensive. Switch to Professional only if you need multiple operator clients, server redundancy, or the built-in SQL historical archive.

7. PowerTags, HMI Tags, and Address Mapping

A PowerTag is a tag in the WinCC project that has a process connection to a PLC address. Every external tag that references a memory bit, word, data block, or input/output is a PowerTag. Internal tags (calculations, local constants) are not counted toward the PowerTag license.

Examples of PowerTag addresses on the S7-300:

Tag address syntax in the WinCC Advanced tag editor:

To keep the PowerTag count low, prefer bit-packed alarm/status words and structured DBs. One MW with 16 bits carries 16 Boolean values; 16 separate M0.0 .. M1.7 PowerTags would cost 16 license points. The WinCC tag editor supports bit extraction from MW/DBW using the Bit offset field.

8. Communication Path: PROFIBUS / PROFINET / MPI

For the S7-315-2 PN/DP, three communication paths to the PC are available:

1. PROFINET (recommended) — Use the CPU's integrated PROFINET interface (X1 port). Requires a standard Ethernet cable. Configuration in TIA Portal: insert IE General in the PC station or simply use the on-board NIC of the desktop with the access point S7ONLINE_PN. No additional hardware needed.
2. PROFIBUS DP — Use the CP 5612 in the PC and the CPU's PROFIBUS interface (X2 port). Best when the cell already has a PROFIBUS trunk cable. Supports up to 12 Mbps.
3. MPI — Slowest option (187.5 kbps), supported by the CP 5612. Used only for legacy or very small panels.

Typical cycle and load values for an S7-315-2 PN/DP with one PC HMI:

Avoid mixing PROFINET and PROFIBUS in the same TIA project without a routing configuration. If you do, the PC station needs both interfaces configured and the CP 5612 must be present in the project tree, even if WinCC ultimately uses only the PROFINET path.

9. Licensing and PowerTag Count

WinCC Runtime Advanced V13 is licensed by PowerTag count. The license key is loaded into the Automation License Manager (ALM) and checked at runtime start.

The WinCC configuration tool refuses to compile if the project exceeds the licensed tag count. The runtime degrades to "demo mode" and starts a countdown if the license is missing or under-spec'd. Always purchase the next higher tier for headroom.

10. Deploying WinCC Runtime Advanced on the Desktop PC

Once the project compiles cleanly, two deployment options are available:

1. Start Runtime locally on the engineering PC — from the TIA Portal, right-click the HMI device → Start Runtime. This launches rt_adv.exe with the compiled project. Used for commissioning and development.
2. Download the runtime project to the target — in TIA Portal, select the PC station → Compile & Download. The project is transferred to C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Advanced\ and a Windows service SIMATIC WinCC RT Advanced is registered to start it automatically after reboot.

Verify the runtime is running:

Verify the S7 connection is live (from the WinCC Runtime Advanced main menu: Diagnostics → Connections):

• Status: Connected (green)
• Last cycle time: 100-500 ms typical
• Failed read cycles: 0

11. Alternative SCADA Platforms — Ignition and AVEVA

WinCC Advanced V13 is not the only option for an S7-300 cell. Modern SCADA suites from third parties integrate with the S7-300 over PROFINET or over the S7 protocol.

11.1 Ignition by Inductive Automation

Ignition is a server-based SCADA built on Python/Jython, with a pure web client. It connects to Siemens PLCs natively through the S7 driver, so no OPC tunnel is required. The Ignition S7 driver implements the S7 communication protocol over TCP and supports S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. For an S7-315-2 PN/DP, the connection parameters are:

• Hostname: IP of the CPU's PROFINET port
• Port: 102 (ISO-TSAP)
• Rack / Slot: 0 / 2 (typical S7-300)
• Connection type: PG or OP

More on the platform: Inductive Automation SCADA Software. The vendor describes Ignition as a server-centric SCADA with unlimited clients, a single web-based interface, and a Python scripting engine. The PC hardware does not need a CP 5612 for Ignition because the connection uses TCP/IP on the PN port.

11.2 AVEVA (formerly Wonderware) SCADA

AVEVA's platform (System Platform, InTouch, Edge) integrates with the S7-300 over AVEVA Communication Driver for SIMATIC S7 MPI/TCP or via OPC. For a desktop PC configuration similar to the one in this article, the S7 TCP/IP driver connects directly to the PROFINET port of the S7-315-2 PN/DP, no CP 5612 required. AVEVA also offers AVEVA Plant SCADA and AVEVA Edge for smaller installations. Reference: AVEVA SCADA Software and Solutions.

11.3 Decision Matrix

For a single-desktop configuration with one S7-300 and a budget under USD 2,000 of runtime licensing, WinCC Advanced V13 remains the lowest-friction choice because the TIA Portal config and the runtime share the same project. For multi-client or web-based operations, Ignition offers a lower total cost of ownership and a modern web UX; for enterprise-wide rollouts with redundancy, AVEVA is the established platform. Background on what SCADA is and the supervisory control model: What is SCADA?

12. Troubleshooting Matrix

13. Verification Checklist

1. CP 5612 / CP 5612 A2 visible in Windows Device Manager under Siemens PROFIBUS.
2. PG/PC interface access point S7ONLINE set to the CP 5612 (PROFIBUS) for PROFIBUS path, or to the on-board NIC for PROFINET path.
3. TIA Portal V13 project compiles without errors and the S7 connection resource is assigned to the WinCC HMI device.
4. WinCC Runtime Advanced launches; Diagnostics → Connections shows Connected.
5. Tag values update at the configured acquisition cycle; a forced bit in STEP 7 (e.g. M 0.0 = TRUE) reflects in the HMI display within one cycle.
6. Alarm acknowledgement works from the HMI to the PLC (write path verified).
7. Automation License Manager reports the correct PowerTag count with no warnings.

14. Frequently Asked Questions