Configuring WinCC v14 Redundant Operator Stations with Dual

Overview

WinCC Runtime Professional inside TIA Portal supports a paired-operator redundant topology in which two identically configured PCs take over the visualization of the same process. Either station can fail, be taken offline for maintenance, or be rebooted without operator-screen loss because the partner machine takes over the process connection. Adding a dual-monitor extension lets a single WinCC Runtime Professional instance drive two physical displays (extended desktop) while the redundancy partnership is preserved across both units.

This reference covers the configuration sequence documented for WinCC Professional V13 SP1 / V14 in the Siemens manual WinCC Professional V13.0 SP1 (entry ID 109096785), section 14.3.2 "Configuring the redundant system", together with the multi-monitor how-to (entry ID 109744837) and the WinCC Unified redundancy requirements described in the TIA Portal V20 What's New – Redundancy documentation. Although the V20 entry describes WinCC Unified, the hardware/OS parity rule applies equally to the WinCC Professional redundancy model.

Topology and Component Roles

In a redundant operator-station configuration, two engineering/runtime PCs host the same WinCC Professional project. Each runs an independent WinCC RT Professional service that maintains its own connection to one or more PLCs (S7-1200, S7-1500, S7-300/400). The two stations communicate continuously over the redundancy LAN using the WinCC redundancy channel and exchange:

• Lifecycle state (master, standby, fault, passivated).
• User-archive and tag values for hot-standby handover.
• Audit-trail / logging context when the option is licensed.

Both PCs can also drive a dual-monitor desktop (left monitor = main process overview, right monitor = detail faceplates / alarm overview). The monitor layout is part of the project, not the redundancy logic; therefore both partner stations must be configured with the same screen resolution per monitor to avoid visual drift after a switchover.

Prerequisites

Step-by-Step: Project-Side Redundancy Configuration

1. Open the WinCC Professional project in TIA Portal V14.
2. In the project tree, select the HMI device that represents the first operator station (OS_1).
3. Open Properties > Redundancy and enable Operate as redundant partner. Assign a unique redundancy partner IP address and verify the redundancy port (default 5000/tcp – confirm in the manual 109096785, section 14.3.2).
4. Open the second operator-station device (OS_2). Enable the same redundancy role and enter the IP of OS_1 as its partner.
5. Compile both devices. Check that the redundancy tag block (system tags under @Redundancy) is generated on both stations.
6. Download the project to OS_1, then to OS_2. The runtime on the second machine starts in standby; the first machine starts in master.
7. From the TIA Portal "Online > Redundancy diagnostics" view, verify that both stations report the partner as reachable and that the synchronization state is in sync.

Step-by-Step: Dual-Monitor Configuration

The procedure follows the Siemens how-to 109744837 for multiple monitors in WinCC Runtime Professional.

1. In Windows, open Display Settings on OS_1 and OS_2 and arrange the two monitors as an extended desktop. Use the same left/right ordering and the same resolution on both PCs.
2. In TIA Portal, open the OS_1 device and navigate to Properties > Screen > Monitor configuration. Activate Multi-monitor operation.
3. Assign each WinCC screen to monitor 1, monitor 2, or dynamic (start screen). The Overview screen mentioned in the how-to is configured under Runtime settings > Screen management; this entry point was renamed between V13 and V14, which is why the inspector window does not surface it directly in V14.
4. Verify the setting with Compile > Check consistency. TIA V14 will report "Multi-monitor configuration is valid" only when every referenced screen exists on every assigned monitor.
5. Repeat steps 1–4 on OS_2 so the partner station mirrors the layout.
6. Download the modified project to both stations and restart the WinCC RT Professional service.

Remote Access without WebNavigator / Web Access

Because the requirement excludes the built-in WinCC WebNavigator and the V14 Web Access mechanism, the engineering options for off-station access are:

For a redundant pair, the recommended pattern is RDP-over-VPN into the partner PC, with the active master connected through a jump host that resolves either via DNS (with auto-update on redundancy state) or via a manually chosen target. RDP does not consume a WinCC license; it uses the existing Windows session that runs RT Professional.

Network and Firewall Configuration

The redundancy channel uses TCP/IP between the two operator stations. Open the following ports in the Windows firewall on both OS_1 and OS_2:

• TCP 5000 (default WinCC redundancy service – verify in the manual 109096785).
• UDP 5001 (redundancy heartbeat – verify per project compile log).
• TCP 1030–1033 (WinCC RT internal channels for trend, alarm, and tag service).

Both PCs must have:

• Static IP addresses on the redundancy VLAN.
• Same subnet mask and gateway.
• Matching computer names resolved through DNS or a local hosts file (redundancy relies on NetBIOS resolution in addition to IP).

Switchover, Failover, and Synchronization

Once both stations are running, the redundancy layer behaves as follows:

• Master election: The station that starts first becomes master; if both start simultaneously, the lower IP address wins.
• Heartbeat timeout: If no heartbeat is received within the configured supervision time (default ≈ 25 s), the standby station promotes itself to master.
• PLC connection: Only the master holds an active connection to the PLCs; the standby passively receives tag values through the redundancy sync. On switchover, the new master opens its own PLC connections within seconds.
• Operator sessions: Any open client (HMI client on the master, RDP session, or remote operator) loses its connected state on switchover. Reconnection is automatic for HMI clients; RDP users must reconnect.

Verification Checklist

1. From TIA Portal, open Online > Redundancy diagnostics. Both stations must show Status = in sync and Partner = reachable.
2. Stop the WinCC RT service on the master. Within the supervision time, confirm the partner becomes Master and the alarm line on the HMI screen shows the expected "Redundancy switchover" event.
3. Restart the previously stopped service. Confirm it returns in Standby and that the original master does not auto-takeover (re-arm required to avoid thrashing).
4. Open both monitor outputs and verify that the screen population on each monitor matches between OS_1 and OS_2.
5. From a remote client (RDP), connect to the DNS name and verify the RDP session lands on the active master after a forced switchover.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Migration and Version Compatibility Notes

The V13 SP1 system manual (entry ID 109096785) remains valid for V14 redundancy configuration because the runtime redundancy engine was carried forward without functional change in the V14 release. Differences that affect only the engineering interface:

• The Overview screen property moved from the inspector window to the Screen management runtime settings dialog.
• Multi-monitor assignment now uses a graphical layout editor rather than the tabbed inspector in V13.
• The redundancy option package is licensed per station and does not require the WinCC RC license on the engineering station if redundancy is configured in the project tree.