Downloading S7-PLCSIM V15.1 Update 1: Complete Install Guide

S7-PLCSIM V15.1 Update 1 is the simulation runtime that mirrors the behavior of S7-1200, S7-1500, ET 200SP, ET 200pro, and the S7-1500 Software Controller inside a TIA Portal V15.1 engineering station. The Update 1 package is classified by Siemens as export-restricted software, which is why the download is gated behind a manual approval workflow on the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. This reference explains the end-to-end process: confirming system requirements, completing the export-restricted registration, retrieving the installer packages from the CAx download manager, installing the base V15.1 release followed by Update 1, and verifying the integrated simulation environment inside TIA Portal.

1. Overview of S7-PLCSIM V15.1 and Update 1

S7-PLCSIM is the standard Siemens PLC simulator for the SIMATIC S7-1200 and S7-1500 controller families. It allows engineers to download, test, and debug STEP 7 programs on a software instance of the controller without requiring physical hardware. The V15.1 release is the component branch that ships with TIA Portal V15.1 (Engineering Framework) and supports the same CPU firmware targets (FW V2.x for S7-1200 and FW V2.5 / V2.6 for S7-1500) that TIA Portal V15.1 generates.

Update 1 (V15.1 Upd1) is a maintenance release that patches defects and adds minor functional improvements. It must be installed on top of the V15.1 base package. You cannot install Upd1 on a clean machine that does not already have the V15.1 base product installed.

The Updates article is published in the SIOS entry Updates for PLCSIM V15.1 (ID 109764220) and explicitly notes that the software is no longer actively maintained. Despite the maintenance status, the package remains the only sanctioned path to a TIA Portal V15.1 simulation environment.

2. Prerequisites

Before you can install S7-PLCSIM V15.1 Update 1, your engineering workstation must satisfy the following requirements. Failing any of these conditions either blocks the installation or produces silent failures during TIA Portal integration.

2.1 Operating System

• Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit, Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate)
• Windows 10 (64-bit, version 1607 or later, Professional / Enterprise)
• Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) Std / Datacenter
• Windows Server 2016 (64-bit) Std / Datacenter

2.2 TIA Portal V15.1 Base Installation

S7-PLCSIM V15.1 is a sub-component of the TIA Portal V15.1 framework. The TIA Portal Setup must already be installed and registered, because PLCSIM registers as an add-in against the TIA Portal installation root. If TIA Portal V15.1 Update 1+ is installed, the PLCSIM Add-In is automatically enabled during PLCSIM install.

2.3 Hardware Requirements

2.4 User Account Privileges

Local administrator rights are required to run the Setup.exe launcher. S7-PLCSIM installs:

• Automation License Manager service (if not already present)
• S7-PLCSIM virtual Ethernet adapter driver
• PLCSIM OPC UA server service

2.5 Siemens Industry Online Support Account

An active SIOS account is mandatory. Export-restricted software is gated behind an additional manual approval workflow that can take 2 weeks to 3 months. You must register for the "Extended Registration for Export-Restricted Software" and wait for an email from Siemens confirming that your profile is unlocked.

3. Registering for Export-Restricted Software Download

The most common cause of "I cannot download the package" reports is missing export-restricted approval. Standard SIOS accounts can browse all public articles, but the actual download of the Upd1 executable is intercepted by an additional authentication step.

3.1 Create or Verify Your SIOS Account

1. Open the Siemens Industry Online Support portal.
2. Click Register in the top-right and provide a corporate email address. Use a domain you control - public webmail addresses (gmail, hotmail, yahoo) are sometimes flagged during manual review.
3. Confirm the registration through the verification email sent within minutes of submission.

3.2 Enable the Extended Registration

1. Sign in and open My Profile > Account > Extended Registration.
2. Select the checkbox I would like to register for the download of export-restricted software.
3. Provide all required company data (name, address, country, intended use). The end-use statement is reviewed by Siemens export compliance.
4. Submit the request and wait for the approval email. There is no fixed SLA; documented cases range from a few business days to several months depending on country of registration.

3.3 Verify Approval Before Downloading

When your profile is approved, the download buttons for export-restricted articles will become active. If the button still says Login / Register even after logging in, your approval is not yet active. Logging out, restarting the browser, and clearing cookies is the fastest reset.

4. Downloading the S7-PLCSIM V15.1 Base Package

The base S7-PLCSIM V15.1 package is distributed as a trial through SIOS entry ID 109761045. The trial license activates for 21 days, after which a floating license (transferred from an Automation License Manager server) is required.

1. Navigate to the SIOS article for S7-PLCSIM V15.1 base (search PLCSIM V15.1 in SIOS; the trial package is normally visible at ID 109761045).
2. Click Download and choose a delivery channel:

• Direct download - a single executable (.exe) launcher
• CAx Download Manager - splits the package into smaller parts and supports resume; recommended for large downloads

3. If using the CAx Download Manager, install the manager, log in with your SIOS account, paste the article number, and add the package to the download queue.
4. Save the package to a working directory with at least 8 GB free, for example D:\Siemens\Installers\PLCSIM_V15_1\.
5. Verify the SHA-1 / SHA-256 hash published in the article if listed; mismatched hashes indicate a corrupted transfer.

5. Downloading the Update 1 Package

The Update 1 package is published in SIOS article Updates for PLCSIM V15.1 (ID 109764220). Unlike the base package, Upd1 is not available as a trial - it requires an existing floating license or a customer-licensed seat.

1. Open the SIOS article 109764220 directly.
2. Confirm the Extended Registration indicator is green on your profile. If it is not, the download button is disabled and the request will fail with an authentication error.
3. Click Download. The article will route you to the CAx Download Manager (the same manager used for the base package).
4. Add the Upd1 package to the queue and download it to the same working directory used for the base package.

6. Installation Sequence

The installation order is critical. PLCSIM Upd1 cannot be installed on a workstation that does not already host the V15.1 base product. Reversing the order produces an immediate rollback with error code 0x80004005 (E_FAIL) in the Setup log.

6.1 Install the Base Package

1. Right-click the PLCSIM_V15_1.exe launcher and select Run as administrator.
2. Select Install and accept the license terms.
3. Choose the installation path. The default is C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\PLCSIM\V15.1\.
4. When prompted, select the components:

• S7-PLCSIM V15.1
• PLCSIM OPC UA Server (required for OPC UA connections from external HMI/SCADA)
• Documentation (PDF manuals)

5. Wait for the Setup to complete. A typical install takes 10 - 20 minutes on an SSD.
6. Do not restart immediately if prompted. Reboot only when the installer returns the Restart required dialog.

6.2 Verify the Base Install

Before installing Upd1, confirm the base package is registered correctly.

1. Open TIA Portal V15.1.
2. Create or open any project that contains an S7-1500 CPU.
3. Click Start Simulation in the toolbar. The PLCSIM launcher should appear with a green PLCSIM ready indicator.
4. If Start Simulation is greyed out, open Help > Installed Software and confirm S7-PLCSIM V15.1 is listed. A missing entry indicates a silent installation failure - check the Setup log in %TEMP%\Siemens\SetupLogs.

6.3 Install Update 1

1. Right-click the PLCSIM_V15_1_Upd1.exe launcher and select Run as administrator.
2. Accept the license terms.
3. The installer detects the existing V15.1 base install and offers an Update path. Confirm.
4. Wait for the Setup to complete. Upd1 typically installs in 5 - 10 minutes.
5. Reboot the workstation when prompted. A clean boot is required for the PLCSIM virtual network driver to bind correctly.

7. Verifying the Integrated Installation

After the workstation has rebooted, run a full integration check to confirm that PLCSIM V15.1 Update 1 is operational inside TIA Portal.

7.1 Software Inventory

Open TIA Portal V15.1 > Help > Installed Software and verify the following entries are present:

7.2 Live Simulation Test

1. In TIA Portal V15.1, open an existing project with an S7-1500 CPU (or create a new one and add an S7-1500 CPU such as 6ES7511-1AK02-0AB0).
2. Compile the hardware configuration (HW > Compile) and the software blocks (PLC > Compile).
3. Click Start Simulation in the toolbar.
4. Wait for the PLCSIM instance window to open. Confirm:

• The RUN LED is green
• The MAINT LED is off
• The ERROR LED is off

5. Download the project to the simulated PLC (Online > Download to Device).
6. Toggle an input bit in the PLCSIM instance. Verify the corresponding output updates in the project online view.

7.3 Watch Table / Trace Test

1. Open a watch table and force a tag. PLCSIM must accept the force.
2. Open the Traces editor, configure a 1-second trace on a real tag, and start the recording. PLCSIM should return sample points.

7.4 OPC UA Connectivity Test (Optional)

If the OPC UA server component was installed, open a UA client (UaExpert is the canonical test client) and connect to opc.tcp://<plcsim-host>:4840. A successful browse of the server namespace confirms the OPC UA stack is operational.

8. Cross-Platform Notes: VMware and Physical Hosts

A common scenario - and one that motivates this entire workflow - is migrating a TIA Portal project from a virtualized Windows 7 engineering environment to a physical Windows 10 host. Several constraints apply when PLCSIM is the target.

8.1 TIA Portal V15.1 on Windows 10

Windows 10 (build 1607 or later) is a supported target for TIA Portal V15.1. The combination of physical Windows 10 + TIA Portal V15.1 + PLCSIM V15.1 Update 1 is the standard, fully supported deployment topology for new engineering seats.

8.2 TIA Portal V15.1 Inside a Windows 7 VM

TIA Portal V15.1 runs on Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit). However, the PLCSIM virtual network adapter driver depends on the Windows Filtering Platform and may produce transient errors under heavy VM host CPU oversubscription. Best practice when consolidating to a physical Windows 10 host:

1. Archive the TIA Portal V15.1 project on the VM (Project > Archive).
2. Transfer the archive to the physical Windows 10 host.
3. Retrieve the archive (Project > Retrieve).
4. Re-compile the hardware configuration against the new installation - some device catalog revisions differ between the VM image and a fresh physical install.
5. Download into PLCSIM V15.1 Update 1 and validate the test sequence.

9. Troubleshooting Matrix

10. Frequently Asked Questions