Fixing PLCSIM Advanced Error 0020 0 2 0: S7-1500 Firmware

Problem Description

S7-PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1, build V01.00.01.00_12.01.00.01, returns the message Loading the hardware configuration failed 0020 0 2 0 when TIA Portal V14 SP1 attempts to download a hardware configuration to a virtual S7-1500 controller. The error appears during the hardware-configuration download step regardless of which network interface or PLCSIM Advanced instance configuration is selected, and it is not accompanied by any descriptive online help text in TIA Portal.

The same error family surfaces on the ET 200SP CPU 1512SP-1 PN as Loading the hardware configuration failed 0020 -351. Both variants indicate that the PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 simulation engine rejects a firmware container shipped with TIA Portal V14 SP1.

Root Cause

PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 ships with a fixed image of supported CPU firmware versions compiled into the simulation engine. The runtime validates the firmware container embedded in the TIA Portal project against this internal whitelist before it accepts the download. Firmware revisions published after the PLCSIM Advanced build date are unknown to the runtime and are rejected with the generic 0020 family error.

TIA Portal V14 SP1 ships firmware V2.1 for the CPU 1511-1 PN (order number 6ES7 511-1AK01-0AB0). This firmware post-dates the PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 release, so the simulation engine has no matching image and aborts the download. Older firmware (V2.0 of the same MLFB and V1.8 of the predecessor MLFB 6ES7 511-1AK00-0AB0) are present in the whitelist and download successfully.

Siemens has not published a Siemens Industry Online Support entry mapping the sub-segments of 0020 0 2 0. The error is most reliably diagnosed by binary search on the firmware revision.

Affected Components and Firmware Levels

Other S7-1500 CPU MLFBs released alongside the affected firmware (for example the CPU 1513-1 PN 6ES7 513-1AL01-0AB0 V2.1 and the CPU 1515-2 PN 6ES7 515-2AM01-0AB0 V2.1) are likely affected by the same whitelist restriction. Verify each MLFB against the PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 release notes before assuming compatibility.

Workaround Procedure

The proven workaround is to align the project firmware revision with the PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 whitelist. The procedure applies to TIA Portal V14 SP1.

1. Open the affected project in TIA Portal V14 SP1.
2. Select the CPU in the project tree and choose Properties → General → Catalog Information.
3. Click Change on the firmware version entry.
4. Select a firmware version known to be supported by PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1. For the CPU 1511-1 PN use V2.0 of 6ES7 511-1AK01-0AB0 or V1.8 of 6ES7 511-1AK00-0AB0. For the CPU 1512SP-1 PN use V1.8 of 6ES7 511-1AB00-0AB0.
5. Confirm the firmware change. TIA Portal will prompt a full recompile of the device.
6. Right-click the PLC in the project tree and choose Compile → Software (rebuild all blocks) so that any version-specific block attributes are regenerated.
7. Right-click the PLC and choose Compile → Hardware (rebuild all) to force regeneration of the system data blocks.
8. Start the PLCSIM Advanced instance from the Windows Start menu or from TIA Portal via Online → Simulation → Start.
9. From TIA Portal select the virtual PLC instance and execute Online → Download to device.

Verification

Confirm the workaround by checking three observable states after the download completes.

1. TIA Portal reports Download of hardware configuration completed without errors in the Info window of the download dialog.
2. The PLCSIM Advanced instance shows the virtual CPU in RUN or STOP state in the operator panel, and the diagnostic LEDs reflect the expected power-on sequence.
3. The online view of the CPU in TIA Portal (accessible via Online → Go online) displays the downgraded firmware version under Diagnostics → General → Identification. The Firmware version field must match the revision selected in step 4 of the workaround.

If the download still fails, capture the PLCSIM Advanced log file at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\PLCSIM Advanced\Logs\ and the TIA Portal download log accessible via Project → Documentation → Logs → Download. Cross-check the reported sub-error against the affected-components table above.

Related Error on the CPU 1512SP-1 PN

The CPU 1512SP-1 PN (MLFB 6ES7 511-1AB00-0AB0) emits a sibling error Loading the hardware configuration failed 0020 -351 when its firmware revision sits outside the PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 whitelist. The mechanism is identical to the CPU 1511-1 PN case: the simulation engine cannot instantiate the newer firmware image. The verified remedy is to upgrade the firmware revision from V1.6 to V1.8, recompile the hardware configuration, recompile the software, and re-download.

The change in the trailing sub-error segment (here -351 instead of 0 2 0) is informational only. Both sub-segments indicate that the firmware image itself was rejected. The variant is determined by which firmware container the runtime tried to instantiate and by which internal validation step fired first.

Systematic Diagnosis

Apply the following decision tree when faced with any PLCSIM Advanced download error from the 0020 family.

1. Identify the CPU MLFB and the firmware version currently selected in the project. In TIA Portal navigate to Properties → General → Catalog Information. In PLCSIM Advanced open the operator panel and select Diagnostics → Identification.
2. Compare the firmware revision against the PLCSIM Advanced release notes. Every PLCSIM Advanced release ships a list of CPU firmware versions bundled with the simulation. The release notes are accessible via Siemens Industry Online Support by searching for the PLCSIM Advanced version and the CPU family.
3. If the firmware post-dates the PLCSIM Advanced release, downgrade the project firmware to the highest revision listed in the PLCSIM Advanced release notes.
4. If the firmware pre-dates the PLCSIM Advanced release, perform a full project recompile (both hardware and software) and re-download. Pre-V1.0 SP1 firmware images occasionally fail on first attempt if the system data blocks were generated against an older TIA Portal version.
5. If neither path resolves the issue, capture the PLCSIM Advanced log directory, the TIA Portal download log, and the Windows Application event log from Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application. Forward the bundle to Siemens Technical Support with the project archive attached.

PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 System Requirements and Configuration

PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 carries the following prerequisites that must be confirmed before deeper diagnosis.

Recent PLCSIM Advanced releases (V3.0 and later) introduce additional host requirements, notably Windows 10 1809 or higher and current DCOM security baselines. Engineers who have already upgraded to a newer PLCSIM Advanced release and now face a launch failure should verify the .NET runtime, the DCOM service RpcSs, and the Windows Application event log first before changing the project.

Hardware Support Package (HSP) Installation

The downgrade workaround depends on the legacy firmware revision being visible in the TIA Portal V14 SP1 hardware catalog. If the revision does not appear in the firmware dropdown, install the matching HSP.

1. Open TIA Portal V14 SP1 and select Options → Support Packages → Install HW Support Package.
2. Browse to the HSP file (.zip archive) downloaded from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal.
3. Select the HSP and click Install. TIA Portal will close the project and reopen it after the install completes.
4. Confirm the new firmware revision appears in the catalog by selecting the CPU and navigating to Properties → General → Catalog Information. The new revision must be present in the Firmware version dropdown.

For S7-1500 firmware revisions older than V1.8, the matching HSP is delivered as part of the original TIA Portal V14 installation media. For revisions between V1.8 and V2.0, the HSP is bundled with TIA Portal V14 SP1 Update 1. For V2.0 and later, the HSP is bundled with TIA Portal V14 SP1 itself.

Long-Term Remediation

Siemens has shipped several PLCSIM Advanced releases since V1.0 SP1 that extend the bundled firmware whitelist. Newer releases cover firmware revisions that V1.0 SP1 rejects, including most V2.x revisions of the CPU 1511-1 PN. If the project must use a recent firmware revision (for example, to validate a security update or a new technology object), upgrade PLCSIM Advanced to a release that bundles the required firmware. Confirm the supported firmware list in the corresponding release notes entry in Siemens Industry Online Support before installing.

For mixed-team environments where some engineers use PLCSIM Advanced V1.0 SP1 and others use a newer release, lock the project firmware to the highest revision supported by the oldest PLCSIM Advanced instance in use. This avoids asymmetric commissioning outcomes between simulation and target hardware. Document the lock in the CPU properties comment field so the constraint is visible to every contributor.

For projects that require a firmware revision newer than the simulation can host, use a real S7-1500 CPU plus an ET 200S interface module on the engineering bench rather than the simulation. The PLCSIM Advanced instance is intended for firmware-bounded commissioning and offline testing; it is not a substitute for target hardware when validating recent firmware behaviour.

Logging and Support Bundle

When escalation to Siemens Technical Support is required, assemble the following artifacts into a single archive.

1. The TIA Portal project archive (.zap14 or .zap15 depending on the TIA Portal version).
2. The PLCSIM Advanced log directory %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\PLCSIM Advanced\Logs\.
3. The TIA Portal download log under Project → Documentation → Logs → Download (export to .txt).
4. The Windows Application event log filtered to Source = Siemens Automation and Source = PLCSIM Advanced over the time window of the failed download.
5. The exact firmware revision of the CPU as reported by TIA Portal under Properties → General → Catalog Information.
6. The PLCSIM Advanced version, accessed via Help → About in the PLCSIM Advanced manager.

The combined bundle allows Siemens Technical Support to reproduce the exact whitelist state and to confirm whether the firmware revision is included in the PLCSIM Advanced runtime.

Best Practices

• Pin the firmware revision in the project at the start of development and document the PLCSIM Advanced version used for validation. A comment in the CPU properties (TIA Portal: Properties → General → Information → Comment) is the conventional location.
• Subscribe to Siemens firmware notifications for the S7-1500 CPU family so that new firmware releases are flagged before they affect simulation workflows. The notification feed is available via Siemens Industry Online Support under My Support → Notifications.
• Treat the PLCSIM Advanced release notes as a controlled document. Engineers performing FAT or SAT should record the PLCSIM Advanced version, the project firmware version, and the matching Siemens Industry Online Support entry ID in the test report.
• Avoid blanket firmware upgrades on a simulation-bound project until the corresponding PLCSIM Advanced support is confirmed. A release of TIA Portal does not automatically bring the matching PLCSIM Advanced firmware whitelist.
• Keep the TIA Portal project, the PLCSIM Advanced release, and the Windows .NET runtime on the matrix documented in the PLCSIM Advanced installation guide. The runtime depends on specific .NET Framework versions and DCOM settings; deviating from the matrix introduces failures that look like firmware errors but are actually environment errors.
• Maintain a local firmware-PLCSIM compatibility matrix in the project archive. A simple CSV with columns CPU_MLFB, Firmware, PLCSIM_Advanced_Version, Status provides an at-a-glance reference for every engineer in the team.

Frequently Asked Questions