Resolving PCS 7 AS PO License Transfer Errors on CPU 410-5H

Critical distinction: Two PO license families exist for the CPU 410-5H. Mis-treating one as the other is the most common cause of the "transfer failed" symptom reported to PCS 7 support.\div>

Problem Overview: AS PO License Transfer Failure on CPU 410-5H

The reported failure mode is consistent across PCS 7 V8.x, V9.0, and V9.1 deployments. An engineer purchases an AS RT PO 1000 license (MLFB 6ES7653-2BB00-0XB5) and attempts to "transfer" the license key into the AS via ALM, the same way a STEP 7 / TIA Portal user would push a WinCC option or a PC-based runtime license. ALM either rejects the license as "not assignable" or returns a target device mismatch because the PO license is not bound to a hardware serial number in the same manner as a CP, FM, or PC-based option license.

For the CPU 410-5H, PO accounting is split between two independent channels:

• AS RT PO — counted at compile/download time, derived from the CFC/SFC chart footprint, the I/O count, the driver blocks, and the PO-equivalent blocks resident in the AS load image.
• AS SE PO — counted from the System Expansion Card (SEC) physically inserted in the CPU 410-5H backplane. The SEC carries its own serial number, and SE PO increments are written to that card through ALM using a License Key USB stick that targets the SEC hardware.

The error described in the source ticket is therefore expected ALM behavior, not a defective license or wrong catalog reference. The license itself is valid; the chosen transfer path is wrong for the PO family in question.

CPU 410-5H License Architecture: AS RT PO vs System Expansion PO

The CPU 410-5H (MLFB 6ES7410-5HX08-0AB0) is the high-availability AS controller introduced with PCS 7 V8.1 and continuously maintained through PCS 7 V9.x. It ships with a base PO pool and accepts up to two System Expansion Cards on the rear of the module. Each SEC adds discrete capacity that the firmware recognizes at power-up.

License Type	MLFB Family	Counted By	Transfer Path	Bound To
AS RT PO (base)	6ES7653-2BB0x-0XB5	CFC/SFC compile	Implicit at chart download	AS project / license key on ES
AS SE PO (expansion)	6ES7653-2CA00-0XK0 / -2CC00-0XK0	System Expansion Card	ALM target → SEC serial number	SEC hardware serial
AS RT PO upgrade	6ES7653-2BB0x-0XB5 (increments)	CFC/SFC compile	Implicit at chart download	AS project / license key on ES

The bundle 6ES7656-6CL30-1BF0 ships pre-configured with:

• 2 × CPU 410-5H, each carrying AS RT PO 100 as the base runtime count.
• 2 × System Expansion Card with PO 500 each, providing the SE PO ceiling before further expansion is required.
• 2 × synchronization modules (2 × 10 m sync cable, 2 × 1 m FO cable) for the H-system link.
• 1 × UR2-H aluminum rack (2 × 9 slots) and 2 × PS 405/407 (UC 120/230 V, 10 A) redundant power supplies.
• IL-Runtime License Bundle Release F (1 user).

The base AS RT PO 100 from the controller + PO 500 from each SEC yields a combined per-CPU capacity of 600 PO before external expansion is purchased. For an H-system, capacity is tracked per CPU; both CPUs receive identical PO accounting.

Root Cause: Why AS PO Licenses Do Not Drag-and-Drop in ALM

Process Objects are not a software option that lives on the AS firmware. They are an accounting unit. PCS 7 measures PO consumption from the chart count, the block types instantiated, and the runtime structure that results after a CFC/SFC compile. The license key on the engineering station simply authorizes the ES to push a chart set whose PO total fits inside the limit recorded on the license.

The booking mechanism is therefore:

1. The engineer opens the PCS 7 project in SIMATIC Manager (or the PCS 7 Engineering toolchain on V9.1).
2. The ES counts PO equivalents for every chart assigned to the AS (driver blocks, I/O channels, control blocks, SFC instances).
3. On chart compile and download, the AS firmware refuses the load if the PO total exceeds the licensed AS RT PO ceiling.
4. On successful download, the licensed PO count on the ES is decremented by the PO total of the loaded chart set.

ALM does not participate in step 3 or step 4. ALM is the custodian of the license key, not of the PO total. When the engineer opens ALM and looks for an AS RT PO license to "transfer to the AS," the catalog entry they see is the catalog part number — not an indication that the key needs to be pushed to a target device.

Hardware Inventory: 6ES7656-6CL30-1BF0 Bundle Configuration

Before any license work, confirm receipt of every line item. Missing components will block the H-system commissioning regardless of the license state.

Component	Quantity	Function
CPU 410-5H Process Automation	2	H-redundant AS controllers
System Expansion Card PO 500	2	SE PO ceiling (500 per card)
Sync module + 10 m sync cable	2 sets	H-system fiber link
Sync module + 1 m FO cable	2 sets	Short-distance backup link
UR2-H aluminum rack (2 × 9 slots)	1	Mounting chassis
PS 405/407 UC 120/230 V 10 A	2	Redundant power supply
IL-Runtime License Bundle Release F	1	Operator Station runtime
AS RT PO 1000 (license only, USB stick)	1	Customer-supplied, MLFB 6ES7653-2BB00-0XB5

Record the serial number of each CPU 410-5H and each System Expansion Card. The SEC serial number is the target address for any future SE PO upgrade performed through ALM.

Pre-Download Diagnostic Checks

Run these checks before attempting the chart download that will exercise the PO accounting. Each check has a deterministic pass/fail and prevents wasted cycle time on a failed download.

1. Verify ALM sees the AS RT PO 1000 key. Open ALM on the ES, navigate to the connected license server, confirm the entry "PCS 7 AS-RT-PO 1000" is listed with status Valid. If the key is on a USB stick, plug it into the ES and allow ALM to install it locally before continuing.
2. Confirm the engineering station is the license host. The ES must be the workstation on which the AS RT PO key is installed, or it must point to a license server that holds the key. A standalone OS cannot book PO for an AS it cannot reach.
3. Confirm PG/PC interface assignment. In SIMATIC Manager → Options → Set PG/PC Interface, the TCP/IP access point must resolve to the CP 443-1 (or the Ethernet port on the CPU 410-5H if used) and not to an unrelated network adapter.
4. Read the existing PO count on the AS. Use the AS diagnostics faceplate in WinCC Explorer, or the Web diagnostics page of the CPU 410-5H, to display the currently licensed PO total and the in-use PO total.
5. Compute the project PO total. In SIMATIC Manager, right-click the AS → Chart folder → Properties → "PO" tab. Record the value; this is the count the download will attempt to book.

Decision rule: if Project PO ≤ (Base AS RT PO + SE PO from both SECs + any purchased RT PO increments), proceed to download. If Project PO exceeds the total licensed ceiling, the download will be rejected by the AS firmware with a PO overflow diagnostic.

AS RT PO Booking Procedure via the Engineering Station

The correct transfer mechanism for an AS RT PO license is the chart compile and download workflow. Follow the steps in order.

1. Open the PCS 7 project on the ES that holds the AS RT PO license key.
2. In SIMATIC Manager, expand the S7 Program of the target AS and select the Charts folder.
3. Right-click the AS → Compile and Download Objects. Choose Charts as the scope; do not include OS server download at this stage.
4. On the Compile dialog, verify the PO total displayed matches the value from the Pre-Download Diagnostic step 5. The ES counts PO from the chart set and compares it to the licensed AS RT PO ceiling recorded on the local ALM installation.
5. On the Download dialog, confirm the target AS is reachable (MAC/IP visible). The download proceeds.
6. The AS firmware accepts the load only if Project PO ≤ licensed PO. On success, the AS diagnostics faceplate reflects the new in-use PO count.
7. Open the License Key view in ALM. The AS RT PO 1000 key remains installed locally; no transfer dialog is invoked.

SE PO Expansion via ALM: Step-by-Step

Only SE PO requires an ALM transfer action, because the SE PO ceiling lives on the System Expansion Card hardware in the CPU 410-5H. Use ALM only when expanding the SEC beyond its factory PO 500 rating.

1. Insert the System Expansion Card into the rear slot of the CPU 410-5H. Power up the AS. The SEC serial number is reported in the AS diagnostics faceplate under Module Information → System Expansion.
2. Record the SEC serial number (format: S C-XXXXXXXX).
3. Open ALM on the ES or license server. In the left tree, expand the target computer; right-click and choose Connect to Target System if the SEC is recognized over the network, or skip this step if the upgrade is performed via USB.
4. Insert the License Key USB stick for the SE PO increment (MLFB 6ES7653-2CA00-0XK0 for +100, or 6ES7653-2CC00-0XK0 for +500).
5. In ALM, choose License Key → Upgrade License Key. Select the source key (the existing PO 500 on the SEC) and the target key (the increment on the USB stick).
6. When prompted for the target device, enter the SEC serial number recorded in step 2. ALM writes the upgraded license back to the same SEC.
7. Power-cycle the AS (or the CPU 410-5H individually) so the firmware rereads the SEC.
8. Verify the new PO ceiling in the AS diagnostics faceplate under System Expansion → PO Limit.

Ordering Additional SE PO License Increments

When the existing PO 500 SEC capacity is fully consumed and additional chart growth is required, purchase SE PO increments as license-only deliverables. These are downloaded from the Siemens online delivery portal onto a License Key USB stick and upgraded onto the existing SEC through ALM.

MLFB	Increment	Delivery Form	Order Qty for H-System
6ES7653-2CA00-0XK0	+100 SE PO	License Key USB stick	2 (one per CPU)
6ES7653-2CC00-0XK0	+500 SE PO	License Key USB stick	2 (one per CPU)
6ES7653-2BB00-0XB5	+1000 AS RT PO	License Key USB stick	1 (shared per AS project)

Note that the AS RT PO 1000 (MLFB 6ES7653-2BB00-0XB5) is shared across the project on the ES. It is not duplicated for the redundant CPU; the ES counts PO once per project and the count applies to both AS members.

H-System Redundancy: Dual CPU Considerations

The CPU 410-5H runs in a hot-standby redundant pair. PO accounting is duplicated on each CPU's diagnostics page, but the licensing ceiling must match on both sides. Asymmetric capacity is permitted by the firmware but is not a recommended operating state, because if the primary CPU fails and the standby takes over with a higher PO ceiling, the chart set already loaded is still constrained by the lower of the two ceilings.

• Symmetric upgrade path: Apply the same SE PO upgrade to each SEC at the next maintenance window.
• Asymmetric upgrade path: Acceptable during a phased expansion if you must bring new PO online ahead of a planned outage. Schedule the second CPU's upgrade to match within one maintenance cycle.
• Replacement scenario: If a CPU is replaced under warranty, the SEC from the failed unit does not transfer; the new CPU ships with a fresh PO 100 base. Re-apply SE PO upgrades to the new CPU's new SEC by re-running the ALM upgrade procedure against the new serial number.

Verification: Confirming PO Counts After Download

After the chart download and any SE PO upgrade, verify that the new PO accounting is in effect on both CPUs of the H-system.

1. On the AS diagnostics faceplate, navigate to Module Information → System Data → Process Objects. Record the licensed PO total, in-use PO total, and free PO total.
2. Repeat on the standby CPU. The values must match.
3. In SIMATIC Manager, right-click the AS → Chart Folder → Properties → PO. The recorded PO total should equal the in-use PO total from step 1.
4. In WinCC Explorer, open the OS server project and confirm the diagnostic view shows the same PO count from the AS side.
5. Trigger a forced switchover (master/standby swap) and confirm the PO counts remain consistent on the new primary.

Troubleshooting Matrix: Common Errors and Resolutions

Symptom	Root Cause	Resolution
ALM "target device not found" when transferring PO license	AS RT PO does not require a transfer target; engineer attempted a drag-and-drop to the AS	Install the key on the ES. PO is booked automatically on chart download.
Download rejected with PO overflow diagnostic	Project PO total exceeds AS RT PO + SE PO ceiling	Reduce chart footprint, increase SE PO via ALM, or purchase AS RT PO increments.
ALM reports SE PO upgrade "license key invalid"	Wrong target serial entered; upgrade targeted the CPU instead of the SEC	Re-enter the SEC serial number (printed on the card and shown in module info).
PO count differs between primary and standby after upgrade	SE PO upgraded on only one CPU's SEC	Repeat the ALM upgrade procedure against the second SEC. Match the order quantity: 2 × increment for an H-system.
License appears in catalog but cannot be located in ALM	License Key USB stick not yet installed on the ES or license server	Insert USB stick; ALM auto-installs the key. Restart ALM if the entry does not appear.
Chart compile succeeds but download fails immediately	PG/PC interface misconfigured; ES cannot reach the AS IP/MAC	Correct the TCP/IP access point in Set PG/PC Interface; verify route to AS subnet.
PO 1000 license available on OS, not on ES	AS RT PO is an AS-licensed product; must reside on the ES that compiles charts for the AS	Move the AS RT PO key to the engineering station or its license server.
TIA Selection Tool shows the license as compatible; ALM rejects transfer	TIA Selection Tool catalogs the part number; ALM enforces the licensing model. The two views are not in conflict.	Accept the catalog visibility; do not attempt a transfer in ALM. Use the chart compile/download path.

Reference Documents and Tools

• SIMATIC PCS 7 CPU 410-5H Process Automation manual (Siemens Industry Online Support) — module description, SEC installation, PO accounting.
• SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering System — PO licensing and chart compile workflow
• Automation License Manager (ALM) — operating manual
• PCS 7 V9.0 release notes — AS RT PO and SE PO licensing changes
• Siemens Industry Mall — catalog reference for MLFB 6ES7653-2Bx0x-0XB5 and 6ES7653-2Cx00-0XK0