Resolving PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1 Timeout on Windows 10 1809

Problem Summary

Engineers running SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM Advanced V2.0 SP1 on Windows 10 Pro, Version 1809 (the October 2018 Update, build 17763) frequently encounter a power-on timeout that prevents any virtual S7-1500 instance from coming online. The PLCSim Advanced manager raises the message Timeout while powering on PLC instance. after several minutes of attempting to start the instance, and the virtual CPU never reaches RUN or STOP. The same installation works correctly on the operating systems explicitly listed in the PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1 readme, so the failure is environmental, not functional. The trial license of V2.0 SP1 is dated 2018-10-26 and is distributed under Siemens support ID 109758848; the readme shipped with that build only lists Windows 10 builds 1709 and 1803 as supported.

This article documents the exact OS list shipped with PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1, the root cause of the timeout, and the three field-proven workarounds (administrator elevation, deployment on a supported host OS in a VM, and migration to a newer PLCSim Advanced release). The content is targeted at control engineers, TIA Portal integrators, and PLC programmers who need a virtual S7-1500 for FAT, code review, or training and who are blocked by the 1809 timeout.

Affected Versions and OS Compatibility Matrix

Use the following tables to determine whether your workstation matches the failing configuration before you apply the workarounds below. The first table maps the software stack; the second reproduces the official V2.0 SP1 supported OS list as published in the readme.

Error Symptom Detail

After clicking Power on in the PLCSim Advanced instance manager, the following sequence is observed on Windows 10 Pro 1809:

1. Instance state moves to Powering on within 1-2 seconds.
2. The status remains Powering on for 3-7 minutes with no CPU activity LED update.
3. The PLCSim Advanced manager raises a dialog with the message: Timeout while powering on PLC instance.
4. The instance is rolled back to Powered off and the Windows service associated with the instance terminates.
5. The PLCSim Advanced trace file (default path %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\PLCSimAdvanced\Logs) shows the final entry as a WCF / service-host exception rather than a firmware error.

Communication from TIA Portal V15.1 to the virtual S7-1500 also fails with Online: Cannot reach the PLC or Connection to the target system could not be established because the instance never finishes booting. The default wait-back timer in the manager is 5 minutes and is configurable up to 30 minutes via the PLCSim Advanced configuration file; extending the timer only delays the same failure.

Root Cause Analysis

The PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1 build was qualified against the Windows 10 1709 and 1803 kernels. Windows 10 1809 introduced several internal changes - particularly in the way Windows hosts WCF services, the way NDIS 6.40 binds virtual adapters, and the way Isolated User Mode (IUM) processes run - that the V2.0 SP1 service host was not tested against. The power-on handshake is implemented as a Windows service that calls into the PLCSim runtime through a WCF named-pipe binding; the handshake waits synchronously for the S7-1500 firmware image to come up. On 1809, the service-host thread is suspended long enough for the manager's wait-back timer (default 5 minutes) to expire, producing the timeout message.

Because the failure is at the OS service layer, not inside the S7-1500 firmware image, the problem cannot be fixed with a project recompile, a CPU firmware change, or a TIA Portal update. The only durable fixes are environmental: move the host OS to a build that is on the supported list, or move to a PLCSim Advanced release that was qualified against 1809. Engineering teams that cannot change the host OS should treat PLCSim Advanced as a guest-OS workload and run it inside Hyper-V or VMware Workstation.

Workaround A: Run PLCSim Advanced with Administrative Rights

Some users on 1809 have reported that the timeout is shortened - or, in a few cases, eliminated - by launching the PLCSim Advanced instance manager with elevated rights. This is the fastest first attempt because it requires no reinstall and no virtualization. It does not make 1809 a supported OS, but it can unblock a short demo or a code review.

1. Close every PLCSim Advanced window and stop the Siemens PLCSim Advanced Service in services.msc.
2. Right-click the PLCSim Advanced shortcut and choose Run as administrator.
3. Confirm the UAC prompt.
4. Start the instance and watch the time-to-online. If the instance still times out after 5-7 minutes, proceed to Workaround B.

To make the elevation persistent, configure a scheduled task that runs the manager at logon with the Run with highest privileges flag. This is acceptable for a personal workstation; do not use it on a shared engineering server because the elevated service is accessible to every user on the box.

Workaround B: Deploy a Supported Host OS in a Virtual Machine

This is the field-proven solution for engineers who must keep 1809 as their primary workstation OS. The PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1 instance, the Virtual Ethernet Adapter, and the TIA Portal V15.1 project can all be installed on a Windows 10 1803 or Windows Server 2016 guest, and the virtual S7-1500 can be reached from the 1809 host over a host-only or bridged NIC.

1. Create a new VM in Hyper-V (Windows 10 Pro 1809 ships with Hyper-V) or VMware Workstation.
2. Install Windows 10 Pro Version 1803 (final build 17134.x) or Windows Server 2016 Standard with the Desktop Experience.
3. Enable nested virtualization if you intend to run another emulator inside the guest.
4. Install TIA Portal V15.1 with the S7-1500 support package.
5. Install PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1 from the trial download at Siemens support ID 109758848.
6. Restart the guest and confirm the PLCSim Advanced instance powers on in under 30 seconds.
7. Map a TCP bridge or use the host-only virtual switch to expose the virtual S7-1500 on a subnet the 1809 host can reach (for example, 192.168.50.0/24).
8. From the 1809 host, point TIA Portal at the guest's IP and run Online > Extended download to device to confirm end-to-end reachability.

This approach is also the recommended test bench for FAT work because the guest image can be checkpointed and rolled back between test runs, removing any state carried over from the previous engineer. Allocate at least 4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, and 80 GB of dynamic VHD to the guest; PLCSim Advanced + TIA Portal V15.1 will not run comfortably in less.

Workaround C: Upgrade PLCSim Advanced to a Supported Release

Siemens has released PLCSim Advanced versions beyond V2.0 SP1 that explicitly add Windows 10 1809 and later builds to the supported list. If the project is not pinned to V2.0 SP1, upgrading is the cleanest long-term path. The upgrade replaces only the PLCSim Advanced installation; TIA Portal V15.1 continues to be compatible with newer PLCSim Advanced minor releases for S7-1500 projects.

1. Open the PLCSim Advanced instance manager and confirm the current version under Help > About.
2. Open a Siemens support request and request the latest PLCSim Advanced installer that supports your TIA Portal version. Refer to the V2.0 SP1 entry at Siemens support ID 109758848 as the baseline version in your request.
3. Stop the PLCSim Advanced service, uninstall V2.0 SP1, and install the new build.
4. Power on a test instance on Windows 10 1809 and verify the boot completes in under 30 seconds.

Virtual Ethernet Adapter Configuration

The PLCSim Advanced Virtual Ethernet Adapter is a user-mode NDIS driver that bridges the host's TCP/IP stack to the virtual S7-1500's PROFINET interface. It is required for PROFINET device simulation, PUT/GET communication, and TIA Portal Online > Online & Diagnostics over TCP. The adapter is not the cause of the power-on timeout, but it is the feature most engineers want to use on 1809, so the configuration is documented here.

1. From the PLCSim Advanced instance manager, select the instance and click PLCSim Virtual Eth. Adapter > Add Instance Network Interface.
2. Confirm the virtual adapter appears in Windows ncpa.cpl with a name beginning with Siemens PLCSim Virtual Ethernet Adapter.
3. Assign a static IP in the 192.168.0.x/24 range to avoid colliding with the TIA Portal default subnet (192.168.0.1 is the CPU side).
4. In the TIA Portal project, open Devices & Networks > Network view and confirm the online connection works against the virtual adapter's IP, not the loopback address.
5. If you intend to communicate with another virtual S7-1500 over PROFINET, repeat the bind for the second instance and verify both virtual adapters have unique MAC addresses.

If the virtual adapter refuses to bind on 1809 with V2.0 SP1, that is the same OS-incompatibility issue manifesting at a different layer. Apply Workaround B or C before debugging the adapter further. Do not manually edit the registry keys under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services; an incorrect binding can break the WCF pipe and re-trigger the power-on timeout.

TIA Portal V15.1 Integration

TIA Portal V15.1 is the design environment that compiles and downloads the S7-1500 project to the virtual CPU. The integration steps below assume TIA Portal V15.1 is already installed on the same machine as PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1.

1. Open the S7-1500 project in TIA Portal V15.1.
2. Select the S7-1500 CPU and choose Online > Extended download to device.
3. Set the PG/PC interface to PLCSIM (the virtual S7-1500 interface) and the connection subnet to the PLCSim Virtual Ethernet Adapter's IP.
4. Click Start search. If the virtual CPU is online, it appears with its IP and PROFINET device name.
5. Select the CPU, click Load, and confirm the project downloads to the virtual instance.
6. Open Online > Go online and verify the online tree shows the CPU, the program blocks, and the watch tables.

On Windows 10 1809 with PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1, step 4 will return No devices found because the virtual CPU never reaches the online state. After applying Workaround B or C, the same search returns the virtual CPU in 1-3 seconds. If the search still fails on a supported host OS, check that the S7Comm default port (102/TCP) is not blocked by a third-party firewall on the host or the guest.

Verification Procedure

Run the following checks after applying any workaround to confirm the fix is complete and stable.

1. Open the PLCSim Advanced instance manager and power on the instance. The state must reach Running in under 30 seconds.
2. Open TIA Portal V15.1, perform Online > Extended download to device, and verify the S7-1500 CPU is found on the first search.
3. From TIA Portal, open Online > Go online and confirm the online tree shows the CPU, the program blocks, and the watch tables.
4. Toggle a digital output bit from a watch table and confirm the change reflects in the PLCSim Advanced instance I/O panel.
5. Open a second PLCSim Advanced instance, add a second Virtual Ethernet Adapter binding, and confirm both virtual CPUs are reachable simultaneously.
6. Reboot the host. After reboot, the PLCSim Advanced service must start automatically and the previously powered-on instance must restore to Running within 30 seconds.
7. Capture the manager's %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\PLCSimAdvanced\Logs log and confirm no WCF exceptions appear during a 10-minute idle period.

If step 1 still exceeds 30 seconds, repeat the OS check from the compatibility matrix above. If step 1 is fast but step 4 fails, the issue is at the TIA Portal project layer (watch table tags, address overlap) and is independent of the host OS.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Long-Term Recommendation

The Windows 10 1809 timeout is a known compatibility gap in PLCSim Advanced V2.0 SP1, not a defect in any specific S7-1500 firmware image or TIA Portal project. For production engineering workstations, do the following:

1. Pin the host OS to a build that is on the V2.0 SP1 supported list (Windows 10 Pro 1803 or Windows Server 2016) or upgrade PLCSim Advanced to a release that lists 1809.
2. Keep PLCSim Advanced on a separate VM image so OS feature updates cannot silently break the simulator.
3. Capture the PLCSim Advanced version, the TIA Portal version, the host OS build, and the S7-1500 CPU firmware version in every project README so future engineers can reproduce the working environment.
4. Open a Siemens support request and ask for written confirmation that 1809 is supported in the PLCSim Advanced version you plan to deploy.
5. Exclude the PLCSim Advanced install directory and the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\PLCSimAdvanced tree from real-time antivirus scanning to avoid WCF pipe interruptions.

The trial download portal at Siemens support ID 109758848 remains the authoritative source for the V2.0 SP1 readme and the OS support list; verify the readme date against your installation media before you commit to a workaround.

FAQ