Resolving SINAMICS S210 V5.2 PROFINET I&M Deletion Reset Error

A SINAMICS S210 servo drive (firmware V5.2) that refuses a new PROFINET device name or IP address and reports "an error occurred with the deletion of the I&M" is in a configuration state that the normal TIA Portal / Startdrive "Reset of PROFINET interface parameters" cannot clear. The recovery path documented by Siemens for the S210 / SIMOTICS S-1FK2 and S-1FT2 platform is a full factory reset using a RESET.TXT file placed in the root of the converter's SD card. The reference entry is SINAMICS S210/SIMOTICS S-1FK2 and S-1FT2 - ID: 109982746 on the Siemens Industry Online Support portal.

Problem Overview

Engineers performing commissioning, device replacement, or subnet migration on a SINAMICS S210 encounter the following failure pattern when the I&M records cannot be deleted:

• The drive is reachable through TIA Portal's "Accessible nodes".
• Assigning a new PROFINET device name returns an error.
• Assigning a new IP address returns an error.
• Online & diagnostics > Functions > "Reset of PROFINET interface parameters" reports: "The device was reset, but an error occurred with the deletion of the I&M."
• A project download or device "format" operation produces the same I&M deletion error and aborts.

When the error appears, the PROFINET device name and IP address remain locked to their previous values. The drive cannot be commissioned into a different IO controller, and a name reassignment from a different controller is rejected as a "name ownership conflict" by the S210's PROFINET stack.

Affected Hardware and Firmware

The S210 ships only with a PROFINET interface. There is no PROFIBUS, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, or CANopen variant of this drive. All reset, identification, and diagnostics operations are therefore mediated through the PROFINET stack and the I&M records stored on the device.

Root Cause: I&M Record Deletion Failure

PROFINET devices store identification and maintenance data in standardized records known as I&M0 through I&M4. On the S210, these records are written to non-volatile memory and include:

• I&M0: PROFINET device name (the "NameOfStation") and the device's PROFINET interface ID.
• I&M1: Application-specific tag, e.g., the project's axis designation.
• I&M2: Installation date / location.
• I&M3: Additional descriptor text.
• I&M4: Signature for the safety / application configuration (used by the PROFIenergy and Safety Integrated tooling).

A "Reset of PROFINET interface parameters" issues a record write that clears the device name in I&M0 and re-initializes I&M1 through I&M4 to their factory defaults. The error message indicates that this record write returned a negative Read/Write record service confirmation. Common contributing causes include:

1. Active I/O data exchange: A live PROFINET AR (Application Relationship) holds a record lock on the device. TIA Portal cannot erase I&M0 while the controller is in cyclic data exchange with the drive.
2. Conflicting name ownership: An I&M0 record was written by a controller other than the one currently online. The S210's PROFINET stack treats the device name as "owned" by that other controller and rejects deletion requests from a different supervisor.
3. Interrupted firmware update: A power loss between the firmware flash and the I&M re-write stage leaves the records in a partially written state. Record-level deletion is blocked by the firmware's own state machine, but a full factory reset clears it.
4. Startdrive / firmware mismatch: An older Startdrive version uses an obsolete record index for the I&M erase command. The drive rejects the write because the record index is not supported on V5.2.

Because the I&M deletion fails, the device name and IP address are not cleared. Subsequent write attempts from TIA Portal are rejected with the same error, and the drive remains visible in "Accessible nodes" only under its previous name and IP.

Pre-Reset Diagnostics

Capture the current device state before attempting any reset. The factory reset clears all drive, motor, and PROFINET parameters, and the original state can be recovered only from a previously saved backup.

1. Read the current PROFINET configuration. In TIA Portal open Online & diagnostics > "PROFINET interface > Parameters". Note the device name, IPv4 address, subnet mask, and router address.
2. Export the parameter snapshot. In the S210 web server (accessible at the drive's current IP on port 80) navigate to "Diagnostics > Parameter view" and save the full parameter set as a *.dps file. If the web server is unreachable, use Startdrive's "Upload from device" function to read all parameters into the TIA project.
3. Confirm the firmware version. Online & diagnostics > "Module information" reports the firmware version, hardware product number (MLFB), and serial number. The S210 must show firmware V5.2; do not attempt a downgrade as part of this procedure.
4. Stop cyclic IO. Take the IO controller offline, or remove the S210 from the PROFINET configuration and disconnect the PROFINET cables from ports 1 and 2. The S210 must not be in cyclic data exchange when the I&M records are erased.
5. Inspect the SD card. Open the front cover of the converter and verify an SD card is present in the slot. Note the card capacity and existing contents. The factory reset procedure writes a RESET.TXT file to the card root and uses the card to re-flash the parameter memory.

Method 1: PROFINET Parameter Reset via TIA Portal

Try the standard online reset first. This is the path recommended by Siemens technical support for the SINAMICS S210 product line when the device is still responsive on PROFINET.

1. In the TIA Portal project tree, select the S210 device.
2. Right-click and select "Online & diagnostics".
3. Establish the online connection. The drive must appear in the "Accessible nodes" list under its current IP.
4. Navigate to "Functions" in the diagnostics tree.
5. Select "Reset of PROFINET interface parameters".
6. Confirm the dialog. Startdrive sends a record write to the device to clear the PROFINET name and reset the IP to 0.0.0.0.

Expected outcome on a healthy device: the PROFINET name is cleared, the IP returns to 0.0.0.0, and the drive is reachable again under its default name. On the S210, the default name is assigned at the factory from the device's MAC address; it is visible in "Accessible nodes" without any project configuration. If the I&M deletion error reappears, proceed to Method 2.

Method 2: Full Factory Reset via RESET.TXT on SD Card

When the online reset fails, the documented Siemens recovery path is a full factory reset using a RESET.TXT file placed in the root directory of the SD card. The reference is SINAMICS S210/SIMOTICS S-1FK2 and S-1FT2 - ID: 109982746 on the Siemens Industry Online Support portal.

Required Materials

• The SD card currently installed in the S210. Acceptable cards include the Siemens 6SL3054-4AGxx-2AA0 series, the SIMATIC S7 Memory Card family, or any standard SD / SDHC card formatted as FAT32 with at least 32 MB of free space.
• A PC with a text editor capable of saving a plain ASCII file without a byte-order mark (BOM) - Notepad, Notepad++, or vi.
• Access to the front cover of the drive. The 24 V control electronics must be powered down before the card is removed; the line voltage can remain on, but the STO input must be active.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Power down the 24 V control electronics. Wait for the RDY (Ready) LED to extinguish. The line section of the S210 (3AC 200-480 V) can remain energized; only the 24 V supply for the control electronics needs to be removed.
2. Remove the SD card from the slot on the front of the converter and insert it into a card reader on the PC.
3. Create RESET.TXT. Open a plain text editor, create a new file, and save it as RESET.TXT in the root of the SD card. The file must contain exactly the trigger string required by the S210 firmware. For V5.2, the trigger is the single line:

   RESET

   Save the file in ASCII / UTF-8 without BOM, without trailing whitespace, with uppercase filename.
4. Re-insert the SD card into the S210's card slot.
5. Cycle the 24 V control supply. Power off, wait at least 5 seconds, then power on. During the boot sequence the S210 checks the SD card root for RESET.TXT. When present, the drive performs a full factory reset: all drive, motor, safety, and PROFINET parameters revert to defaults, the device name is cleared, the IP returns to 0.0.0.0, and I&M0 through I&M4 are re-initialized to factory content.
6. Wait for the boot sequence to complete. The RDY LED should transition to a steady green within 30 to 60 seconds. The SF (Safety Fault) LED may illuminate briefly during the reset as the safety configuration is re-initialized; this is normal.
7. Remove the SD card and delete the RESET.TXT file on a PC. Re-insert the card (without the RESET.TXT) before the next commissioning step if the application uses the card for firmware backup or trace storage.

Post-Reset Verification and Reconfiguration

After the factory reset, validate that the drive is reachable on PROFINET and that the engineering tool can re-assign the name and IP.

1. In TIA Portal, open "Online & diagnostics" and refresh the "Accessible nodes" list. The S210 should now appear with its default PROFINET name and IP 0.0.0.0.
2. Right-click the device and select "Assign PROFINET device name". Enter the project-specific PROFINET name. The S210 should accept the write without an I&M error.
3. Assign the IP address, subnet mask, and router address. Use either Startdrive's "Assign IP address" tool or the S210 web server.
4. Compile and download the project. The S210 should transition to "Data exchange" (cyclic IRT) without the I&M error.
5. Re-apply the saved parameter set. Online & diagnostics > "Restore from backup" loads the *.dps file exported in step 2 of the diagnostics phase. Alternatively, drag-and-drop the parameter set into the parameter view.
6. Re-run the safety acceptance test. The factory reset clears the Safety Integrated password and configuration; the STO, SS1, SBC, and any SLS / SSM limits must be re-commissioned and accepted before the drive is returned to production.

Verification Checklist

Indicator LED States and Diagnostic Buffer

The S210 front panel carries a small set of status LEDs that the commissioning engineer can read without a connected engineering tool. After a factory reset, the LED transitions are the quickest way to confirm that the drive has actually returned to a clean state.

The diagnostic buffer (parameter r0945 / r0947 / r0948 / r0949) is the canonical record of the events that led up to the I&M failure. In Startdrive, open the S210's parameter view, navigate to "Diagnostics > Faults / Warnings", and sort by time. The most common fault codes associated with the I&M deletion error are F08501 (PROFINET interface fault - record write failed) and F08502 (PROFINET name conflict). After a successful factory reset, the diagnostic buffer is preserved across the reset; read it before the next commissioning step to confirm that the underlying cause is gone.

Service Tool Alternatives

When TIA Portal / Startdrive is not available (for example, on a service laptop that has only the SIMATIC Automation Tool installed), the same recovery can be performed with the SIMATIC Automation Tool or with the SINAMICS S210 web server. The RESET.TXT path is independent of the engineering tool - it is a firmware-level trigger that runs during boot. The only requirement is physical access to the SD card slot.

• SIMATIC Automation Tool: Useful for fleet-wide operations. The tool can push the SD card image (including RESET.TXT) to multiple S210 drives and power-cycle them remotely through the PROFINET network, when the IO controller supports power management of the drives.
• SINAMICS S210 web server: Accessible at the drive's IP on port 80 using a standard browser. The web server exposes the parameter view, diagnostic buffer, and a "Restore factory settings" function. The web-server-initiated reset follows the same internal record write path as Startdrive and will also return the I&M error when the underlying cause persists. It is therefore useful for diagnostics, not for the recovery itself.
• PRONETA: Siemens' free PROFINET analysis tool can be used to confirm that the S210 is reachable on PROFINET and to assign a temporary IP and name before TIA Portal is brought online for the full re-commissioning.

Safety Integrated Considerations

The SINAMICS S210 supports Safety Integrated functions (STO, SS1, SS2, SOS, SLS, SSM, SBC) over PROFIsafe. The I&M4 record holds a signature for the safety configuration, and the I&M deletion failure can in some cases prevent the safety configuration from being updated as well. After the factory reset, observe the following procedure:

1. Re-enter the Safety Integrated password (the factory default is 0; the customer password is cleared by the reset).
2. Re-configure the PROFIsafe address and the safety source / target topology.
3. Download the safety program into the F-CPU. The S210's safety configuration is downloaded separately from the standard drive parameters; a partial download can re-introduce the I&M error pattern if the Startdrive version does not match the firmware.
4. Run the safety acceptance test, log the results, and sign off the test report. The acceptance test is mandatory before the drive is returned to production.

Prevention and Best Practices

• Match Startdrive to firmware. TIA Portal V18 SP1 (with the matching HSP) or TIA Portal V19 is required for SINAMICS S210 firmware V5.2. Mixing an older Startdrive with V5.2 firmware can produce the I&M record write failure. Update the engineering tool before commissioning.
• Stop cyclic IO before reset. Always take the IO controller offline (or remove the S210 from the PROFINET configuration) before invoking "Reset of PROFINET interface parameters". A live AR blocks record writes to I&M0.
• Maintain an SD card image. Keep a backup of the SD card contents (parameter set, firmware, license) so that a recovery does not require a full re-commissioning. The *.dps export is sufficient for the parameters; a card image is needed for the firmware backup.
• Document the PROFINET name per axis. Record the device name and IP per axis in the project documentation. A locked name cannot be read from a non-cooperative device; the only source of truth is the project's PROFINET device name table.
• Avoid interrupted firmware updates. Do not cycle 24 V during a firmware flash on the S210. An interrupted update can leave the I&M records in a partially written state that is resistant to record-level deletion but is cleared by the full factory reset.
• Centralize I&M1 / I&M2 / I&M3 writes. Use a single controller / engineering station to write the installation-date and location records. Mixed ownership of the I&M records is the most common source of the deletion error on multi-vendor PROFINET networks.

Frequently Asked Questions