Resolving WinCC Information Server 2014 SP3 Channel Faulted State

1. Problem Overview

When commissioning SIMATIC Information Server 2014 SP3 against a WinCC 7.4 SP1 data source on the same workstation as PCS 7 V9.0, administrators frequently encounter a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) runtime exception when Information Server attempts to bind to the WinCC archive service:

The Communicating Object, System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel, Can't be used for communication because it is in the Faulted State.

The exception is thrown from System.ServiceModel and indicates that a previously-opened WCF channel has entered the Faulted state and cannot be re-used. Information Server depends on these channels to query archived process values and messages from the underlying WinCC/PCS 7 archive; once the channel faults, the IS web service returns no data and the IS Ready plug-in fails to enumerate the WinCC project.

2. Reference Environment

The error reproduction environment documented in field cases:

The delivery release identifier for SIMATIC Information Server 2014 SP3 is published in the Siemens Industry Online Support entry Delivery Release SIMATIC Information Server 2014 SP3. The SQL Server 2014 SP3 prerequisite is documented at KB4022619 - SQL Server 2014 SP3 release information.

3. Decoding the ServiceChannel Faulted-State Error

The exception text is generated by System.ServiceModel.CommunicationObjectFaultedException, which inherits from CommunicationException. The WCF channel enters the Faulted state when one of the following occurs during a service call:

1. The remote endpoint (the WinCC archive service / WinCC OLE-DB provider) terminates the TCP or named-pipe session.
2. Authentication, encryption, or message-size quotas on the basicHttpBinding / netTcpBinding are violated.
3. A prerequisite Windows feature such as IIS, the WinRM listener, or HTTP activation is missing or disabled.
4. An unhandled exception inside the host process tears down the channel before the call returns.

For SIMATIC Information Server, the most common fault path is channel-binding configuration drift: the IS configuration tool stores endpoint URLs in the SQL Server database InformationServer, and any mismatch between the registered server name, instance name, and WinCC project name causes the WCF proxy to fault on first use.

4. Root Cause Analysis

When Information Server 2014 SP3 and WinCC 7.4 SP1 are installed on a single Windows 7 SP1 workstation, four independent root causes have been confirmed in field service reports:

In a single-station co-located scenario, R1 dominates; SQL Server instance collisions (default instance vs. named instance) and Windows firewall blocking of the WinCC archive port (typically 80, 443, and the dynamic WinCC project range) are secondary amplifiers.

5. Pre-Installation Prerequisites

Before any installation or repair attempt, verify the following platform requirements.

5.1 Windows Features

• Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 with the following sub-components enabled:

Web Management Tools > IIS Management Console
World Wide Web Services > Application Development Features > ASP.NET
World Wide Web Services > Application Development Features > ISAPI Extensions / ISAPI Filters
World Wide Web Services > Common HTTP Features (all)
World Wide Web Services > Security > Windows Authentication, Basic Authentication
Management Tools > IIS 6 Management Compatibility > IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1 (or higher 4.x) with WCF HTTP Activation under Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 Advanced Services > WCF Services.
• Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) enabled.

5.2 SQL Server 2014 SP3 Baseline

Information Server 2014 SP3 bundles a SQL Server 2014 instance. Apply SP3 according to the Microsoft guidance in KB4022619. Note the SP3 prerequisites:

• Requires an existing SQL Server 2014 RTM, SP1, or SP2 installation.
• Restart required; recommend a clean PendingFileRenameOperations registry key before applying.
• The minimum supported SQL Server edition is Standard; Express is supported for Information Server but disables scheduled reports and multi-user access.

5.3 Network and Identity

• Assign a static IPv4 address; DHCP leases and Wi-Fi roaming are documented causes of intermittent channel faults.
• Configure a DNS A record that matches the workstation host name referenced by the IS configuration.
• Use a dedicated Windows user (e.g., SVR-WINCC-IS) with the SIMATIC HMI / SQL Server sysadmin roles and identical passwords on all co-located components.

6. Mandatory Installation Order (Same-Workstation)

Siemens installation manuals for Information Server 2014 SP3 explicitly state the following sequence when WinCC and IS are co-located on one PC:

1. Install the operating system, apply Windows 7 SP1, install all Windows optional features (IIS, .NET, WAS).
2. Install WinCC V7.4 SP1 (or PCS 7 V9.0, which contains WinCC).
3. Install Information Server 2014 SP3.
4. Apply Information Server Ready (IS Ready) add-on.
5. Apply SQL Server 2014 SP3.
6. Restart the workstation.

7. IIS Configuration for Windows 7 SP1

Information Server 2014 SP3 uses the IIS application pool InformationServerAppPool (or SIMATIC InformationServerAppPool depending on localization) running under the SIMATIC IS application pool identity. If IIS is not installed before Information Server, the installer writes the files but cannot register the WCF endpoints.

7.1 Add IIS Components

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Expand Internet Information Services and select all items listed in section 5.1.
3. Click OK and wait for the installer to complete.
4. Reboot.

7.2 Verify the WCF HTTP Activation

1. Open Server Manager > Features > Add Features.
2. Select .NET Framework 4.5 Advanced Services > WCF Services > HTTP Activation.
3. Click Next > Install.

7.3 Application Pool Identity

Open IIS Manager, select the IS application pool, click Advanced Settings, and set Identity to a domain or local account that has read/write access to the WinCC project directories and sysadmin on the SQL Server instance hosting InformationServer.

8. .NET Framework and VSTO Runtime

The Information Server 2014 SP3 manual section 1.2.2.3 specifies the Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) Runtime as a hard prerequisite for the Information Server Office Add-In and IS Ready plug-in. The runtime is NOT shipped on the Information Server media; it must be downloaded separately.

8.1 Required Components

8.2 Installation Sequence

1. Install .NET Framework 4.5.1 (or the patch your OS supports).
2. Install VSTO Runtime from the Microsoft download page (search "VSTO 2010 runtime").
3. Install Visual C++ 2010 x86 redistributable.
4. Install SQL Server 2012 Native Client (also available from the Information Server media under Redist\sqlncli).
5. Reboot and re-run the Information Server configuration tool.

9. SQL Server 2014 SP3 Considerations

SQL Server 2014 SP3 cumulative updates address several WCF-related service broker issues; see KB4022619. If WinCC and Information Server share a SQL Server instance, the following rules apply:

• The default SQL instance must be free; do not install WinCC's WinCC_<project> database alongside the Information Server default instance without an explicit alias.
• Create a dedicated SQL Server login SIMATIC_IS_USER with the db_owner role on InformationServer and the WinCC archive database.
• Set the SQL Server Browser service to Automatic and start it; otherwise named-instance resolution fails when the workstation IP changes.

9.1 Service Account Configuration

The SQL Server services must run under a Windows account identical to the IIS application pool identity used by Information Server. Mismatched SIDs are a primary cause of ServiceChannel faults because the WCF binding cannot negotiate a Windows credential.

10. Network and IP Hardening

The Information Server installation manual recommends that workstations running WinCC and Information Server in tandem operate on a stable, wired IPv4 network with a static address. The following checklist eliminates the network-induced class of ServiceChannel faults:

1. Disable Wi-Fi on the workstation: ncpa.cpl > right-click the Wi-Fi adapter > Disable.
2. Configure the Ethernet adapter with a static IPv4 address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS that match the host header registered in IS Configuration.
3. Open sqlservermanager12.msc and verify that the SQL alias for the Information Server instance uses the static IP and the standard port 1433.
4. In Windows Firewall, allow inbound TCP 80, 443, 1433, and the dynamic WinCC archive port range (default 2300-2400).
5. Run nbtstat -n and confirm that the NetBIOS name returned matches the name registered in the IS configuration database.

11. IS Ready Add-On Verification

Information Server Ready (IS Ready) is the report-template and add-on framework that bridges WinCC projects to Information Server. Without IS Ready at the latest patch level for the SP3 release, the WCF service descriptions (.svc) are not deployed to IIS, and the configuration tool reports no information server available.

1. Open Information Server Configuration from the Windows Start menu.
2. Select IS Ready Update and confirm the installed patch matches the SP3 release listed in entry 109750806.
3. Run inetmgr, expand Sites > Default Web Site and confirm that the virtual directory SIMATICInformationServer (or localized equivalent) exists.
4. Browse to http://localhost/SIMATICInformationServer/InformationServer.svc; a valid WSDL response indicates a healthy channel endpoint.

12. Step-by-Step Resolution Procedure

Use the following ordered procedure when the ServiceChannel Faulted State error appears after a fresh install or a Windows update.

1. Capture the exception context. Open the Windows Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > SIMATIC and note the timestamp, channel ID, and endpoint URL.
2. Validate install order. Open appwiz.cpl; the WinCC entry must appear above the Information Server entry in the chronological list.
3. Re-install IIS if missing. Add the IIS components listed in section 5.1 and reboot.
4. Re-install .NET 4.5.1 + VSTO. Run the installers from section 8.2 in order.
5. Apply SQL Server 2014 SP3. Follow KB4022619; restart twice.
6. Apply IS Ready patch. Confirm the version matches Siemens entry 109750806.
7. Switch to a static IP and disable Wi-Fi. Follow section 10.
8. Re-run the Information Server Configuration tool and re-register the WinCC project.
9. Restart the InformationServerAppPool in IIS Manager.
10. Recycle the WinCC archive service via the WinCC Explorer (right-click > Stop, then Start).
11. Test with the IS web portal and IS Excel add-in (sections 13.1 and 13.2).

13. Verification

13.1 WSDL Sanity Check

Browse to http://<hostname>/SIMATICInformationServer/InformationServer.svc?wsdl. A valid XML response confirms that IIS, WCF, and the .svc handler are operational.

13.2 IS Ready Report Test

1. Start Microsoft Excel (32-bit, x86).
2. Open the SIMATIC Information Server ribbon tab.
3. Select Insert Report > Process Values.
4. Choose the WinCC project registered in step 12.8.
5. Confirm that the report populates without a CommunicationObjectFaultedException.

13.3 Service Channel Health Probe

Run the following PowerShell snippet against the IS web service to confirm that the channel is Opened and not Faulted:

$uri = "http://localhost/SIMATICInformationServer/InformationServer.svc"
$binding = New-Object System.ServiceModel.BasicHttpBinding
$endpoint = New-Object System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress($uri)
$channel = New-Object System.ServiceModel.ChannelFactory[IS2014Sp3.IInformationServiceContract]($binding, $endpoint)
$channel.Open()
$state = $channel.State   # must return Opened
$channel.Close()

A returned State of Opened confirms the resolution. A return of Faulted indicates that one of the prerequisites in section 5 is still missing.

14. Troubleshooting Matrix

15. Best Practices and Field Notes

• Keep WinCC, Information Server, and SQL Server on the same Windows domain and prefer domain accounts over local accounts to avoid SID rotation after Windows updates.
• Schedule a daily iisreset only as a last resort; prefer recycling the InformationServerAppPool once per day at a low-load window.
• Maintain a snapshot of %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\InformationServer after each successful commissioning; the folder contains the project-to-archive mapping that the WCF channel reads on startup.
• Avoid installing any third-party anti-virus with HTTPS interception on the IS host; many anti-virus products rewrite .svc responses and fault the WCF channel.
• Subscribe to Siemens ProductCERT notifications for Information Server; SP3 patches are released independently of the WinCC runtime.

16. FAQ