WinCC Engineering Station Setup for Multiple Single-User Projects

Overview

Operating two separate WinCC Runtime stations from a single engineering location is a common requirement in plant modernization. The classic case is two IPCs running independent single-user (single-station) projects with local RT licenses, plus a third IPC dedicated to configuration that must compile, edit graphics, and download to both runtime systems without disrupting production.

Two production-grade architectures solve this:

1. SIMATIC Manager multi-project integration with a full RC (WinCC Configuration) license on the Engineering Station (ES).
2. Engineering Client approach where the ES opens WinCC projects remotely as a client, using only an RC Client license, while RT stations hold server licenses.

The choice is governed by licensing cost, future scalability (single station vs. distributed multi-user), and which engineering tool is already installed (WinCC V7.x with SIMATIC Manager or TIA Portal / WinCC Professional). The guidance below follows Siemens official documentation: WinCC in SIMATIC Manager - Engineering and Runtime, the PCS 7 multi-project manual Multi-project / multi-user engineering (V9.0), and TIA Portal multiuser engineering.

WinCC Project Types and Licensing Fundamentals

Before choosing a topology, fix the terminology. The WinCC V7.x product line distinguishes the following project modes, each with its own license envelope:

Key licensing points per the SIMATIC HMI WinCC V7.5 SP2 manual and WinCC engineering in SIMATIC Manager (entry 59216666):

• RT license activates runtime on the IPC; it does not enable project editing.
• RC license enables full offline configuration (graphics, scripts, tags, alarms, archives) and is required to compile, download, and modify a WinCC single-station project.
• RC Client license is a reduced-price RC variant that permits editing a WinCC Server (multi-user) project opened remotely as a client. It cannot create a new project; it edits an existing server-side project.
• Server RT license is needed only when the runtime becomes a multi-user server. For two IPCs that will remain single stations, server licenses are not required.

Architecture Comparison

The two architectures have different operational and cost profiles. The table below summarizes trade-offs:

Decision Matrix

Option 1: SIMATIC Manager Multi-Project with Full RC License

This approach follows the official Siemens procedure documented in entry 59216666 and the PCS 7 multi-project manual at 22258951 (V9.0). The engineering station owns the canonical project, and downloads push compiled WinCC projects to each IPC over the plant network.

Prerequisites

• WinCC V7.x installation media matching the RT version on IPC #1 and IPC #2 (mixing major versions causes tag export failures).
• SIMATIC Manager installed on the ES (bundled with WinCC V7.x or installed separately).
• A full WinCC RC license on the ES.
• RT licenses installed on IPC #1 and IPC #2.
• Network reachability between ES and both RT stations; admin shares (WinCC_Project folder) accessible with the WinCC service account.
• Same Windows user account (or mirrored service account) configured as a member of the local SIMATIC HMI group on ES and on both RT IPCs.

Procedure

1. On the ES, launch SIMATIC Manager and create a new multiproject via File > New > Multiproject. Name it after the line or area (for example, LineA_MultiProject).
2. Inside the multiproject, create two sub-projects: IPC1_WinCC and IPC2_WinCC. Mark the multiproject as the master for shared master data library.
3. Right-click each sub-project and assign the target station as WinCC Station. Configure the PC name and the network address of IPC #1 and IPC #2 in Object Properties > Target System.
4. Install/configure the WinCC project of each RT once directly on the IPC (graphics, tag connections to the PLC, alarm logging, archives). This is the "as-built" project that will be pulled into the ES.
5. On the ES, set the target path for each sub-project to the corresponding RT share: \\IPC1\WinCC_Project and \\IPC2\WinCC_Project using the WinCC service account.
6. Use PLC > Compile and Download Objects in SIMATIC Manager to push the WinCC sub-project to the assigned RT. WinCC generates the runtime files and starts activation remotely.
7. After the first successful round-trip, all future engineering edits happen on the ES sub-project only. Always end with a compile/download to the affected RT.
8. Manage shared objects (master data library, central tag prefixes, common picture modules) at the multiproject level so that changes propagate consistently. See Multi-project / multi-user engineering V8.2 manual for the master data library workflow.

Verification

1. On the ES, in SIMATIC Manager select both sub-projects and choose Target System > Check Target Path. Both must report OK.
2. Compile a sub-project and verify that the generated *.RT compile log lists zero errors and zero warnings.
3. On the target IPC, open WinCC Explorer > Project Properties and confirm the version header matches the ES compile. Mismatch indicates an incomplete download.
4. Activate Runtime on the IPC. Status bar must read Runtime active with no red alarm line.
5. Force a tag change from the PLC and confirm the value updates on the HMI. If it does not, the tag connection (channel/connection name) was not migrated correctly during the first pull.

Option 2: Engineering Client with RC Client License

This approach uses the ES strictly as a remote editing client. Both RT stations are reclassified as multi-user (server) projects; the ES opens the project over the network using WinCC Explorer's "Open remote project" function and edits with an RC Client license.

Prerequisites

• Both RT IPCs must hold WinCC Server RT licenses (one per server, not one per client).
• ES must hold an RC Client license.
• The two RT projects must already exist as single-station projects. Convert them to multi-user by adding the Server option in the project properties and reactivating Runtime once locally.
• Network: ES must resolve and authenticate to \\IPC1\<ProjectName> and \\IPC2\<ProjectName>. Use a service account with read/write to SIMATIC HMI ACL on both servers.
• No SIMATIC Manager is required on the ES for this option, which simplifies the install footprint.

Procedure

1. On IPC #1, open WinCC Explorer, choose Project Properties > Type, switch from Single-User to Multi-User Server. Repeat on IPC #2. Re-activate Runtime locally to validate the project still runs.
2. From the ES, open WinCC Explorer and select Open > Open Remote Project. Enter \\IPC1\WinCC_Project\<ProjectName>.mcp. The first connection prompts for credentials; persist them via Windows Credential Manager if the ES is rebooted often.
3. Perform all edits - graphics, scripts, tag connections - in this remote project. Save back to the server. The RC Client license allows full edit operations but does not permit creating a brand-new project on the ES share.
4. To compile, choose Compile > Remote Compilation. WinCC performs the compile on the RT using the RT's own tag database; only changes are shipped back to the ES over the network.
5. To switch to the second station, close the remote project on IPC #1 and open the remote project on IPC #2 using the same dialog. Keep two separate WinCC Explorer windows if you need to compare graphics side by side (allowed by RC Client licensing, but not simultaneous activation - activate only one runtime at a time from the ES).
6. For future operator clients, install WinCC Client RT on a third IPC and configure it to point at either server. No engineering changes are required on the servers.

Verification

1. On the ES, open WinCC Explorer > Diagnostics. Both remote projects must show Status: Reachable.
2. Trigger a tag write from WinCC Explorer on the ES. Confirm the value lands on the connected PLC (use the WinCC tag simulator if no PLC is connected during commissioning).
3. Compile a small change (e.g., rename a button label) and verify the runtime picks it up within one activation cycle.
4. Check the WinCC license overview on the ES: WinCC Explorer > Help > About must report RC Client in use, not RC Demo.

When the Plant Uses TIA Portal / WinCC Professional

For WinCC Professional (TIA Portal) deployments, the equivalent of the SIMATIC Manager multi-project is the TIA multiuser engineering feature. According to the TIA Portal multiuser engineering manual, multiple configuration engineers work in parallel on a shared server project, reducing configuration time on large plants. The functional mapping is:

• SIMATIC Manager multiproject → TIA multiuser server project stored on a shared TIA Portal project server (TiaPortalProjectServer).
• RC license → TIA Portal Professional license with the WinCC Professional option.
• RC Client license → TIA Portal multiuser engineering seat.

For a two-RT topology under TIA, you would create a single multiuser server project containing both HMI stations as devices, configure from any ES, and download to either RT independently. This collapses the dual-IPC problem into a single engineering source, which is the recommended path for greenfield projects.

Common Failure Modes and Field Notes

Sizing and Capacity Considerations

For the ES hardware, plan capacity using the formula below when sizing disk and memory for the multiproject:

ProjectSize_MB = Sum(Archives_MB) + 2 * Sum(Tags * TagLength) / 1024 + Sum(Pictures * PictureKB)

A typical medium WinCC station (8,000 tags, 150 pictures, 5,000,000 archive records) consumes 1.5 - 2.5 GB. Plan the ES disk at 4× that figure to allow compile logs, backup generations, and GSD/GSDML caches. RAM should be at least 16 GB for V7.5 SP2 with a multiproject; WinCC compile is single-threaded but database lookups scale with project size.

For network, the download of a fully compiled WinCC project (100 MB typical) over a 100 Mbit link completes in roughly 10 - 15 s. For larger projects with full archives, allow 60 s and ensure Quality of Service prioritizes ES → RT traffic to avoid compile-then-activate conflicts.

Recommended Architecture by Scenario

Operational Checklist

1. Confirm WinCC and SIMATIC Manager SP versions on ES match the RT stations.
2. Verify the ES holds either an RC license (Option 1) or an RC Client license (Option 2) - not both, not neither.
3. Confirm network reachability between ES and each RT using WinCC_RT_Ping or tcps7.exe diagnostics.
4. Ensure the WinCC service account has SIMATIC HMI group membership on every machine.
5. Run a round-trip compile/download of a no-op change to validate the path before any production edit.
6. Document the project storage location (ES share vs. RT share) in the plant engineering log so that on-call engineers know where to find the live source.