Unknow error 275 using RTA Automation 515RTAENI

[Noe]

Archie, I was doing some more tests (writing to a string), I made a change in the project in VB to add a keyboradinput control then started it in debug mode, and now I was not able to read or write anything. The basic label shows the error "unknown code 275". I tried several times and same result. After some time started to communicate again. I kept running my test app, is just an empty project with a basic label and after some time looses connection with PLC for a couple of senconds (connection timeout) and then re-enables by itself.

I attached a couple of wireshark capture, one for the "unknow code 275" and other for the comm loss during the runtime execution.

The capture with the code 275 is caused by being out of connections. In an AdvancedHMI application it is important to "dispose" all form before closing the application because this is what tells the driver to properly close the connections. Otherwise the connection are consumed until timed out which is typically about 15 seconds. The ENI module has a known issue in which it will not timeout and close an improperly closed connection, therefore needs to have the power cycled.


If you look at the code behind the MainMenu you will see the proper way to ensure all forms are closed.

Is this one?

Code: [Select]

'***************************************************************************************
    '* Close all forms when the exit button is clicked in order to close all communications
    '***************************************************************************************
    Private Sub ExitButton_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        Dim index As Integer = 0
        While index < My.Application.OpenForms.Count
            If My.Application.OpenForms(index) IsNot Me Then
                My.Application.OpenForms(index).Close()
            End If
            index += 1
        End While

        Me.Close()
    End Sub
If so, I thought you were doing it here (in MainForm)

Code: [Select]

'***************************************************************
    '* .NET does not close hidden forms, so do it here
    '* to make sure forms are disposed and drivers close
    '***************************************************************
    Private Sub MainForm_FormClosing(sender As Object, e As FormClosingEventArgs) Handles Me.FormClosing
        Dim index As Integer
        While index < My.Application.OpenForms.Count
            If My.Application.OpenForms(index) IsNot Me Then
                My.Application.OpenForms(index).Close()
            End If
            index += 1
        End While
    End Sub
All my test had been in Version3.99ybeta14 with just a single basic label.

[Noe]

I think I found a way to duplicate the error.

This morning I started the test app only and worked just fine. It read the string in the basic label with no issue. I left of running like 10 minutes to see if was a matter of time to fail, but never did. RTA ethernet diagnostic page reports back only 3 connections to the PLC being used (HMI, my test app and a RFID badge reader that communicates through an RTA TCP to Ethernet/IP gateway).

I then closed the app, and started RSLinx and RSLogix, got online with PLC with no issue also. Then I started the app again and "Unknown error 275" was shown on the basic label at first. After some time changed to "no response to forward open". I opened Wireshark and waited for like a minute before restarting the test app to see if communitacion restarted, but got always "no response to forward open" error. You can see in the attached snapshot that even the RTA Ethenert diagnostica page reports back only 5 connections, I have seen 6, and HMI and RSLogix never dropped comms at that moment. Even when the test app basic label was reporting back an error, RSLogix comms never went down so it was not an Ethernet connection failure. I also attached the Wireshark capture.

Archie, is the patched DLL only for this to get it working or is it going to be merged with your project in the next version? Just to understand is this is just an exception where I will have to use it or if I will be able to use newer versions in the future.

[Archie]

It almost looks like RSLinx is flooding the network. Do you have an RSWho window open? If so, try to close it and see if it makes any difference.

I can see AdvancedHMI send the first Forward Open and succeed. Then every 4 seconds it sends another Forward Open request and gets the "out of connections". I'm guessing the TimeOut of your driver is 4 seconds. In those 4 seconds, RSLinx (could be RSLogix, but I see the processor type in the response) sent about 75 requests. Although I would expect to at least see AdvancedHMI send a request for data, but it doesn't.

In Wireshark if you apply this filter, you can see what I am referring to:

tcp.port==57602


The patch will be part of all future versions. I tested it on an ML1100 and it works fine.

[Archie]

Edit to my last post.... The first Forward Open does NOT succeed. Packet 106 is the request, then packet 107 returns an "Out of Connections" failure.

So if AdvancedHMI is started first, will RSLogix go online?

[Noe]

It almost looks like RSLinx is flooding the network. Do you have an RSWho window open? If so, try to close it and see if it makes any difference.

I can see AdvancedHMI send the first Forward Open and succeed. Then every 4 seconds it sends another Forward Open request and gets the "out of connections". I'm guessing the TimeOut of your driver is 4 seconds. In those 4 seconds, RSLinx (could be RSLogix, but I see the processor type in the response) sent about 75 requests. Although I would expect to at least see AdvancedHMI send a request for data, but it doesn't.

In Wireshark if you apply this filter, you can see what I am referring to:

tcp.port==57602


The patch will be part of all future versions. I tested it on an ML1100 and it works fine.

I do have RSWho open. I never had issues before with other hardware by doing this, but never thought before about it.

[Noe]

Edit to my last post.... The first Forward Open does NOT succeed. Packet 106 is the request, then packet 107 returns an "Out of Connections" failure.

So if AdvancedHMI is started first, will RSLogix go online?

I just tryed it, closed VB, RSLogix and RSLinx completely (I do not run RSLinx as a service), started VB test app and connected correctly, opened RSLinx and RSLogix, and got online with no issue.

[Archie]

Did AdvancedHMI stay online after starting RSLogix? What does the connection count show in the diagnostic of the RTA device? Can you Wireshark that startup sequence?

[Noe]

Did AdvancedHMI stay online after starting RSLogix? What does the connection count show in the diagnostic of the RTA device? Can you Wireshark that startup sequence?

Sorry Archie, I got pulled from this for "more urgent things". I will try as soon as I can and report back. so far when I had an issue was when starting RSLogix and then AdvancedHMI, but seems to be related to the use of Ethernet/IP driver in RSLinx, instead of Ethernet.

[Phrog30]

Archie is a lot nicer than I am. At some point you have to cut your losses and move on. You could have already replaced the PLC during the time you have sprungmonkied with this adapter. If you are really dead set on using this thing, then buy one and send to Archie. Then he could work on it at his pace and he actually gets something out of it.

[Noe]

Archie is a lot nicer than I am. At some point you have to cut your losses and move on. You could have already replaced the PLC during the time you have sprungmonkied with this adapter. If you are really dead set on using this thing, then buy one and send to Archie. Then he could work on it at his pace and he actually gets something out of it.

I said I will send it as soon as I can. I am just an employee, so I have to work on priority that I'm told to work on. His changes already worked, but Archie wants more information on the error and I guess is in the benefit of his project to be more compatible. I will gladly do it AS SOON as my responsabilities let me. Is always esier to say than to do.

On the other hand, in a more practical conversation, it seems that RTA is using a different approach to be able to have more sockets available than the original Rockwell NET-ENI. It may be a reason of why it does something slightly different at protocol level that RSLinx and RSLinx Enterprize does not have issue with, but third party drivers do. Ingear drivers also has problems, but Archie did solved it in just some hours while Ingear says is a big deal to fix. Kepware did work fine, and also Ascom drivers.

As a reference, what we need to communicate witht the PLC:
Factory Talk ME Runtim
Advanced HMI
Database software using Ingear
RTA Ethernet/IP to TCP gateway (sends badge reader data)
RSLogix whenever we need to debug or make changes

[Archie]

Try changing the CIPConnectionSize property to 300

[Noe]

Archie, I tried today but could not reproduce the exact same error, as AHMI did not fail with different combinations of programs I tried. What I have found is that the developer of our database software that communicates with the PLC has made changes to the confguration of the driver he uses (from Ingear), and he suppodsely can communicate with successfully. But in the RTA I can see "Total Num Out-of-Connection Errors" counter going up while the DB is online, and when so RSLinx (so Logix) and AHMI are not able to start communication with the PLC.

So I think that denitively is not an AHMI driver problem, but Ingear drivers. I will have to think in a workaround as Ingear says is not their fault, and RTA says their device works as expected... leaving me in the middle with some people pointing at me to be the responsible. Anyway, thanks for all the help, hopefully this helped to improve something.

And yes, I tried changing the CIPConnectionSize property to 300, and worked fine.

[Archie]

I'm wondering if Ingear opens multiple connections instead of using a shared communication layer. Is the database software that uses Ingear, a .NET application? If so, could you possibly convince them to try converting it to AdvancedHMI?

[Noe]

I'm wondering if Ingear opens multiple connections instead of using a shared communication layer. Is the database software that uses Ingear, a .NET application? If so, could you possibly convince them to try converting it to AdvancedHMI?

Archie, sorry for not replying before, but this is one of those frustrating things that fixes by "itself". I do not know if one of the database application developers did something remotely (they do teamviewer to finish open items), but now EVERYTHING works fine! I have not been able to reproduce the communication issues once again, and this my worst fear, not knowing what happened because it for sure will happen again in the near future, usually when is the most inconveniet time to happen.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you, your support is always much much better that any other!

[Archie]

this is one of those frustrating things that fixes by "itself". I do not know if one of the database application developers did something remotely (they do teamviewer to finish open items), but now EVERYTHING works fine! I have not been able to reproduce the communication issues once again, and this my worst fear, not knowing what happened because it for sure will happen again in the near future, usually when is the most inconveniet time to happen.

I understand this frustrating/worrisome situation all too well. A near exact thing happened to me about 2 weeks ago. I made some PLC program changes on an assembly line and by coincidence that same week the database tracking system started crashing and dumping the program. Fingers pointed every where until I finally went back to prove or disprove it was the PLC program. When I got there the engineer started to show me the problem and everything worked perfectly. The only suspicion was the database app developers remotely connected and updated their software without telling anyone.