Troubleshooting communication problems - Software products - Getting Started Guide - PCM600 Protection and Control IED Manager - 2.13 - IEC - ANSI - 29.06.2023

Is the network cable connected?

• Check the cables.
• Check that the cables are connected to correct communication ports.

Is the IED responding to any communication?

• Open the command prompt.
• Type ping <devices_IP_address>/–t and wait for at least one minute to see if there are any communication breaks.
• If the ping does not work, check the communication settings: IP gateway, IP addresses, subnet masks and firewalls.

Is the IP address unique in the subnetwork?

• Unplug the communication cable from the IED and ping the IP address.
• If there is a response to the ping, find the device with the same IP address from the network and remove it.

Is the SCL technical key correct?

If the technical key is not correct, a message is displayed in the PCM600 Output window.

• Select the IED from the PCM600 tree structure and run Set Technical Key.

Are the communicating devices in the same subnetwork?

• Verify the PC and IED communication addresses and subnet masks.

Is the communication port set correctly?

• Select the IED from the PCM600 tree structure and check the Communication Port setting from the shortcut menu.
• Verify that the IP address in the Object Properties window is correct.

Was PCM600 first connected to one relay with a certain IP address, and the cable then switched to another relay with the same IP address, and the communication is not working any more?

Windows creates an ARP table containing MAC address and IP address pairs. Clearing this table helps to get communication working when the pairs no longer match. Every relay communication card has a unique MAC address. However, for example in 615 series, the front port IP address is fixed. This can create a mismatched ARP table when several relays are used. Windows also refreshes the ARP table automatically, but this can take several minutes.

• Click the Start button, write cmd in the search box and press ENTER to open the command prompt.
• Type arp -d and press ENTER to clear the ARP table. If this command is not recognized or allowed, open the command prompt as an administrator.

Are there several PCM600 processes running simultaneously on the same PC?

Only one PCM600 process can communicate at a time.

• Stop other PCM600 instances while communicating with the IED.

Is the parameter communication working?

• Open the parameter settings and try to read parameters.

  If the parameter setting works and if there is no other communication, the problem can be in the firewall settings.

Is the IED communication reserved by other clients?

• Determine the maximum amount of simultaneous clients.

  In the IEC 61850 communication, this can be seen in the device's SCL file. In some IEDs, the used clients from the IED can be checked manually from the WHMI.

• Isolate the IED from other communication devices to make sure that the clients are not reserving the communication.
• Try to communicate with the IED directly from the front port when the rear port cable is disconnected.

Does the communication work with other software than PCM600?

• If the IED supports the IEC 61850 communication, try to communicate with the IED with a third-party client.

  If the communication fails, check the network configuration.

Does the communication work with the Windows Administrator rights?

Sometimes the communication configuration is updated wrongly with or without the administrator rights.

• If UAC is enabled, run PCM600 using the administrator account.

Does rebooting the IED help resolve the communication issues?

It is possible that the communication is occasionally reserved in the IED.

• Reboot the IED.

Can multiple tools be used simultaneously to configure the IED?

In some cases, when two users access the same IED at the same time, the communication fails.

Can data be read from the IED by using multiple tools at the same time?

Some IEDs do not support the reading of disturbance recording simultaneously from two clients.

Is the IED under heavy load?

Operations in the IED can have a high priority and consume most of the IED resources. This can break the communication with PCM600. An example of a resource-exhausting operation is the storing of a disturbance recording.

• Ensure that there are no ongoing processes in the IED and try to communicate again.

Are there multiple devices with the same MAC in the same network?

• Try to communicate with a device directly from the front port when the rear port cable is disconnected.

Are the external network devices working properly?

Sometimes routers, switches and media converters can malfunction.

• Try to communicate with a device directly from the front port when the rear port cable is disconnected.

Is the communication time-out too short?

• In the Object Properties window, select the value Fixed with High Latency for Connection Type. The Time-out property becomes visible.
• Define the time-out for long-delay networks.
  • PCM communication uses the time-out value specified by the user.
  • When selecting Fixed, the default time-out is used.

Does Online Configuration Wizard or reading configuration fail?

• Make sure that your personal firewall allows inbound FTP connections. Reading configuration files from certain IEDs requires the possibility for inbound FTP connections.

Does secure communication sometimes fail with IEDs?

PCM600 opens an SSL connection to the device using the .NET SslStream implementation. In certain cases the SslStream.AuthenticateAsClient call takes a long time to authenticate, for example, if the latest root certificates are not updated on the computer. Disable the Automatic Root Certificates Update feature via GPO to block Internet access.

• To turn off Automatic Root Certificates Update via Local Group Policy Editor, click Start and then click Run.
• Type gpedit.msc and click OK.
• If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is correct and click Continue.
• Under computer configuration, double-click Administrative Templates, double-click System, double-click Internet Communication Management, and then click Internet Communication settings.
• Double-click Turn off Automatic Root Certificates Update, click Enabled, and then click OK.

Is PCM600 in offline mode?

If PCM600 is offline, enable communication from the menu in the bottom left corner.

Is Scheduler not able to connect to IED?

See sections PCM600 Scheduler setup in the cyber security deployment guideline and Defining communication between PCM600 and IED in the operation manual.