How to Quickly Export Your PLC IP List to Excel for Network Auditing
Setting up a training center or a plant floor often involves managing hundreds of IP addresses.
Once you have assigned your addresses, the next step is verification. Did you get the addresses right? Are all the devices appearing on the wire as expected?
Here is an efficient way to audit your industrial network and get your device list directly into a spreadsheet.
The Challenge of Manual Auditing
We use the SIM-IPE to run a "Discover Device" function, which identifies everything currently connected.
Rather than manually transcribing these addresses from the handheld screen, you can use a terminal session to extract that data and move it into Excel for better visibility.
Step-by-Step: Exporting Discovery Results
Run Discovery: Plug your SIM-IPE into the network you want to audit. Hit "Discover Device" and let it populate the list of PLCs, HMIs, and other nodes.
Connect via Terminal: Open a terminal emulator on your PC. Connect to the IP address of your SIM-IPE using Port 23 (Telnet).
The Export Command: Once connected, you will see a menu of options. Type "C" and hit enter. This command tells the SIM-IPE to output the latest discovery results in a CSV (Comma Separated Values) format.
Copy and Paste: Right-click to copy all the text from the terminal window. Open Excel and paste it in. Click "OK" if prompted for data formatting.
What You Can See in Excel
By moving this data into a spreadsheet, you can quickly sort and filter your results. This allows you to:
Verify Hardware: Ensure all your Micro850s, MicroLogix 1400s, and Siemens S7-1200s are present.
Identify Missing Protocols: You can see if a device is communicating via Ethernet/IP or PROFINET.
Check Firmware Revisions: The export provides critical data on what version of firmware your controllers are running, such as a CompactLogix on v35 or an L81 on v37.